The Hellfire Dragon Slayer
by The Celestial Sky Dragon
Summary: Aiden Flame had grown up as one of the few humans in the faraway Sun Village. He one day noticed how odd the Eternal Flame was, and realized that it was actually a Dragon. Taking him in, Atlas Flame taught him the art of Dragon Magic, only his Fire is special. Hellfire is supposed to cleanse souls, yet the flames had turned blue. Aiden joins Cait Shelter seven years later...
1. Cait Shelter

**A/N: I found this story when i was sifting through my files. This was another story I started when i wasn't working on Advent of the Stars, since I had lost its original file, i had gotten out of wring Fairy Tail and moved on to Hyperdimension Neptunia, which i haven't posted and probably wont for a while...but yeah, I have no intention of continuing this for the time being, but I'd like to know what you think..leave a review or ignore it, i don't care...thanks and have a nice day...**

Fairy Tail

Tales of the Hellfire Dragon

Chapter 1

Cait Shelter

The rain battered the land relentlessly, showing it that it wasn't about to end its deluge. Thunder boomed and the wind roared loudly, making the nearby trees bend from the stress. Leaves flew through the air, along with branches that were no longer strong enough to stay on the trees they once belonged too. The path that was usually made of hard dirt, now turned into a muddy bog that would trap anyone who dared walk across it. That didn't stop one lone teen from making his way through the storm. His hair was stuck to his face from the rain, and he was hugging his cloak tightly against his skin. His shoes were covered in the dark brown mud, along with his legs as he was wearing low cut shorts. He shivered a bit, blue eyes scanning the area. He grit his teeth as he pushed through the rough wind. He looked into his cloak, where he was holding his best friend Phoebe. The dark orange feline shivered a bit as she slept. She had a cold sweat running down her face and her cheeks were tinged red from fever. The young man whimpered a bit and kept walking through the rain. His senses had picked up human activity nearby, and he was trying his hardest to reach the small settlement.

He had been wandering since way before the storm had picked up, and it was only a light rain several hours ago. He had been trying to reach the nearest town, so that his friend could get medical attention. He had run out of medicine and healing potions and was running out of options. This small village was the only thing that was holding their fate, whether she lived or died, it would be up to him. The wind blew again, making him fall back into the mud. He cried in anger and stood up, his cloak whipping behind him, only being tied around his neck by a single lace. He reached behind him and pulled his hood back over his head, covering his dark blue hair from the rain. His reptilian eyes scanned the area for enemies and luckily there were none.

He made his way down the muddy hill, getting that much closer to the settlement. He reflected back on how he had gotten to this point. It had started back when he was smaller, around the age of Six. He had been trained in a lost art, by his parent Atlas Flame. He was one of the few humans that lived in his home, named promptly as the Sun Village. Even now, their crest was proudly on his shoulder, displaying his loyalties to his tribe, well family since they were all giants. Atlas Flame was a Hellfire Dragon, one that granted him the use of his magic, though for some reason his had turned into a rare blue fire. He was proud of his son and when he was old enough, he was sent on his life changing journey. He had grown a lot in Seven years and made his way to the West part of Fiore, on foot no less. Somewhere along the way, he found a weird egg, which hatched into his partner and best friend Phoebe. He had been alone for so long, and taking care of her until she was old enough to fly on her own was what made his life a bit better. Losing her was not an option, which is why he would walk across this storm, even if he got pneumonia from it.

A Forest Vulcan burst from the forest, looking rather angry. The large monkey was soaked to the bone. His eyes were set on the long teenage boy, a smirk on his face.

"Human, give me cloak." he demanded. The young boy took a step back, fear clear in his eyes. While normally, a single Vulcan wasn't an issue, during a storm was another story. Especially in his weakened state and with his sick friend, he couldn't afford to waste his remaining magic power, not not. He grit his teeth and broke into a sprint, running past the monkey, who gave chase.

"Damn it. Not now." he muttered, gritting his teeth as the fat rain droplets hit his face. His eyes stung a bit, and his hair was blocking his eyes.

The Vulcan threw a punch at him, catching him in the side. He screamed in pain and slammed into a tree. He felt his arm snap from the hit, making him howl in pain. He dropped to the ground, still clutching Phoebe in his arm. His cheek was bleeding and his eye was closed. The monkey clapped its giant hands, cheering for the successful attack. The boy struggled to stand, his leg was hurt from the impact as well, but not enough to stop him permanently. He stood in front of the Vulcan, eyes filled with anger.

"Bastard. I'll teach you a lesson. Fire Make Whip." he chanted, channeling his magic into his hand. A flaming whip shot at the monkey, wrapping around its body. It glowed a bright blue as the flames grew in strength. The Vulcan howled in pain from the attack and tried to break free.

"Fire Make Chain Whip." He chanted, turning his whip into a sharp whip blade. He pulled the whip as hard as he could splitting the large creature in half. The boy let the flames die down, some of it turning into steam from the rain water. He groaned in pain from his broken arm, which he had to use to hold Phoebe tightly onto his body. He was a bit dizzy, loosing magic and now having a broken limb was really wiping him out. He turned back, being that much closer to the village. He limped his way toward it, feeling a strong magic signature nearby. Thunder boomed and lightning tore the sky, illuminating the area. His eye had swollen shut from the hit he took when he slammed into the tree, and he was sure he was loosing blood from his broken arm. He felt Phoebe move and he looked at her with his open eye, a look of worry on his face. She looked up at him, brown orbs filled with sadness.

"Ai...den..where..."

"Shh, don't speak. Get your rest, we're almost near the town." he said, continuing his way. The Exceed felt something warm dripping on her and ran her paw across his arm, feeling his sharp bone poking through his skin. Her eyes widened when she saw his blood.

"Aiden..what happened?"

"A Vulcan attacked. Don't worry I'm fine." he lied. Even though he was naturally resilient to attacks like that, a snapped arm was nothing if not painful, and it took a lot of will power to not scream when she touched his bone.

"You are not fine..you.." she broke into a coughing fit, forcing him to stop.

"Don't speak Phoebe, you're sick enough as it is. Please just rest, don't worry about me." He said firmly. She sighed and nodded, closing her eyes for a bit. For now, she'd trust that he'd get them to safety, besides, he wasn't that weak.

It took him about another hour of walking to reach the small village he had sensed before. He was immensely tired, and the storm hadn't let up, if anything, it had gotten stronger. He walked across the main part of the small village, or tried too, since he was dragging his leg now from the strain. He was sure his ankle was swollen, enough to restrict his movements for a while. He stumbled and fell to his side, causing him to let out a sharp of pain, which was sadly hidden by another lightning crack. Phoebe didn't care anymore, she jumped out of his arms and summoned her wings through Aera magic.

"I'm not letting you..*cough*...keep hurting yourself."

"Phoebe, please..don't get...wet." he muttered. She felt faint, but she wasn't letting her best friend die outside in the rain. She firmly grasped his cloak and started flying towards the biggest building, which was in the shape of a cat for some reason or another. The wind picked up again, almost forcing her back, her wings felt like they would snap at any second, but she didn't care. She pushed through it, letting out a tired but fierce scream. Aiden looked at her, a tired look on his face. He didn't want her to force herself, she had barely lifted him off the ground. He planted his good leg firmly on the ground and they both made their way into the building. He noticed a few people sitting around on large tables, and a raging fire on the other side of the room. There was an elderly man dressed in tribal clothing at the bar, and next to him was a blue haired girl who was reading a book. The man sensed him and looked up, eyes widening in shock.

"Help." he muttered before falling unconscious. Phoebe followed suit, too spent and sick to keep herself awake. The old man stood up, grabbing his cane.

"Quick, get them to the medical bay. Wendy, we'll need your help more than ever." he said, tone clearly worried. Wendy nodded and stood up, trying her hair back with a scrunchy that she had around her wrist. She brushed her green dress off and got up from her seat. She saw her fellow guild mates take the young boy towards the medical bay. She walked in and saw her friend, Nobal taking the boy's cloak off and when he did he was stunned.

"Oh my god." he cried. Wendy's eyes widened in shock. This young boy had a broken arm, with three bone fragments sticking out of his skin, and his hand was also in bad condition. His shoulder was out of place and his ankle was severely sprained, if not broken. He also had a cut on his cheek that was bleeding, though not as life threatening as the broken limb.

"What happened to him?" she muttered, worry clear in her tone.

"Probably a Vulcan or something." Nobal said. She nodded and knelt next to the young boy.

"I need some warm water and some rags, please hurry. And don't tell Carla about this, I don't think she needs to be woken up for this."

"You got it Wendy." Nobal said, heading out of the medical bay. Wendy swallowed hard. She had dealt with broken limbs once in her life, but never one where the bone was sticking out of the skin. She let her medical training take over and straightened the arm as best she could, before she started pushing the bones back in place. The young boy screamed in pain, even though he was unconscious. It made it even harder for her to work.

"What...are you...doing..to Aiden?" a tired voice asked. Wendy looked over, seeing the exceed the boy had come in with sitting up on her bed. She looked pissed.

"Don't worry, I'm a healer so I know what I'm doing. Its going to take a lot of magic for me to heal him up, but before that I need to push the bone back into place." she said firmly, though with a soft tone. Phoebe nodded and coughed loudly. Wendy held a hand on her forehead, eyes widening a bit.  
"You have a high fever, how are you still up?" she asked.

"My friend...I won't rest until he's...fine." she said. Wendy let her healing magic start lowering her fever a bit. It would take Five minutes for her to be fully healed at this rate.

"My name is Wendy Marvell. What's yours?" she asked.

"Phoebe Flame." she said, closing her eyes as she felt her magic returning. Wendy looked back at the boy, a sad look on her face.

"And I take it his name is Aiden, from what you said right?"

"Yeah, Aiden Flame." She said. Wendy nodded and focused on her magic. Within minutes, Phoebe was healed, so she focused on positioning all the bones in Aiden's arm. Nobal came back with the water and the rags, which she used to wash the areas clean from the mud that he had.

"Thanks Nobal." she said.

"No worries, I'll leave you to your work. Would you like anything miss?" he asked, looking to Phoebe. She shook her head.

"Not now thank you." she said. The man nodded and left the room.

"Would you mind helping me Phoebe?" Wendy asked. The cat shook her head and summoned her wings, grabbing another rag from the bucket. She started cleaning the boy's legs, which were covered in mud and littered in scratches.

"Must be weird seeing a talking cat huh?" She asked. Wendy shook her head.

"Not really. My best friend Carla is a talking cat just like you..an Exceed." she said.

"There are others? I was sure I was the only one." the orange cat said firmly. She sighed and smiled. "Maybe this Carla will help me pick out some better clothes." she said, looking at her black shirt and pink skirt combo. It was the only thing Aiden could afford at the time. Wendy giggled.

"I'm sure Carla would love another Exceed friend." She said. They remained silent, as Wendy needed her focus to heal Aiden's arm. Her glowing green magic increased a bit as she poured everything she had into the injuries. She could sense the bones in his arm popping back into place and healing perfectly, his shoulder was also fully healed. She moved her hands down to his swollen ankle and focused on the sprain.

"What attacked you guys?" She asked, ignoring the sweat that rolled down her face.

"A Vulcan, I remember Aiden using his magic to cut it in half." She said. Wendy grimaced a bit. Sure, a few of her guild mates were hunters and she was used to seeing animal corpses, but cutting one in half, it just made her want to vomit.

"By the face you're making, I can tell you've never seen something get killed. I get it, the first time I saw him do it, I couldn't sleep. But I had to get used to it, hunting is cheaper than buying the food in town. And the pelts go for good money." She said with a small shrug. Aiden was at least free of mud now, he'd still need a bath, but he was fine for now. She looked back at he muddy water, not wanting to see herself in the reflection.

"I guess that's true. A few of my guild mates hunt all the time, I just haven't gotten used to the..dead animals." she said.

"Guild mates? This is a guild?" Phoebe asked. Wendy nodded, a small smile on her face.

"This is the Cait Shelter guild. We're not well known, or very popular...but we take our jobs seriously. We're mostly known for clothes making and animal hide selling, not much for magic. In fact, I think I'm the only mage here." she said.

"Oh." the exceed simply said. She had never been to a wizard guild before. She was glad that Aiden had sensed this girls power, or else they would have died. Wendy let out a sigh and fell back, clearly tired. She wiped some sweat from her forehead, a tired smile on her face.

"There, he's fully recovered from his injuries, but he still needs another healing session to be fully recovered. I'm sorry, I'm still too weak for something like this."

"Don't be sorry. You saved our lives." Phoebe said, clearly grateful to the young girl.

"I guess I did. I'll let the two of you rest and finish up in the morning." She said, wrapping the young boy's arm with medical gauze. Thankfully it was enchanted with healing properties so even with her resting, he'd still be healing a bit. She could sense a strong magic within him, so she was sure he'd be fine. Once she was finished she stood up, a bit tired.

"Thanks a lot Wendy. We owe you one." the orange exceed said, making her blush.

"It was nothing. Healing people is my job, good night." she said, leaving the room with the bucket of soiled water. Phoebe smiled at the kind girl's retreating form, before looking back at her best friend. He was still suffering a bit of pain, but that was normal, even with healing some of the injuries were still a bit fresh. The rain outside started to lessen a bit, but the wind was still blowing rather roughly. She sighed and doused the candle in the room, throwing it into darkness. She was at least glad her best friend was fine, and she herself couldn't thank the young healer enough for curing her flu.

He didn't know how much time had passed when he woke up, but he felt better than ever. Aiden sat up and looked around, finding himself in what he assumed was a medical bay. He saw a few other cots in the room, as well as a small sink. The curtains were open, revealing a bright and sunny day outside. He looked down, finding himself in nothing but bandages, his arm was also bandaged, as well as his leg. He was shirtless of course and he half wondered where his shirt went. He felt his neck, sighing in relief when he felt his necklace still in place. His blue eyes scanned the room for others, but found it empty, even Phoebe was gone, though traces of her scent were left behind, along with that of another person, a young girl by the looks of it. He yawned and stretched his tired arms.

"Man, what time is it?" he muttered. Since had been asleep, he figured it must have been a few hours. He felt a presence b the door and looked up, seeing a young man, in his early thirties perhaps, walk into the room. He was wearing mostly tribal attire, with a light purple vest, and black shorts. He also wore leather shoes, held together by leather laces. The man smiled at him.  
"Ah, you're awake. We were wondering when you'd finally be up." he said.

"Uh..where am I exactly?" Aiden asked.

"Why, you're in the Cait Shelter guild. You got lucky kid, when you showed up here half dead, we thought we'd have to prepare a funeral. Luckily, our best healer was on hand and helped you though it. You've been asleep for a week straight."

"A week?" Aiden cried out in shock.

"Yes sir. I'll go get her right now, along with your feline friend. Names Nobal by the way." the man said, leaving the room. Aiden brushed his blue locks back, a sigh escaping his lips.

"A week huh? I guess that dragon sighting must have run cold by now." he muttered. It was true, he and his friend had heard that a dragon had been sighted and had wanted to check it out, to see if it was Atlas Flame, his Father. Back in the Sun Village, he was the fire that kept the village protected, the Eternal Flame. But the day he left the village, he went to speak to his father for more training advice, and felt that his presence was gone, just the flames were left behind. He had stuck around for a few more days, before finally telling the giants that he was leaving on a journey to find him. Although he doubted anyone would miss a giant Dragon that was covered in hell fire all the time.

"It probably wasn't even him." he muttered with disdain.

"Who wasn't him?" a voice asked. He looked up, seeing a young girl, maybe a year younger than he was, standing by the door. She had long blue hair that reached down her back, and was wearing a yellow, blue and white scaled dress, with white straps. It bore a small bow in the front, over her growing chest, and the hem of it was spiked. She was also wearing blue shoes. She wore small wing like arm bands on her arms and similar ones on her ankles. She looked really cute, making him blush a bit.

"Uh..hello." he said quietly. She blushed, a small smile on her face.

"Hi." she said. They looked at each other for a few seconds before Phoebe flew into the room.

"Aiden." she cried, hugging his face. He grunted a bit in surprised and grabbed the exceed.

"Gah...Phoebe..can't breathe." he said before pulling her free.

"You're finally awake. Idiot, I can't believe you did that to me. Fighting a Vulcan in the middle of a storm, you could have died dumbass."

"It wasn't as if I had a choice. The bastard attacked me and I had to protect you. I can tell you got over your flu, but it was so fast." he said, checking her over. She smiled.  
"Wendy helped me. She healed me up and I'm flu free." she said, pointing to the young girl, who was busy looking at her shoes.

"You healed her?" he asked, standing up from his bed. He wasn't much older than her, a year at most, but he was taller by several inches.

"Um..yeah. It wasn't hard for me to do it..It took a lot of magic to heal you though. Your arm was broken in three places, and your hand was shattered too, your shoulder was out of place and your ankle was sprained. You also had a swollen eye and a cut to your cheek, which luckily didn't scar." she said. He smiled and hugged her tightly, startling her a bit.

"Thanks for healing Phoebe. You have no idea how much she means to me." he said. She nodded and tried to hide her blush.

"Y-yeah. You can probably take those off." She said, pointing to his bandages. He nodded and started taking the bandages off, finally being free of the cotton wrapping. He clenched his arm and flexed his muscles, smiling a bit.

"Right, I can fight again." he said with a smile.

"Of course you'd want to fight something right after shattering your arm." Phoebe said with disdain in her tone.

"What can I say? I have a fiery personality." he said with a chuckle.

"Um...all of your clothes were ripped up during the storm, so I had to make you new ones based on the old ones. The baths are through that door." Wendy said, pointing to a side room in the medical bay. She handed him a bundle of folded clothes with a shy look on her face.

"Thanks Wendy. I won't be long alright, keep her company Phoebe." Aiden said firmly, before heading to the bathrooms. Wendy caught the red mark on his shoulder before he ducked into the other room.

"Oh, he's part of a guild?" she asked, curiosity and disappointment lidded her statement. Phoebe tilted her head in confusion a bit, before realization hit her.

"Oh, you must be referring to the mark on his shoulder. Its not a guild mark, if that's what you mean. That's the mark of his home, the Sun Village. He has it to remember his home, and his father who left him on his own a few years back. This was before we met." She said.

"The Sun Village? I've never heard of that place." Wendy said.  
"He's told me stories of it, apparently its a village south of here, in a forest. He told me that only giants live in that village, the houses are huge as we well. He said a single pork roast would feed you for six years." She said.

"Wow. I'd like to go there some day." Wendy said, stars in her eyes. While she didn't really care for the food, she did want to see giants. Although if they were giant, then she'd probably be squished to death, like a little bug.

"Me too, but Aiden vowed not to go until he found his father. Something about asking why he left in the first place?" She said with a shrug. Wendy nodded.

"Who's his father?" She asked.

"I'm not sure exactly. He said his name was Atlas Flame, but never elaborated on what he was."

"He's a Dragon." Aiden said, entering the room after his shower. He was now wearing the clothes Wendy had made for him, which consisted of a purple vest, which he had left open to show his abs, along with low cut black pants. He also had on thick leather boots, made from some sort of animal. The vest itself reached down past his waist, almost to his knees, but he had tied it off with a blue scarf, keeping the top open while the bottom moved freely. His necklace hung loosely around his neck and his hair was spiked a bit from the shower. Wendy blushed and looked away from him.  
"Wow, you look good in those threads." Phoebe said, flying up to him. She flew around him, getting every angle she could.

"Thanks, Wendy really knows how to sow. These fit me perfectly." he said, tugging his vest a bit. She smiled.

"Glad you like them. We should go tell Master Roubaul that your awake." She said. He nodded and followed her out of the room. They entered the main room of the guild hall, where several people were chatting amiably, some drinking, others reading and some were even wrestling. At the bar was an elderly man, who he recognized as the man he had briefly seen the night he wondered into the guild. He set his mug down, a smile on his face.

"Ah, your finally awake. You had us worried young one. Wendy here couldn't sit still." he said.

"I'd like to thank you Master Roubaul, for not only letting me stay here in your guild, but for also allowing one of your skilled mages to heal me while I was out of it. If I hadn't made it here, I'm sure me and my friend would have died." he said. The old man smiled.

"Its nothing young one. I can't turn down someone who asked for help. I'm glad to see your fine. You must be hungry." he said. Aiden now noticed just how hungry he was. A beautiful woman, perhaps in her late twenties, set a plate of food before him, a smile on her face. He wasted no time in wolfing it down.  
"Wow, he can sure put it away." the young woman said, making the old master chuckle.

"I'm impressed. I've never seen someone eat that fast before." the master said, while Aiden finished his food. He smiled and wiped his face clean with his napkin.

"Thanks a lot for the food. It was great, though some fire would go great right about now." he said with a smile. The barmaid looked at him weird.

"Fire?" she asked.

"Oh yeah, small fire, big fire, orange fire, or even black fire, any fire will work." he said. Wendy just looked at him weird.

"Alright, I'll bring you some fire." the barmaid said, leaving for the kitchen.

"So, you hail from the Sun Village correct? That mark on your arm tells me so." Roubaul said, making the young man nod.  
"Yeah, I'm from the Sun Village. Its pretty far from here, and I haven't been back in Seven Years. It took me six just to walk all the way over here." he said with a shrug.  
"You walked all the way here?" Wendy asked, rather alarmed. Aiden nodded.

"There's no way in hell I was going to ride a train. I found it better to walk, its good exercise and as a result, I got good stamina. I can run for five miles and not get winded." he said with a smile. The barmaid returned with a large torch, the flame was whipping about wildly, making him smile.  
"Alright, that's what I'm talking about." he said, taking the torch from her hand, he held it close to his lips and took a deep breath, sucking the flames into his mouth. They were gone in seconds, he sighed, exhaling some smoke.

"That was great, thanks a lot miss." he said, the barmaid smiled and took the spent torch from his hands, along with the dirty dishes. Wendy looked at him, eyes widened.  
"You eat fire...are you a Dragon Slayer?" she asked.

"Yeah, I'm the Hellfire Dragon Slayer, Aiden Flame, son of Atlas Flame." he said.

"Wait...all this time you were the son of a dragon?" Phoebe asked. He nodded.  
"I thought I told you what I was a long time ago?" he asked.

"No, you never did. You always gave me a cryptic answer." she said firmly.

"Aiden, have you ever met a Dragon named Grandeeney?" Wendy asked. He shook his head.

"No I haven't. The only dragon I ever met was my dad, and he disappeared Seven years ago. I've been searching for him ever since then, but the bastard made it hard. I mean, its not hard to miss a large dragon covered in fire, but apparently he's a good hider." he said, a bit angered at his father. She sighed.  
"Tell me about it, Grandeeney left me as well...I've been wanting to see her again, but its hard to get information, especially to a guild as small as this one." She said sadly. He hummed a bit, remembering the reason he was passing through their area in the first place.

"Right, back in Shirotsume, I heard rumors of there being a Dragon in the mountains around this area. North Mountain to be precise." He said.

"North Mountain isn't that far from here. Just a days walk actually." Wendy said, rather excitedly.

"Now Wendy, I don't think I can let you go to North Mountain on your own, it could be dangerous." Roubaul said sternly.

"Oh come on Master. How am I supposed to get stronger if I don't leave town? For other than pet finding missions." she said, stressing the latter a lot.

"Well I for one agree with the Master." a new voice said. Aiden looked down, seeing a white exceed standing by Wendy's leg. He hadn't even noticed her before. She was wearing a beautiful sun dress, with several different colors, blue and cream being the ones that stood out the most. She had a stern gaze on her face. Wendy sighed.

"Carla, this is about a dragon, that could possibly be Grandeeney. Can't you just let me go?" Wendy pleaded.  
"Absolutely not. Especially if its to North Mountain. You know Wyvern live there and could easily hurt you." She said firmly.  
"What if I go with her? I mean this is a benefit for me too." Aiden said. The white exceed scoffed.  
"I don't even know you. How can I make sure your intentions are pure? For all I know, you could take advantage of her while I'm not around." She said.

"I'd never do that. Have some respect." Aiden said, rather angrily.

"Yeah Carla, I know Aiden very well and he'd never do anything to hurt a woman." Phoebe said, trying to keep her new friend from lashing out anymore.

"I'm sorry Phoebe, but I don't know him as well as you do. I can't trust that he wouldn't do anything." She said firmly.

"I know, you could join the guild. That way we can all go, as a personal mission." Wendy said.

"That's not a bad idea. We'd love to have the two of you with us." Roubaul said with a smile.

"I well...I don't know." Aiden said, looking at the ground.

"Oh please? Would you? Phoebe you said you owed me one, so how about you join the guild?" Wendy asked.

"I guess I did say that. Alright Wendy, for you I'll join the guild." Phoebe said with a smile. Wendy smiled back and looked at Aiden.  
"How about it? Will you join?" she asked. He sighed.

"Well, if Phoebe's in, then I'm in." he said.

"Thank you. You have no idea how much this means to me." Wendy said with a smile. He blushed and nodded.  
"S-sure. After all, this could possibly be your mom." he said.

"Where would you like your guild stamp Aiden?" Roubaul asked, showing him the magic stamper. He thought about it for a second, glancing at his Sun Village crest. He hovered his hand over it and used his magic to remove it, leaving his bicep clear.

"Right there, in Bright Blue." he said. The man placed the stamp on his bicep and it glowed for a second, when he removed it, the Cait Shelter mark was on his skin. It was a cat, with two crossing tails that formed an x. It also had a single eye which made the cat look a bit more menacing.

"What about your Sun Village mark? You've always had it?" Phoebe asked. He shrugged and hovered his hand over his left hand, willing the fiery crest to appear on the back of it.

"There we go. Ready to go." he said with a smile. Phoebe was busy pulling her shirt down, she had gotten the mark on her back, in bright green.

"Perfect. Now that Aiden is part of Cait Shelter, can we go to North Mountain master? We promise to be careful." Wendy said.

"Don't worry. I'll make sure she isn't hurt." he said. The old man struck a thinking pose, as he considered the request. After a few minutes, he nodded.

"You can go, but be very careful. Carla wasn't joking when she spoke of the Wyverns that live there." He said.

"We'll tread with the utmost of care. After all, a few wyverns aren't that big of a deal to me. I've taken a few down before." he said with a smile.

"Fine, but I'm going with you as well. I can't let Wendy go on her own with just you." Carla said.

"I was going to go with him too you know." Phoebe said, sounding rather annoyed.

"Alright then, we'll gather some supplies and then head out. How does that sound?" Aiden asked, looking at the younger.

"That sounds great. Lets go Carla." She said, running out of the guild hall, to where he assumed she lived. Roubaul smiled.

"She hasn't been that excited in a while. Be careful up there son, and take care of Wendy."

"Of course Master. I'm not letting anything hurt her." He said firmly. He smiled inwardly. He wasn't expecting to join a guild during his travels, but maybe it was time to settle down a bit and find himself some friends. Whatever the case, it was only the start of a new adventure.


	2. The Birth of Team Flaming Skies

**A/N: I've been getting a lot of views for this story. I merely posted this so one of my friends could read it. I had no intention of continuing it. I have Eight Chapters written out and i doubt I'll continue it, i might if i get more views on it or positive reviews from the community. Advent of the Stars, my first Fairy Tail story is nearing 7,000 views, and its close to being complete. I dunno...guess I'll leave it up to the viewers...until then, I hope you enjoy this new chapter.**

Fairy Tail

Tales of the Hellfire Dragon

Chapter 2

The Birth of Team Flaming Sky

The path to North Mountain was a bit more rugged then he expected, but it wasn't anything that Aiden couldn't handle. He had walked through a swamp for three days with nothing but bog water to drink, so walking up a rocky path was cakewalk. For Wendy however, it wasn't so easy. She tripped on every other rock and had fallen a few times, her choice in footwear wasn't the best suited for the terrain. The trees around them were of course pine trees, giving the area a nice pine scent, along with the scent of the animals that lived nearby. He heard Wendy trip for the tenth time and sighed, finding it best to stop.

"Wendy, I told you this was going to be too rough for you." Carla scolded, floating next to her friend.

"I'm alright Carla, a few falls aren't going to beat me." the blue haired girl said, sitting up. She brushed the dust and dirt from her dress before standing up, almost falling again.

"She'll never get strong if you baby her you know." Phoebe quipped, getting an angry glare from the white exceed. Aiden leaned into a tree, sighing a bit.

"We're making good time, regardless of Wendy's clumsiness." he said.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence." Wendy muttered, squatting down beside him.

"So, where exactly was this dragon sighted?" Carla asked, looking at Aiden. He shrugged and looked at the paper in his hand.

"The report came from some backpackers a few days ago. They said there was a clearing near the summit that had burned down trees and ash all over the place. They managed to catch the dragon taking off, so they saw the tail and the wings, though no exact size was recorded. The backpackers promptly shit their pants right after." he said, chuckling a bit.

"As if shitting their pants wasn't normal. I think they'd shit their pants if they saw a horde of Giant Spiders." Phoebe said, crossing her arms.

"Hey, stop swearing around Wendy. Its in bad taste." Carla cried out.

"Its alright Carla. I'm not going to repeat it." The blue haired girl huffed. Aiden clenched his jaw, Carla was holding Wendy back, and it was clearly visible with how she acted. He took a deep breath, inhaling the pine scent. His nose winkled a bit at the second scent. It smelled a bit ashy and scaly, almost as if it had been struck with Lightning magic.

"Heads up, there's something near us. Smells like lightning magic." he said.

"You can tell what kind of magic is in the air?" Wendy asked.

"Only when its used recently. I can't smell natural lightning, but magic lightning leaves behind a bit of an ashy smell, kinda like a camp fire." he said.  
"How do you know its not a camp fire?" Carla quipped. He looked at her, a smirk on his face.

"I don't smell smoke, and there isn't any smoke near us. Even if it was miles away, there would be smoke in the air." he said. Phoebe giggled and made a slash mark on her little white board. Every time Carla questioned him and Aiden proved her wrong, she made a slash mark to count, she did the same for Carla. Sadly, she had only been right once while he had been right seven, eight times now.

"I don't smell smoke either, just pine." Wendy said, further backing her new friend up. He sighed and pushed himself away from the tree.

"We better make our way through here fast, unless we want to run into anything." he said, leading them up the path. He tightened the straps on his backpack as he walked, lessening the stress on his shoulder. Wendy caught up to him, avoiding the lose rocks on the ground. Carla and Phoebe floated next to them as they walked. The path started getting a bit steep as they got up higher into the mountains.

"So, your a Fire Dragon." Wendy stated. He nodded.

"I use a variant of Fire Magic. Since I was taught by a Hellfire Dragon, my flames are a bit stronger than normal Fire Dragon Magic. It also can't be eaten by lesser fire dragon slayers, as it is a bit stronger in power." he said.

"He can also light himself on fire if he wants." Phoebe said, a smile on her face.

"Couldn't all fire mages light themselves on fire if they wanted?" Carla asked.

"Not really, it takes a lot of control to stop the flames from burning your alive. I however can do this rather easily." Aiden said, igniting his entire arm. The blue flames crackled loudly as they burned. Wendy's eyes bulged from their sockets.

"Blue Fire?"

"A Rare type of Hellfire. Trust me, even Atlas Flame was impressed. He said there was only one Fire Dragon that had blue flames and he was the strongest one alive, until he was taken down by Acnologia. Igneel took his place as the king of the fire dragons." He said, retelling a bit of the story of the first blue fire breathing dragon.

"That's amazing. Grandeeney never told me anything like that." Wendy said.

"What was she like?" He asked. He wanted to know a bit more about her dragon parent.

"Grandeeney was a sweet dragon. She was gentle and kind and loved everyone she came into contact with. When she found me as a baby, she couldn't let me die, so she took me in as her own, and when I was old enough I was trained in Sky Magic, a lost healing art. But she left when I was Seven, so I never got to finish my training. I don't even know a Secret Art. I'm so weak."

"You're not weak. Its just...your magic sounds like the supportive type, more so than offensive. Unlike me, I'm mostly offensive, with one defensive move, which is my hellfire. If I'm fighting while my body is ignited, all other attacks will have a hard time hitting." He said.

"I guess I'm not weak if I'm a supportive type, but I wish I were a bit stronger, at least to defend myself if something happened." She said.

"Hmm, I guess...since we're guild mates now, we can train together, make sure were nice and strong. If we become super strong, then we'll get more missions for our guild. Instead of all those lame D-class pet searching ones." He said. He had peeked at the board before he left and he was disappointed at the amount of crappy requests that were pinned up. There were five in total, and only one of them was C-class, and even then it was lame.

"Better missions would be good. Anything above C-class would be better. Heck, even a stray B-class mission would be great." Wendy said.

"Wendy, you're not even a B-class mage. You can't take those kinds of requests yet." Carla said.

"Then I'll train hard so I can take those requests." She said proudly. She looked up at Aiden, who was reading the paper again.

"What rank are you Aiden?" She asked. He shrugged.

"If I had to say, I'd say...A-class..maybe S-class I don't know." he muttered.  
"An S-class mage? I'm sorry but we haven't even seen you fight yet."

"Aiden isn't just an self ranked S-class mage. He's a survivalist, I remember the time we trecked through a swamp with nothing but swamp water and frog legs, when he walked out of there, he had so many leeches on his legs that he needed a blood transfusion after they were all taken off." Phoebe said proudly.

"And you're proud of that?" the white exceed said, glancing at the fire dragon slayer who shrugged.

"I wouldn't say proud, if you mean I survived a harsh terrain by using my surroundings then yeah I'm proud." he said.

"Why didn't you just burn the leeches off?" Wendy asked.

"I was in swamp water up to my chest. I can't just ignite myself underwater." he said plainly. Anyone knew Water beat Fire rather easily.

They reached a small clearing, nearly all the way up the summit. It wasn't that cold, so he wasn't truly worried, he looked around, seeing a few broken trees in the area.

"This doesn't look like the clearing mentioned in this report. Its safe to say that the clearing we're looking for is higher up. But the broken trees here do raise a few questions." He said, looking around. He saw a few white scales around the area, and the scent clearly pointed to a wyvern nest.

"Aw shit." he muttered.

"What? What's wrong?" Wendy asked.

"These are wyvern scales, which are only left behind when they shed, and if their shedding, that means their breeding." he said.

"And that means?" Carla asked. A large white wyvern landed in front of them, roaring at them. It looked like a miniature dragon. Its scales glistened brightly in the sunlight. Its claws were extended and ready to attack.

"Breeding wyverns are extremely aggressive and territorial. Females are twice as bad as the males." He said, dropping his bag to the ground.

"Is it a female?" Phoebe asked, a bit scared. Wendy took a whiff at the air and nodded nervously.

"Y-yeah..its a female..and she's in heat." she said.

"Well what do we do?" Carla cried, it was the first time she had actually seen a wyvern let alone fight one. Aiden smirked and ran forward, slamming his palm into his open hand.

"Fire Make Lance." he shouted, swiping his left arm forward, the cloud of blue flames turned into several sharp lances that flew straight at the wyvern. It cried in pain from the sudden attack. It roared loudly and took into the air, aiming for Aiden. He pushed Wendy and Carla out of the way, just in time to dodge its attack. It swung back around, firing a weird bolt of lightning at them. Aiden slammed his fist into his palm, making a bright blue magic seal.

"Fire Make Shield." he shouted, creating a large dome of fire around them. The lightning based spell bounced off with ease. He sighed and shook his head.

"I forgot white wyverns used Lightning based magic." he muttered.

"How are you doing this? I've never seen fire magic like this before." Carla said. Aiden smirked.

"Its a type of maker magic, it allows me to make anything from fire, all I need is my imagination. I mastered this before I mastered my Hellfire Dragon Slayer magic." he said proudly. The wyvern crashed into the flames, dispelling the shield.

"Less talky, more attacky." Phoebe said, grabbing his vest and pulling him into the air.

"Alright then, Fire Make Blooming Roses: Fire Machine Gun." he shouted, waving his hands before him. Several large roses appeared in front of him, glowing a bright bluish green. The blooms opened up and fired several fire balls at the wyverns back, making it cry in pain. The large flowers burned out, allowing him to dodge a tail swipe. Wendy could only watch as Phoebe and Aiden ducked and weaved to the sides, avoiding the large tail that was swiping at them. She clenched her hand and walked forward.

"Wendy, what are you doing?" Carla cried out.

"Helping my friends out. I'll be fine Carla, just let me do this." she said.

"F-fine, but be careful." She said. Wendy nodded and closed her eyes, focusing on her magic. She begun to glow a bright green as her magic formed around around her.

"Arms, Vernier, Armor, Enchant." She cried out. The magic seal appeared under her feet, making her glow bright green in color. Aiden begun glowing a bright blue, which weirded him out a bit, until he saw Wendy casting the spells, he smiled and nodded firmly.

"Alright then, dual attack." he said, taking a deep breath. Wendy mimicked him, taking a deep breath herself.

"Sky Dragon's Roar."

"Hellfire Dragon's Roar."

Wendy unleashed a large funnel of wind at the wyvern, while Aiden let out a large plume of blue flame, both attacks melded together, swirling around the wyvern, which howled in pain from the dual attack.

"W-was that a unison raid?" Wendy cried. Aiden shrugged and nodded to Phoebe who rushed forward.

"Make this count Aiden."

"Right, Hellfire Dragon's Iron Fist." he shouted, socking the wyvern in the face, sending it flying into the air. The swirling flames left a nasty burn on the side of its face. It roared in pain and let out a rather large howl at them, lacing it with its Lightning magic. Aiden grit his teeth, bracing himself for the attack.

"Sky Dragon's Wing Attack." Wendy shouted, swiping her arms forward. Several thick blades of wind flew out of her arms, hitting the lightning and dispelling the attack. Aiden sighed in relief, and smiled.  
"Thanks Wendy, I owe ya one. Now to finish this bastard off, Fire Make Chain Saw." he chanted, slamming his hands together, a rather large chainsaw formed in his hands, with swirling blue fire and orange flames for the chain. It roared to life as the chain spun around the blade. With a loud cry, he swung the blade at the things neck, slicing its head clean off its body. The dead wyvern fell to the ground with a loud thud, and a stream of blood poured out of its neck hole. Aiden sighed and let the fire dissipate from his hands. He looked back at Wendy and gave her a thumbs up.

"Nice Job Wendy, that enchantment really did its job..hey, why are you so green all of a sudden?" he asked. Wendy turned around and ran to the nearest bush, she hacked up her lunch, not being able to hold it in any longer. Loud wretching sounds filled their ears. He sighed.

"I forgot she hasn't seen an animal get killed before." he said, rubbing his neck.  
"Nice going, you made Wendy sick. You didn't need to be so cruel." Carla said.

"That fucking thing could had killed us, putting it out of its misery was the only option I had. Besides its better it than us." he said firmly. Carla was about to retaliate when Wendy stood up, wiping her mouth with her dress.

"Its alright. He's right, if we let it live, it could have followed us and attacked us while our guard was down." She said.

"But...Wendy.."

"Its alright Carla. I'm over it. Its just a dead wyvern, Nobal and Castor bring those back home with them all the time." She said with a small smile. Phoebe handed her a water bottle, a small smile on her face.

"Hey, I remember the first thing I saw him kill. It was in the middle of the night, and this large Pigmole showed up into our camp. I was only three at the time, and Aiden was nine, so he wasn't as strong as he is now. His magic had run out from an earlier attack and he fought the thing bare handed, he had to slice his throat open with nothing more than that dragon fang around his neck." She said, looking back at her partner, who was poking the Wyvern head with a stick. Wendy cracked the bottle open and drank its contents, wiping the drops that ran down the side of her mouth.

"He killed a Pigmole with a Dragon fang?" She asked quietly.

"Yeah. It was a tough fight, so he didn't come out unscathed. Did you noticed the small limp he has when he walks sometimes? He hides it well, but often times he limps a little when he walks." She said. Wendy looked at the young teen who was walking around the wyvern corpse, looking for anything he could use. She didn't notice a limp right away, but when he stood up and walked back to the head, she noticed a tiny limp in his step.

"I see it now. Was that a superficial injury?" she asked.

"No, the doctor that checked him over told him that the pigmole had shattered his knee and his ankle. It took several low leveled healers to heal him with potions, so the bone never set in perfectly. His knee had to be fitted with magical screws and bars, so that they didn't melt when he used fire magic. And his ankle had to get some screws as well. His dragon anatomy made it so bone grew over the screws and bars, but that still left him with a bit of a limp. In fact, If I hadn't told you, you wouldn't have noticed." she said, a smirk on her face.

"I probably wouldn't have noticed, now that you mention it." She said with a bashful smile.

"Hey Wendy, can you make clothes out of Wyvern skin? Its a little tough but I think its manageable." Aiden called out. Wendy ran over to the corpse, trying not to gag on the blood. She looked it over for a few seconds and felt the skin, it was very tough, but still rather malleable. It almost felt like Dragon skin.

"I think I can make something out of it. It might take me a while though, since I've never actually worked with this kind of material."

"Alright then, I'll skin it and store it away for later use." he said, pulling out a large survival knife. He stabbed it into its side and started cutting a large chunk of flesh out of it. Blood gushed out, and the girl almost passed out.  
"Aiden, I think I'm going to take Wendy somewhere else. She's rather faint right now." Carla said. He nodded in understanding.

"Alright, but we're camping out here tonight, I doubt any other wyverns will come here seeing a lifeless corpse here. Wyvern blood also gets rid of other wyverns, mostly because they think a predator is nearby." he said. Carla nodded and dragged Wendy away, before she passed out. Phoebe sighed and shook her head.

"She has a long way to go before she can stomach this crap." she said.

"Yeah, but I think she'll get over it soon enough. Hey, why don't you start cutting out those claws. They sell for a lot, since you can make knives and small daggers with them." he said.

"Right-o partner." she said, flying off. It took him a few hours to fully skin the Wyvern, but he had a lot of material to work with now. He grabbed the pelts and folded them as best he could, before storing them in his Requip pocket. He was glad he had picked up basic requip, as it helped him with things like this. Phoebe was also done extracting the claws from the Wyvern's legs and arms. She looked back at her partner and smiled.

"All ready for storage."

"Excellent job." He said, grabbing the claws, he had Twenty of them, in varying sizes, he knew he could get Fifty Thousand Jewel for just five of them, so he was sitting on Two Hundred Thousand Jewel, which wasn't a bad profit.

"What about the teeth? Think we can do something with them?" Phoebe asked. Aiden hummed as he stored the claws away. He knelt before the corpse, not looking it in the eye. It always creeped him out for some reason or another. He took his knife and stabbed it into its gums, and with a single motion, he popped out a few teeth. The one he was interested in was the fangs, since they were the longest and the sharpest. It wasn't a dragon fang of course, but this was still sharp, if done correctly. He grabbed the Fang, which was about the size of his forefinger, and as thick as a quarter jewel. It was pure white, and had traces of blood on it, nothing he couldn't handle. He grabbed a water bottle and rinsed it off, along with his hands. He grabbed a handkerchief and started drying the fang off.

"What are you going to do with it?" Phoebe asked.

"Oh, a little something special. Come on, think you can carry that chunk of meat too? It'd be terrible to waste something like this." he said.

"Sure, nothing I can't handle." She cheered, grabbing the large chunk of meat, which was wrapped in a towel. She lifted it with ease. Years of strength training made it so she could lift heavy objects without breaking a sweat. After a bit of walking, they made it to the other side of the small clearing, where Wendy and Carla had set up camp. It wasn't anything major, just their sleeping bags, as well as a fire pit for cooking. She had gathered several bundles of sticks and had them tied up for use. She looked up from her seat on the ground and smiled.

"Hey, did you finish already?"

"Yup. I salvaged nearly all its skin so you could use it. I'm sure a couple dresses and coats made form it will earn you a pretty penny. The claws I salvaged usually go for Fifty Thousand a bundle, which is five claws. Its not a bad profit for us." he said.

"Still, I feel bad that it had to die. Sure it attacked us, but I still feel sorry for it." She said.

"I get ya. I don't like killing sometimes, but it could have killed us too, as it was a threat, so I had to take care of it. Anyway, why don't we start dinner?" he asked, tossing a fire ball into the pit, which went ablaze in a second. The blue flames danced a bit before calming down. Wendy looked at it in awe.

"I still can't believe you use blue fire. Its like a beautiful star, I almost want to touch it." she said.

"Well don't, unless you want a really nasty burn." he warned. She nodded and sighed loudly. Phoebe started cutting up chunks of meat and putting them on sticks. Carla wrinkled her nose a bit, but wasn't going to complain. She had Vulcan meat before, so it wasn't a big deal to her. Aiden sat down and continued wiping down the Wyvern fang. He held it in his palm and lit his hand for a few seconds, before wiping the soot off and doing it again. After a few more times, the once white fang had turned a bit blue. Blending with the natural white color, it had turned into a pretty sky blue. He nodded to himself and pulled out a bit of Wyvern skin that he had cut into a thin lace. He wrapped it around the top, making sure the lace was tight around it so it wouldn't come loose.

"What are you doing?" Wendy asked curiously.

"Making something. You know, it was thinking, when we get back to Cait Shelter, why don't we make our team official?" he asked. Her eyes widened and a smile graced her lips.  
"Do you mean that? You want to form a team with me?" she asked.

"Well...yeah..I mean...you're the only other person in the guild who's my age, or close to it anyway. We get along great and we help each other out, plus our elements meld well together, so that makes us double strong. And our Exceeds are friends, so why not?" he asked. Wendy nodded, a stern look on her face.

"Right, then we'll make it official...but we'll need a name though. What could it be?" She asked.

"How about Phoebe's the best?" Phoebe quipped, making Carla chuckle.

"Honestly dear, that name is dreadful. How about Sky Flare?" Carla suggested.

"Eh, not cool enough..It needs to..crackle like fire yet be soft like a morning breeze." Aiden said rather seriously. Wendy snapped her fingers, a smile on her face.

"Team Flaming Sky. Think about it, your fire and my sky magic blended together to make that swirling wind funnel of blue flame. Its a nice combination, a flame that crackles with heat and power, while being gentle like a breeze. Its perfect." She said. Aiden nodded contently and leaned back against the pine tree. He held the new necklace up, a smile on his face.

"Team Flaming Skies..it has a nice ring to it..its settled, from now on we're team Flaming Skies, and to celebrate our new team, how about a little tribal ritual Wendy?" he asked.

"Sure, what do you have in mind?" she asked.

"Well, back in the Sun Village, it was customary for the children to be gifted with something from their first kill. There weren't a lot of kids there, but the ones that were around, were granted the title of adult if they managed to kill something."

"But..I didn't kill the Wyvern, you did." She said.

"I know, but there's also another means into adult hood. The men had to usually be the ones that got the first kill, but since your a girl and you did assist, technically you would be granted the title of Woman from the village elder. When you were, they took the fang of the kill, heat it up and then mark you with the village crest. That was in olden times though, since now we have the magical ones. But I think we can stick to a little tradition, if your up for it." he said.

"Um..well I don't know."

"Wendy, while I normally wouldn't agree with something like this, it sounds like a great privilege. The Sun Village is one of the oldest tribe villages in Fiore. And if one of their own is offering you their mark, I wouldn't turn it down." She said.

"I couldn't get it because I have fur and it would look stupid. And I didn't feel right with the magic one either, since its mostly orange and it wouldn't stand out with my fur." Phoebe said.

"Well I..guess I can't turn it down, I will accept it with honor." Wendy said with a bow. Aiden nodded.

"Alright, pick a spot for the mark. I'm letting you know now, its going to hurt." he said.

"I know it will. You're poking me with a flaming wyvern fang. I'm sure it will hurt like hell." she admitted bluntly.

"Okay, you'll also have to let this heal naturally to make it come out right. So no healing magic."

"Oh, even if I could heal myself I wouldn't. Sadly, I can't use my Healing magic on myself." She said.

"Well, thats a drag." he muttered. Wendy looked up at the sky, deep in thought. She had to find a good place for the mark. She wasn't going to pick her left bicep, since it wouldn't bring attention to her guild mark, and she liked getting attention from other mages. Of course sometimes it wasn't the good kind. She wasn't keen on getting it on her neck, that would just suck. She could do it on her thigh, since the muscle mass would be greater and it wouldn't hurt so bad, at least she hoped. Then she thought about another spot, right next to her heart. It was a special mark to Aiden, since it was the mark of his home, and he was being kind enough to share a ritual with him. She nodded to herself and looked up at her friend.

"I want it over my heart." she said. His eyes widened at her bold choice.

"Are you sure about that?" he asked.

"Yeah, its a special mark to your people and your letting me wear it as a ritual, which you don't have to do. So if I I have to bear a little pain, it'll be fine, especially since its a gift from a friend." she said.

"Its gonna be right on your...you know."

"I know. Its going to hurt and its going to be in a very weird spot. I just don't want people to think I'm a slut or anything of the sort, even though I'll be covered up." she said with a blush.

"Anyone that calls you a slut or anything similar will get my foot up there ass. They can think what they want to think, but as soon as the insult leaves their lips, their ass is mine. So don't worry about it, I'll have it done. Its just, since its on the breast and its not that much muscle, it'll hurt a lot."

"Its okay. I can deal with the pain. Just..try not to look a lot." She said with a blush.  
"Wendy, its something that requires a lot of focus. He has to look a lot." Phoebe deadpanned. Wendy sighed and nodded.

"Fine, just this one time..their not that big so."

"Wendy, I don't care about that crap. Your my friend alright, so I'm not going to look at you like that. Trust me, the women in my village walk around with their breasts exposed, so I've seen huge tits, and let me tell ya, its not all its cracked up to be." he said with a small perverted smile.

"I changed my mind. Wendy don't have him do this to you." Carla cried out.

"Oh put a sock in it Carls, have some Wyvern Kabob." Phoebe said, shoving a stick in her hands. The small squares of meat were still steaming and were cooked really well. She blew on one for a few seconds before taking a bite out of it. She smiled and took another bite, this time a bit bigger.

"Mmm, its so juicy. I didn't think Wyvern meat was this good." She said.

"Let me try some." Wendy said, taking a stick from Phoebe. She cooled it down a bit and took a bite out of the meat, almost immediately she pulled the cube off the stick and tossed it in her mouth. Aiden smiled to himself and pulled out a small bottle of wyvern blood. It would serve as his ink once it was boiled and mixed with a few berries. He looked up at the moon and smiled.

" _Team Flaming Skies eh? Sounds official to me."_


	3. The First Official Mission

**A/N: Here's Chapter 3 of Hellfire Dragon...I've received quite a few views on this, so I'm considering on continuing this. Also, I was thinking of changing this to the M rating because of the mature themes and the swearing...but I just read a K+ rated Lemon not to long ago, don't remember what the story was called though...regardless here's the new chapter...**

Fairy Tail

Tales of the Hellfire Dragon

Chapter 3

The First Official Mission

Wendy grunted a bit in pain, feeling the fang dig deeper into her flesh. It had been an hour since they ate dinner, and Aiden had started giving her the Sun crest that he wore on the back of his hand. She was handling the pain rather well, especially when she thought that it was going to hurt three times worse. She had picked a bright red color, so it could stand out when she wasn't wearing a dress. Of course that would mostly be when she wore bikini's to the beach or she wore a low cut shirt that exposed a bit of her breasts. Even though she called herself flat chested, she actually had a healthy B cup. She let out a small cry as he dug the fang a bit deeper to get the ink into her skin.

"Sorry." he muttered.

"Its alright. Hows it coming?" she asked. He held a small mirror out to her. He was almost done the first half of the mark and would take a couple more passes when the ink was dry to get it to fully stand out, but she was doing better than the last person who he saw get this mark.

"Its coming out fine, and your not moving a lot which is good. Though I would like it if you didn't cover your breast. I know your modest but it stretches the skin and that will make it come out bad." he said. She nodded and dropped her hand to her side, face fully red. Aiden chuckled and grabbed some medical tape, which he used to cover her nipple.

"See? No more exposure." he said.

"Thank you." she said quietly.

"So Aiden, what's the Sun Village like?" Carla asked to make conversation. Phoebe had already fallen asleep, and the white exceed wasn't keen on letting the two awake and alone, especially with Wendy being the way she was. She had no doubt he wouldn't do anything, but she didn't fully trust him.

"Big, like a said before. Its also really hot, but that's to be expected, with the Eternal Flame being so close to the city. Its our guardian and protector. But not many knew it was actually a dragon. I was actually the first person to notice the flame moving a bit weird, as if there was something inside it. Atlas Flame revealed itself and decided to take me as an apprentice, though I referred to him mostly as a father. He disappeared though, on July 7, X777."

"Really?" Wendy asked, a little stunned.

"Y-yeah, I wouldn't lie about that...wait a minute...did Grandeeney leave you on the same day?" he asked. She nodded rather sadly.

"I was found by a friend, a boy of about twelve named Jellal. He took care of me for a year before he left me with Master Roubaul and the rest of Cait Shelter. I've been wanting to see him again, to thank him for everything, but he never came back." She said sadly. He sighed.

"If he's your friend, then it doesn't matter if he comes back. In your hearts, both of you are together and if you believe hard enough you'll see each other again." he said firmly. She nodded, wiping away some tears.

"You're right Aiden. Thanks."

"Anytime." he said. He continued finishing the mark. It took him a couple more hours, and he had to run more ink over it once it had dried. Finally, at around 1 am, he finished. The whole area around her breast was red and swollen, but it would heal in due time. After he had wiped the ink off the fang, he hung it around her neck.

"Welcome to Adulthood, Wendy Marvell of the Sun Village." he announced proudly.

"I would hug you, but my boob hurts like hell." She said.

"Yeah, that's to be expected. But it should heal by morning, especially with your Dragon blood. Its safe to say that this report was a bust though. The area doesn't smell like dragon, just a bunch of Wyvern in heat."

"I figured as much. I guess we can head home and take a mission or something. You have a lot of things to sell at the market."

"Clover town is the nearest settlement, so we'll have to fly there." he said.

"I don't mind, but we best get to sleep to save our energy. We still have to sign the paperwork for our team." Carla said.

"Right, Wendy leave that uncovered alright? I wouldn't want your dress to stick to it." he said.

"Okay. I guess I won't cover myself with my sheets either. Good night Aiden." the blue haired girl said, before settling into her sleeping bag. Aiden put away his inks and settled onto his own sleeping bag. He didn't like sleeping with covers, especially on hot nights like this one. The stars were twinkling brightly, filling him with good hopes.

" _Its gonna be a good day dammit. I just know it."_

The next morning, they all woke up, feeling well rested. Aiden at least felt well rested. Phoebe looked a bit tired, she had never liked camping out and Carla looked indifferent. Wendy however was checking her new mark, to see if it hadn't been ruined during the night. She was happy when it was still perfectly fine. Aiden smiled.

"You really like it don't you?" he asked.

"Yeah. It hurt to get but now not so much. Do you think I can fix my dress now?" She asked. He ran his finger over it, nodding to himself a bit. He held his hand over it, using some magic to seal it. Now it wouldn't get ruined by anything. He nodded, a smile on his face

"You're good to go Wendy. Remember the tape." he said, turning around. She blushed and took the tape off, before fixing her dress. Her Sun crest barely peeked out from the top of her dress. He rolled up his sleeping bag and stored it in his requip pocket, along with his backpack. He grabbed some left over meat and quickly ate it. Wendy was busy putting her shoes, and she was wiggling her butt a bit, though he doubted she did it on purpose. He coughed a bit, when some meat lodged in his throat.

"You okay there big guy?" Phoebe asked.

"Yeah, throats a little dry." he said, taking a gulp of water from his bottle.

"We better get going. If we fly we can make it down the mountain sooner." Wendy said, grabbing her small pack and her sleeping bag. Aiden nodded and looked back at Phoebe.

"Alright then, lets go." he said. She nodded and grabbed a handful of his vest before taking off into the sky, Wendy and Carla followed suit. It was a beautiful morning, and the sun was shining brightly. Wendy brushed a lock of hair behind her ear, as it kept smacking her in the face. Aiden let out a chuckle, then he got an idea.

"Hey Wendy, have you ever free fallen before?" he asked. She shook her head.

"Actually, even though I'm a Sky Dragon and I like high places some times, I have a mild fear of heights." She said.

"Seriously? But its so fun." he said.

"What exactly do you do?" She asked.

"Easy. Just have Carla carry you up really high, and then just have her let go."

"Are you insane?" Carla shouted.

"Not really. I'm a bit of a thrill seeker. Don't worry, Phoebe has done this hundreds of times and she always catches me, besides, I can use my magic to stop myself before I hit the ground." He said.

"I will not do that. I'm sorry." Carla said.

"Yeah Aiden, I'm not ready for something like that yet."

"Alright then, I'll just go ahead. Up up and away Phoebe." he said.

"Aye Sir." She cried out, before flying up high into the clouds. Carla groaned.  
"That boy is going to get his comeuppance once day." she muttered. Wendy giggled.

"Oh, let him have his fun."

"Whoo hoo, yeah..this is fucking awesome." Aiden shouted, as he literally fell from the sky. Phoebe sped after him, laughing all the way as she fell with him. Phoebe caught him before he hit the ground and they shot into the sky once more. Wendy rolled her eyes, her life in Cait Shelter was no longer quiet and boring.

Once they got to the guild, they let the master know their personal mission was bust. The old man was rather disappointed that his guild members didn't find what they were looking for. Wendy told Aiden that she was going to take a bath with Carla before getting ready for their first mission. Aiden nodded and told Phoebe to go with them. As he was prepared to take his own, Master Roubaul stopped him.  
"Aiden-kun, I noticed a new mark on Wendy's chest, it peeked slightly out of her dress. Care to explain?" he asked.

"Oh yeah. We decided to start a legal team together, and I suggested doing a ritual like back in my village. When a boy or a girl are involved with their first kill, they get the village crest tattooed on their body, using the fang of the creature they killed mixed with its blood. Wendy helped me take down the wyvern, so she technically qualified for the ritual. If we were in my village, she'd be considered a woman." he said.

"Interesting. So you felt her up?" the man asked.

"Unwillingly. She asked for the mark over her heart, which mean I had to mark breast too. Why do you ask?" he said. The man smirked, and wiggled his eyebrows.

"So, you reached second base already. Good job Aiden-kun, I'm proud of you." He said.

"Master, don't get me the wrong way. Wendy is my friend and partner but I do not look at her that way. I gave her that mark as a symbol of our friendship. I'm not a pervert." he said with a blush.

"That red tinge on your face says other wise. You have to take care of something, your free to do it." the man said.

"Master you're drunk, leave them alone." the barmaid quipped.

"Oh Alana, let me have my fun." he said. Aiden brushed past the man and headed into the shower room, keen on taking his shower. The faster he was done, the faster he could get out of here. He took a quick shower, washing off the grime and muck from the previous day and lathered himself up with soap. He washed his hair as well before rinsing all the soap out and finishing his shower. He used his natural body heat to dry off. He grabbed a spare set of clothes that Wendy had made him and quickly got dressed. He brushed his bright blue hair, though it still stayed spiky no matter what he did with it. He sighed and grabbed his dirty clothes, placing it in the basket with his name on it. He vaguely remembered Nobal saying something about him getting his own laundry basket. He left the bathrooms, fully showered and ready to tackle the day. Alana handed him a torch and he smiled.  
"Thanks a lot Miss Alana."

"Please it was nothing. And just Alana is fine." she said. She was wearing a dress, similar to the one Wendy wore only the colors were a bit darker and was centered more around the color red. Her black hair was styled into a single side ponytail and a few of her bangs had crossing white laces, along with some beads. She also had some necklaces and bracelets with different colored beads on her neck and wrists. He smiled and nodded, inhaling his delicious fire.

"So, I heard the mission to North Mountain was a bust."

"It was. But I salvaged some Wyvern skin and some claws I'm going to sell in the market. I make a lot of profit from it, so it was worth the trouble." he said, he requiped some of the wyvern pelts and she examined them.

"Their good quality. You can make a few good coats with this, along with dresses. And they would be lightning proof too." she said with a smile on her face.

"Wendy showed me a few designs she's been wanting to try, so I was going to let her work with them. We'll be heading out on a mission to get money for supplies. I'm sure the left over coats and dresses will make us a killing too." he said.

"I don't doubt it. Oh right, if you want to register as a team, you'll have to sign the paperwork, luckily, I have it here with me." She said, handing him a clipboard. Aiden put away his wyvern pelts and grabbed the clipboard.

"This will be easy, I already have most of this information down from memory." he said. He wrote the team name at the top, along with their guild affiliation, which was of course Cait Shelter. He put himself as the leader, with Wendy as his partner, along with the exceeds. He wrote down a few more things that were necessary before signing his name at the bottom.

"Hey Aiden, whats up?" Wendy asked, taking a seat next to him.

"Just finishing up the paperwork." he muttered. He glanced beside him, eyes almost bulging from his skull. She had decided to wear loose v neck sleeveless shirt, which displayed most of her Sun mark without showing off her breasts, which were covered in a light blue bra that was barely visible. The shirt was bright orange, and she was wearing matching blue shorts which reached around mid thigh. Her hair was done up in twin tails, tied up by red kitty hair ties. She was wearing brown sandals, the laces of which criss crossed on her legs. She had also painted her toe nails with sky blue nail polish. All in all, she looked very cute. He blushed and looked away, though he got a knowing smirk from Master Roubaul, which made him turn back to the paper.

"I looked this thing over and filled it all out, all we need is our signatures, I already signed my name, so its your turn." he said, handing her the cat themed pen. She read everything over and signed her name at the bottom in fancy cursive.

"Ah, just in time you two, we need you to sign this." Aiden said, holding the paper down to the two exceeds. Carla grabbed the pen and signed it with ease. Phoebe however had trouble writing, so she dipped her paw in some ketchup from Wendy's breakfast plate and pressed her paw onto the bottom, giving it a bit of color. She then licked her paw, smiling a bit at the taste of the condiment.

"Well, I would have done it different, but what's a team without some zest eh?" he asked. Wendy shrugged, a little disappointed that her ketchup had been ruined. Aiden handed the worksheets over to Master Roubaul, who signed his name on the paper and stamped it with the water stamp. He smiled.

"You guys are now an official team. And since I made Aiden our newest S-class mage, he'll be able to take you on tougher missions, just as long as your careful." He said.

"Of course Master." They said in unison. Wendy finished her quick breakfast, thanking Alana for it before heading towards the request board.

"We still haven't gotten good requests, other than these stupid pet finding ones." Wendy muttered dryly.

"Well I'll be happy to say that there's a fresh batch of quests straight from the Magic Council. Master spoke with a few people through his lacrima and said he had recently named one of his mages S-class, so we got three new quests, two B-class and one S-class." Nobal said, handing them the requests. Aiden looked them over, humming a bit.

"Okay, here's the first one, Location Shirotsume, the pay is 150,000 Jewel and the rank is B-class. It says here that we have to find a stolen necklace that belongs to a very well known lady. The second Request is in Hargeon Town, the pay is 170,000 Jewels, the mayor of the town wants us to help clean up the port after an attack by mages. The damages are pretty steep and they need a couple strong mages to help with the clean up. Food is included if we do take it up."

"Great, that sounds like a good one. I've always wanted to head to Hargeon, especially because of the Sea Air. I've always wanted to taste it." She said, little stars in her eyes. He smiled.  
"Then we'll take that one." he said, pinning the first B-class request to the board, he'd take it at a later time.

"What about the S-class Request?" Phoebe asked.

"Holy titties." he muttered. Carla raised her brow.

"This aught to be good."

"Okay, here it is. S-class Request, sender, Village Chief Moka. Here's what it says, dear guilds and S-class mages who receive this letter. As of late, a powerful curse has plagued me and my village, turning us into vile demons every time the moon is out. We wish for you to help us with this problem. Were desperate for help, as no one wants to come to a haunted Demon Island. Please, I'm begging your for your help, sign Chief Moka. The reward is 7,000,000 and a Golden Gate Key, Sagittarius the archer." he said.

"Seven Million?" Carla muttered.

"That's a lot of money." Wendy said.

"Imagine all the candy and soda we could buy with that? That'd be awesome, ooh, if we do take it, can we like..fill a giant pool and swim in it?" Phoebe asked.

"Why would you want to swim in money?" Aiden was, a sweatdrop forming on the side of his face.

"Why not? And that gate key sounds promising. A Golden Zodiac key, those are pretty rare you know." She said.  
"True. It would become very valuable to someone. Alright, lets take this one and the clean up one, we'll be in Hargeon anyway, and that's the only way to reach Galuna Island." he said.

"Alright then. We'll go pack. Mona made you more clothes Aiden, so you don't have to worry about spares." Wendy said.

"Thank her for me, I have to show these to the master. We'll leave in fifteen." he said. She nodded and walked out of the main guild, towards the houses. Phoebe decided to come with him.

"This is great..Seven Million Jewels. Seven Million Jewels, imagine all the chocolate I could buy with Seven Million fuckin Jewels." She cried out, clearly happy. He rolled his eyes.

"Master, I'll be taking these two missions." he said. The old man nodded and logged them in the active request book, after which he stamped them with the mark.

"You're free to go. Do be careful though, I hear Galuna Island is very dangerous. You may not come back the same." He said. Aiden took his warning and turned to leave. He was a bit scared now, sure he had walked through Leech ridden swamps and dark caves with nothing but his magic and a dagger, but he wasn't about to be showed up by a haunted island. Though the prospect of going to a haunted island really did freak him out, if only just a little.

He met up with Wendy and Carla outside. Wendy was fixing the straps of her pink backpack while Carla fixed the bow on her tail. She looked up, catching his gaze. He knelt down and took the ribbon from her paws.

"Hey."

"Don't worry, I'll fix it." he said, tying it around her tail, after a second he finished tying it, leaving it in a perfect bow.

"There you go. Prim as a rose." he said with a chuckle.

"Thanks. It usually takes me a few tries before I get it right." She quietly admitted. He got up, stretching his arms.

"Well, its about a days flight if to Hargeon, but its two hours if we take a train, the problem with that though." he stopped talking, a vibrant blush on his face.

"What? What's wrong with taking the train? Its way faster than flying." Wendy said.

"Its not that. Its uh..."

"Aiden here gets severe cases of motion sickness on trains. It happens on boats too." Phoebe said, making him blush harder.

"You must think I'm an idiot for being weak to traveling. Now you get why I walk everywhere." He muttered dryly. Wendy however let out a tiny giggle.

"Why didn't you say you got sick on trains? I have a spell for just the occasion, but if I cast it now, it will wear off by the time we get on the train, so lets head to Clover Town and find the station." She said, nodding to Carla. They took off into the air a second later. Aiden sighed and shook his head.

"She would have something for this. Lets go Phoebe."

"Aye Sir." she cried out, lifting him into the air.

Clover town wasn't a big place. It was just a town surrounded by a small forest, with a few mountains in the back. The perfect place for retirement. The only thing that was important about it was the large house on the hill, which hosted the monthly gathering of the Guild masters, wherein they would discuss the things going on between their guilds in hopes to better their relationships with each other, of course that always ended up with them trying to out do each other by saying their members amazing feats, or damaging feats to some. It was the last big town Aiden had visited, so seeing it again so soon was great. The streets were calm, so there was no need to keep your guard up, like in some of the other cities. Wendy didn't come here often, so he let her run around, looking in the things in the store front window.

"Man, I can't wait to see Frank again, think he'll give us a boatload of cash for the claws we got?" Phoebe asked.

"Yeah, he might even give me a little more for being a regular." he said with a small smile.

"Who's this Frank character you speak of?" Carla asked, floating next to the two.

"Frank is a friend of ours. He runs a magic shop in town, but he doubles as a black smith, making weapons out of rare monster parts. The wyvern claws I salvaged have electric properties, so if forged right it can become a powerful magic tool. Of course you have to add the lacrima crystals which aren't always ease to find. Usually, for an Electric based tool, he'll ask mages to gift him with some magic, which he then turns into a lacrima crystal using his special magic." he said.

"Lacrima Magic, its a rare art thats only passed down to the best of black smiths. But even then, lacrima are hard to make, it sometimes takes years to make a single lacrima, and depending on its use, may take even longer. He said that he once had to find a lightning dragon to make an artificial lacrima. Luckily, the dragon was kind enough to offer its magic to him, along with a book of instructions that was to be given to the user of said lacrima." Aiden said.

"What would happen if a Dragon Slayer that was taught magic by a dragon implanted a dragon lacrima into themselves?" Wendy asked. He shrugged.

"Who knows? Maybe better control of their magic power? That or they'd be able to enter Dragon Force faster." he said.

"Dragon Force?" Phoebe asked.

"Oh yeah, I never explained my magic too you in detail, basically, we dragon slayers got our magic from our dragon, who infused a bit of their life force into us at a young age. From then on, we produced our own dragon magic and became more dragon like. Dragon Force is the state where our power is on par with dragons. Basically its like turning into a dragon while staying human." He said.

"Oh...you mean like that time back in Terracotta Town, when you fought that Fire Slug and ate so much fire that you burst into flames, and got scales and junk?"

"Yeah, just like that time. It was the first time I ever entered it and it was by complete accident. I wasn't ready nor strong enough for it, and I flipped my lid. That's why my arms turned into dragon claws and my face got scales. But I ran out of power and passed out from it, legend says, a dragon slayer that enters dragon force by pure rage will turn into a true dragon. I doubt it though, since it was Atlas Flame that told me about it and he never told me if a Dragon Slayer could turn into a dragon." he said.

"That old lizard must have been messing up his stories then." She said with a shrug. They all finally stopped at the front of a small shop, it was about the size of a small house, but the front glass was displaying both souvenirs and weaponry. Aiden smiled and walked in, the bell at the door announcing his entrance.

"OI FRANK, I'VE RETURNED." He called out. The only sounds coming from the back were that of a hammer striking iron, which then stopped and were replaced with heavy footsteps. A tall man walked out from the back room, he had bulging muscles on his arms, covered in a bit of hair. He was wearing a black shirt which did little to hide his bulging muscles. He also wore thick jeans and boots. He had short black hair, spiked up and slicked with a bit of gel, he also had a towel around his neck, the sweat visible on his chiseled face. He smiled, letting out a booming laugh.

"So you have, Aiden of the Sun Village, what have you brought me this time?" he asked. Aiden smiled and ran up to the front counter.

"I got you something you can't turn down, check it out." he said, holding his hand out. He requiped the four bags which contained the white glittering Wyvern claws. The man's eyes bulged a bit.

"Is that what I think it is?"

"Yup, Grade A primo White Wyvern claws. Fresh from the body, that's still chillin in a clearing near the top of North Mountain. Me and my new partners took it out of existence." he said.

"Partner? I don't see these people. I expect him to be a tough cookie to crack, all I see is a little girl and a cat." he said, looking around, only to find Wendy and Carla, who were busy looking at a few lacrima that were hanging around the store.

"Uh Frank, they are my new partners. I joined a guild." he said. The man let out a laugh.

"That's a good one, no seriously where is this guy I want to meet him." he said. Aiden rubbed his eyes and shook his head. He grabbed the man's shirt collar and pulled him down.

"Maybe this will change your mind." he said, showing him his guild mark. The man took a step back, clearly surprised.

"Oh man, you really did join a guild. I'm so sorry. Sorry to you two ladies." he said. Wendy blushed and nodded, accepting his apology. Carla however huffed and looked away.

"Frank, these are my new friends, Carla and Wendy. Wendy is a Dragon Slayer. Were all part of the Cait Shelter guild." he said.

"Cait Shelter? That small guild north of here? That guild is barely known, I thought you were going to join Lamia Scale?" Frank asked.

"I was, but I heard a rumor of a dragon being on North Mountain and I headed up there. But I got caught in that Monsoon a week ago and almost got killed by a Vulcan, I stumbled into their guild and Wendy here saved our lives, so to repay here we decided to stick around." He said.

"Hmm, I guess that's alright, since she did save your life. But another dragon slayer eh? And here I thought only you and Fairy Tail's Salamander were the only ones."

"Tch..Salamander is only a myth. I've never seen hide or hair of him, so I can't really say he exists. The only other Slayer I met was Black Steel, and he was a real dick head." he said firmly. He sighed and returned to the previous conversation.

"Anyway, about these claws, since their rare, I was thinking I could let them go for 50,000 a set. 200,000 for all of them." he said.

"200,000 is a little too expensive, how about a Hundred?" Frank asked.

"Do I need to remind you that this Wyvern was in _Heat_ and it was attacking on pure emotions, and that if it wasn't for Wendy, I could have _died_?" Aiden stressed.

"You're killing me Blue Flare. I haven't gotten my monthly quota yet, so I can't offer you the usual." he said. Aiden sighed.

"Alright, how about we gut a deal then, 150,000 for three packs, and you make me a Lightning Dagger out of it, the payment for it will be the remaining Four claws from the pack that's used, deal?" he asked.

"120,000 and the Dagger is free. I'll throw in a holster."

"Done. Jeez, I was hoping for a bit of cash to spend in Hargeon, but this will do." he said, tossing him the claws, which he almost dropped.

"Don't worry kiddo, I'll make sure this Dagger is the best weapon ever made, just for my best customer." he said with a smile.

"Right right." he said, waving his hand around. The man handed him the Jewels, which he shoved in his pocket after putting on his money clip. He looked back at Wendy, who was looking at a Lacrima Snow globe. She had a distant look in her eyes, and when he noticed what was inside, he saw that it was a Dragon, a white Dragon that was flying around, underneath a bunch of kids who were playing in the snow, next to a large Christmas tree. He smiled a bit, though it was a bitter sweet smile.

"Hey Frank, how much for that lacrima, the Dragon one." he said.

"I don't have any Dragon Lacrima kid, the last one I sold was several years ago, and it was a Poison one." the man said.

"NO, I meant the Snow Globe."

"Oh, that one is 70,000 Jewel." He said. He cringed at the price and looked back to Wendy, who hadn't even noticed, Carla had and was listening in, though she was pretending to look at some dresses. He counted the money and handed it to the man.

"I'll take it. I think she really wants it, and trust me when I say being abandoned by your parents young blows." he said. The man nodded, accepting the money. He sighed.

"Well, the dagger will take some time, perhaps when you return from your missions, It might be ready."

"We'll be in Hargeon for a few days on clean up before heading to Galuna Island, we'll stop by when we pass through. Thanks Frank." he said.

"No problem Blue Flare." he said with a smirk. Aiden stopped next to Wendy, who looked up from the globe.

"Time to go?" she asked.

"Yup, but we're not leaving this thing behind." he said, grabbing the Snow Globe, she looked at him wide eyed.

"You bought the Snow Globe? But thats so expensive." she said.

"Eh, its fine. Come on." he said, leading here out of the store, giving a last wave to Frank who ducked back into the back room. He was probably excited to work with sure a rare material. He looked at the snow globe now that he was outside. It was really beautiful, and he was sure whoever made it must have poured a lot of magic and effort into it. The flying Dragon made him feel a bit nostalgic, and he soon found himself back in the Sun Village, chatting with Atlas Flame and laughing at a lame joke he once told him. He shook his head and handed the large orb to Wendy, who looked at him weird. He said nothing and simply ruffled her hair.

"Even if she's not here, she's still with you. Just like Atlas Flame is with me, their magic flows through us, so were not truly alone. Chin up, we'll see them again." he said. She nodded, though tears flowed from her eyes. He realized she must have been alone for a long time, even though Carla, and Roubaul and the rest of Cait Shelter was with her, she was alone on the inside. She hugged him tightly, letting her tears flow freely. He sighed and looked up at the sky.


	4. Galuna Island Arc: Hargeon

**A/N: Here's chapter four of the Hellfire Dragon Slayer..To be honest, this has become quite popular over the month and a half that its been posted. several people have asked to continue it, but I've been rather busy with Advent of the Stars, I've also decided to continue my Highschool of the Dead story, though it was complete at one point. I don't know, I might continue this one, I might not, it all depends on how I'm feeling. I'm extremely satisfied with how Advent of the Stars turned out, so until i write a sequel, if I write a sequel, I might just continue this one. Who knows? I may even make this my project for the Winter Season...regardless, I hope you enjoy..**

Fairy Tail

Tales of the Hellfire Dragon

Chapter 4

Hargeon

Aiden and the girls exited the train once they had arrived in Hargeon. It had been a little over a year since he had been to the seaside port city. It was still the same as he remembered it, freaking huge. There were people walking around everywhere, mages lingered with the people as well. Kids were running around and playing with their friends, while adults looked around at the various things that were on sale. A few guys tried their luck with the ladies, only to get turned down or in a few cases, slapped. However, the four little cats couldn't truly marvel at their surroundings as they were on a job. They were cutting through the town, heading towards the docks, where their mission truly took place. That didn't stop Wendy from gorging herself with the surrounding sea air, whispering things about how salty it tasted and how she could smell coconuts in the air. A few people stumbled around from the lost air pressure and he finally got her to stop. He sighed and passed by a diner, feeling a bit hungry, but due to his stubbornness he kept walking.

"Can't we stop for food Aiden?" Phoebe asked, already wanting some bacon and sausages, and some pancakes to wash down the bacon.

"No, we have limited money, so were putting it towards renting a hotel room for the night. We have to clear our that crap those other mages destroyed first. Then we can use that reward to eat up before heading to Galuna Island."

"We have limited money because of that stupid snow globe you bought." Phoebe said.

"Hey, its not stupid, it means a lot to us Dragon Slayers to have something with a Dragon in it, so shut it or you won't even get the cheap hot dogs I'm planning to buy." he snapped. Phoebe grumbled under her breath and kept walking or flying, behind her partner. Carla was safely in Wendy's arms, so she didn't have to waste her own magic.

"I don't mind eating cheap, so long as we don't go hungry." Wendy quipped. Carla hummed in agreement, so long as it wasn't a raw fish, she'd eat anything. They stopped by a hot dog stand, which had a decent line of people at it. Aiden pulled out his money clip and counted his money.

"Alright, we have 40,000 left to spend, so we can eat here, rent a room and have enough for dinner and breakfast in the morning." he said.

"Sounds like a plan." Wendy said confidently.

"So, did you hear what happened? That Bora guy was actually taking those girls to Bosco. It was like kidnapping or something."

"Pfft, if it wasn't for those mages, they would have been in deep trouble. I'm glad we didn't go to that party."

Aiden looked at the two young women that passed by them, as they were lost in conversation. He tilted his head in curiosity and let out a shrill whistle. They stopped and looked at him.

"Excuse me ladies, what was that about mages rescuing girls?" he asked.

"Man, you have good hearing If you heard us from that far." the first girl said. She was wearing a white shirt, and her brown hair was tied up into a ponytail. She was wearing blue shorts and flats. The girl next to her had long black hair which she let run down her shoulders. She was wearing a pink halter top with a matching skirt and black boots. He smiled a bit and nodded.

"I have better senses than most. The reason I ask is because we're from the Cait Shelter guild and we'll be taking a clean up mission, I doubt the guys on site will be willing to give us information."

"Oh no problem cutie. My name is Katie by the way, and this is my best friend Sadie. We're from Blue Pegasus." she said, showing him the mark that was near her naval. Sadie had hers on her bicep in bright red.

"So basically its like this, a few days ago this pompous ass named Bora came here, saying he was Fairy Tail's Salamander. Then he lured a bunch of girls onto his yacht for a party with the plot of taking them to Bosco for something, Slave trade I think, it wasn't really explained and the Magic Council's got their lips sealed."

"However, the real Salamander showed up and beat the crap out of Bora, and sent him flying into the clock tower. As a result though, there was a lot of distraction. Some girl with Celestial Spirits washed the boat ashore and destroyed It, and then Salamander set everything fire." Katie continued.

"Fire?" Aiden asked. Phoebe looked at him weird, like he had just had an epiphany or something. The girls nodded.

"Yeah, bright ass fire. All I remember was hearing a loud roar and then flames. We booked it out of there really fast, so we didn't see the rest. Even at the balcony that overlooked the beach, we were in danger of being hit." Sadie said. Aiden nodded, a finger on his chin in thought.

"Anyway we better go. We have a mission to take care of ourselves. See you later cutie." Katie said said, taking off after grabbing her friends hand. He waved at them and turned back to Wendy, who was holding their lunch in her hands.

"Did something happen?" she asked.

"Not really. Thanks." he said, accepting the food. They headed over to a nearby bench and sat down.

"That story those Pegasus girls told us is rather interesting. You kept saying Fairy Tail's Salamander was a myth and yet, he set a whole port on fire and blew up a ship." Phoebe said.

"Yeah, but what has me thinking is that Roar. She said it sounded like a loud roar..I'm willing to bet he's a Dragon Slayer too, Fire Based from the looks of it."

"Another Fire Dragon Slayer? That's a first." Carla muttered, taking a dainty bite of the hot dog in her hand, which was pretty big for her to hold.

"I knew there were other Dragon Slayers out there, from what Atlas Flame said, but I wasn't expecting it to be another Fire Dragon. Though our flames aren't the same, so its not like he could eat my flames should we meet up some day." he said.

"Right, your Hellfire is Blue and way stronger than regular fire. You can probably beat him up real fast." Phoebe said, throwing a few punches into the air. She had of course already eaten her hot dog. Once she sat down, she started sucking the ketchup from the packets Wendy had given her.

"Maybe. I can't just run into a fight because I'm crazy strong and expect to win. There's someone that's stronger than me, and wiser. There always will be. Anyway, lets hurry and finish up here. Its best we not keep the workers waiting for too long." he said. They nodded and hurried on with their lunch. After they were done, they grabbed some drinks from a nearby store and headed to down to the docks. They were all shit faced when they saw the destruction. The clock tower was destroyed and the bricks were all over the place, along with the bell. There was a ship on its side with a huge hole in the hull of it. The ground was singed and there were several broken palm trees. The clock face was also at the top of a nearby flag pole, just stabbed through it, and the clock gears were stabbed into the ground, warped from the intense flames that must have hit it. Aiden recovered and looked at Wendy, who was staring mouth agape. He place his hand under her jaw and closed it, making her blush.

"Hello there, are you lost?" a worker asked. He was wearing a jumpsuit, and a yellow hardhat. Aiden shook his head.

"We're from Cait Shelter. We took the request of helping with the clean up." he said.

"They sent kids to do a mans job?" he asked.

"Oi, we may be kids, but we're not weak." Aiden said, feeling a little pissed at the man.

"Besides, we're the only mages in our guild, no matter what we had to reply." Wendy said, poking her fingers together. The man sighed.

"Whatever, think you can help us with this? We need that ship turned into scrap and piled up for the dossers to take it out of here. We also need all the bricks that aren't broken stacked over there and if you can move that bell, it would be great." he said.

"Do you mind if I use my full power to break apart that ship?" Aiden asked. The man smirked.

"Go ahead kid, unleash all hell on it. Its not like someone your age can destroy it in one hit." he said.

"Up up and away Phoebe."

"Aye Sir." the exceed cried, grabbing him by the collar of his vest and flying off. Wendy swallowed hard.

"I've never seen his full power, so I don't know what could happen." She said.

"Eh?" the man said, looking at the young girl who had her fingers crossed.

"Alright Phoebe, drop me in the hole and get the hell back." he said.

"Roger." she said, letting him go. Aiden smiled as he felt the wind on his face. He landed inside the ship, surprised at all the singe marks that were left behind. Traces of Dragon were everywhere, further solidifying his thoughts that there was another Fire Dragon Slayer around. He crossed his arms before him and activated his magic. His arms were covered in dark blue flames. His magic aura was pouring off his body, making his vest whip around wildly.

"Metsuryu Ogi: Guren Bakuenjin." he shouted, swinging his arms in semi circle. His flames took the form of a beautiful blue sparkling phoenix. It struck the sides of the ship, igniting it all before it exploded into smithereens. Large sections of the ship fell down from the sky, landing in a near pile, that let off a bit of smoke. The other parts were either incinerated or turned into ash that blended with the sand. Wendy and the worker looked around shit faced, their eyes had turned a solid white and all blood had drained from their faces. Carla looked at the area, quite amazed at what she saw. The worker turned around and walked off.

"I'll go get your pay ready." he muttered. Wendy shook her head, a smile on her face.  
"Aiden, you were amazing." She cried out. Aiden looked up at her and he waved.

"Hey Wendy, why don't you take care of those bricks? I'll handle the bell." he said. She nodded and turned to Carla.

"I'll follow his example and use my magic. Vernier, enchant." she cried, boosting herself with her magic. She shot off like a bullet, picking up all of the bricks that were still usable and stacking them up while she tossed the broken ones into a pile. Carla looked at her amazed.  
"I would have never thought of using magic like that. I guess I'll handle the clock face."

"I'll get the gears." Phoebe said. They broke off and headed to their work. Aiden grit his teeth as he dragged the bell out of the large pile of rubble that it had been left in. Usually something like this was cake walk, but he had used a bit of magic using a secret art. He felt himself get stronger and realized he was glowing a bit. He gave Wendy a thumbs up, silently thanking her for her boost as he now carried the bell with one arm. It took them about an hour to finish up the job, that they thought would take them a whole week. Aiden breathed a sigh of relief as he set the bell down with all the other broken clock parts. He quickly joined Wendy, who was panting a bit and wiping some sweat off her face.

"I'm all sticky, but I feel great. We finished faster than we thought." she said, straightening up. He nodded.

"Yup, and better yet, we showed up that worker who thought we'd fail." he said with a smile. The worker came back, with a short man who was in a suit. He had white hair, which was slicked back, and a neatly trimmed mustache, which Phoebe found a bit funny. Aiden slammed his fist over her head, knocking her out of the air and shutting her up.

"Kids, this is the mayor of Hargeon, Mr. Jonas Hargeon III. His Great Grand Father is one of the founders of this very town. So show your respect." he said firmly, making them all bow. The man chuckled.  
"Now now Son, don't be that way. These kids, though young did what you and your team couldn't." he said. The man sighed and nodded.

"Now kids, I'd like to thank you personally for coming all the way here from Cait Shelter and helping us. As soon as we heard of their new S-class mage, we just had to ask them for help. Which one of you is it?" He asked.  
"That'd be me sir." Aiden said, stepping forward.

"Ah, I commend you young man. Holding that title comes with responsibility. You did such a wonderful job, so please accept this payment as a reward, along with these Akane Resort Tickets for the four of you." He said, handing them the money and the tickets.

"Akane Resort tickets? I hear these are expensive to get. Are you sure we can have these sir?" Aiden asked.

"Of course, of course. They don't expire so you can use them at anytime. I got them for my family and me, but we're all so busy now, with my Son being in the magic council and my daughter being in Magic school all the time now. The Mrs is getting a bit too old for traveling too."

"Thats a shame. Family is important, I wouldn't know what to do if my family couldn't spend time with me." Wendy said looking a bit sad.

"Thanks a lot for this sir. And for choosing Cait Shelter. I know we're not that popular, but it means a lot that you chose us." he said.

"Of course, I chose you because you seemed like a fine candidate for this. Lamia Scale was a bit busy, seeing as a few of their mages left a few years back, and Fairy Tail is too...destructive if you hadn't noticed."

"Oh we did. Say, you wouldn't know about that huh? Fairy Tail's Salamander?" he asked, curiously.

"We know all about that kid. Rumors say he and the other members of Fairy Tail cause more property damage than the other guilds combined. The council hates them for the constant complaints and I hear their growing by the day. Their the Number one guild in Fiore." the worker said.

"The boy's name is Natsu Dragneel, or so the Sorcerer claims. Anyway, I must be in my way. If you stop by the big diner down the road, give them my name and your dinner will be paid for, as per the request." the man said.

"Thanks sir, we hope you choose our guild again for further requests." they all said in unison.

"I think I will. See you later youngans." he said walking off. Aiden and Wendy shared a look before smiling brightly.

"Alright free food." Phoebe said, flying off in the direction of the diner. It was pretty late already, so they figured a quick meal before checking into the inn would do them good.

"Man, this was so much fun. I didn't know doing these kinds of things would be so awesome." Wendy said, as they headed to the inn. They had to leave before Phoebe ended up eating the entire place into the ground. For a small exceed, she sure put it away. Aiden did a fair amount of eating too, though not as much as the exceed did. He paid a bit of the tab himself as to lesson the bill the mayor would receive. They sighed and reached their inn. It wasn't big but it was cozy, as the name suggested. They had rented a room earlier that day so they just walked right into their room.

"Tell me about it. Its been a while since I had to use a secret art spell like that. But that guy doubted me and I had to show off just a tad." He said, dropping into his bed. He kicked his boots off, showing off his bright blue socks. Carla cringed.

"Seriously, blue socks? They don't even match what your wearing."

"Who cares? Its not as if someones going to ask me what color socks I wear. Their in my boots anyway." he said with a shrug, and Wendy let out a laugh, taking off her sandals. The marks of her laces remained on her legs from how long she had worn them. She undid her hair ties, letting her hair fall down her back.

"Man, I'm the happiest girl in the world." Phoebe said as she pat her swollen tummy. Her eyes were closed in full bliss.

"You fat shit, you almost ran us dry. I think the mayor would have died of a heart attack if he saw that goddamn bill." Aiden snapped.

"OI, you ate a lot to so fuck off."

"Eating a whole lasagna on my own is not a lot."

"It is if it feeds 10-12 people, and you call me a fat ass." She cried back.

"Guys don't argue. We just had a wonderful dinner after a hard days work, and we'll need to be fully rested before heading off to Galuna Island." Wendy said. They glared at each other for a few more seconds before looking away.

"Wendy's right. We can't fight with each other. Sorry Phoebs."

"Its fine Aiden." the exceed said in returned. Wendy nodded, a proud smile on her face. She yawned and stretched.

"I'm gonna take a shower before bed." she said, getting up and grabbing her pack.

"Okay. Feel free to use as much hot water as you want. I'll just end up heating the cold water anyway." he said. She nodded and closed the door after Carla stepped through.

"I'm gonna just..sleep." Phoebe muttered, curling up on Aiden's spare pillow. Aiden ignored her and grabbed his pack. He dug through it, finding the rolled up request for Galuna Island. He unrolled it and looked at it again, the large 7,000,000 million reward was printed at the bottom. There was something odd about it and he had been thinking about it ever since he had taken it. What could have put a curse on an entire island, and for what purpose? That was two of the biggest questions he wanted the answer too, but he wasn't going to find them by staring at the paper. Maybe a few of the boat owners at the docks would know about Galuna Island. With that in mind, he put away the request and pulled out a book to read while Wendy finished her shower.

Xxx

"Are you sure its around here?"

"Positive. That man said we'd find a person who knows about Galuna Island over here." Aiden replied. He and Wendy had been wandering around Hargeon for a few days now, postponing their trip until he gathered information. So far, everyone he asked either ran away or kicked them out of their stores. He had finally found a bit of information on a guy that knew about the island and were heading towards the docks.

"Well we better find him soon, anymore time we waste could affect the mission. The chief maybe worried that we will never show up. And that's bad for our guild." Carla said.

"Carls is right Aiden, we better end this charade and get on with the program, before we get into trouble." Phoebe said.

"Yeah, but this guy may be our only option. His name is Bobo and he ferries people over to Galuna, or he did until three years ago when this curse started circling the area." he said. They reached the docks and looked around, but they didn't find anyone at all. He sighed and clenched his hand.

"Alright, so the man isn't here. Now what?" Carla said.

"Well, we can't fly to Galuna. Its too far, I don't even see it." Wendy said, cupping her hands over her eyes in an effort to see the island.

"I guess we'll have to wait here until someone returns that can ferry us over." Aiden said.

"I cant believe this. There's no one here." a sharp voice said. Aiden looked up, noticing that it came from a young woman, a few years older than him. She was wearing a spaghetti strap shirt, which was orange in color. She also wore a dark green skirt and brown boots. Most of her blonde hair was tied up in a small ponytail. She had a brown belt around her waist that held a rolled up black whip and a keyring that had several keys, four of them were golden.

"We can just fly there..though I can't carry someone so heavy." a second voice said. It belonged to a blue exceed, who was carrying a green pack on his back, and was tied around his neck. They were followed by a third teenager, who was maybe a year or two older than the girl. He was wearing a coat, with a missing sleeve, and was wearing baggy white pants and blue sandals. He had a checkered white scarf around his neck, which was blowing in the breeze. He had light pink hair, which was rather unkempt and spiky. He didn't seem to happy about being stuck there.

"All the sailors ran off when we mentioned that stupid island." he said. Aiden narrowed his eyes.

" _Could it be that they also took the same quest as us? They don't look like S-class material though. What am I saying? I don't know what guild their in anyway."_

Aiden sighed and started looking around again. His anger was a bit visible.

"Fuck shit, where the fuck is everyone." he shouted in anger.

"Calm down Aiden. We'll find someone to take us to Galuna Island." Wendy muttered. The pink haired teen perked up at the sound of the cursed islands name. He broke into a sprint, stopping before the two.

"You two are trying to get to Galuna Island?" he asked. Aiden took a step back.  
"Uh..yeah..I take it you are too." he asked.

"Totally. But all the stupid sailors ran off, screaming about a dumb curse." he said.

"Natsu..we better hurry and find a boat. If Erza finds us here..." the exceed stopped himself, a scared look going through his spine. Aiden's eyes widened. It was then that he noticed the red mark on the teenager's shoulder. It was bright red, and looked like a Fairy with a tail.

"You...Natsu Dragneel." Aiden said, making said teen look at him.

"What's up?" he asked.

"I hear your a Dragon Slayer. That true?" he asked.

"I am. What of it?" he asked. Aiden felt a flare in his magical power. He smirked and ignited his hand, making his blue flames apparent. Wendy looked at him shocked. He was about to reply when he felt a cold presence near them. He saw a black haired teen appear behind Natsu and the blond girl, putting his hands on their shoulders. The blonde screamed in shock.

"Got ya." he said.

"Ugh..its just the stripper." Natsu said. The teen was wearing a button down shirt, though it was left open, with matching blue pants and black shoes. He had a messenger bag strapped across his back. He was also smirking a bit.

"Just be glad it was me. The Master is pissed that you guys took that mission, but he said you bring it back, then everything will be all good." he said.

"Screw you Gray. We already took the mission and we're not going back until we complete it." Natsu cried out. Aiden's eyes widened.  
"Wait a minute...you guys stole an S-class Mission?" He asked.

"Hey, we didn't steal it. We personally borrowed it." the exceed cried out. Carla flew up to his eye level, surprising him a bit.

"You're an idiot. Stealing S-class missions is illegal." She said. The exceed blushed brightly and started gushing a bit.

"Illegal?" the blonde cried out. Aiden nodded.  
"Not just Illegal, but everyone who didn't legally take it and is involved in it can lose their status in a guild, be fined up to 5,000,000 jewels and be given jail time. On top of that, your guild master could take the backlash from it and even result in losing the operation license to your guild, forcing everyone in it to quit. Is that what you want?" he asked firmly.

"Who the hell are you to tell us what to do? We're mages of Fairy Tail." Natsu cried out. Aiden clenched his hand tightly.

"I'm Aiden Flame, I'm an S-class Mage from the Cait Shelter guild." he said firmly and proudly. Natsu chuckled and pat his head.

"Stop lying. Your not an S-class."

"Um...he really is in S-class mage. I was there when our master named him S-class." Wendy said, stepping forward. The blonde squealed a bit and knelt before the girl.

"Aren't you the cutest thing, and look at all this hair." she said, running her fingers through her hair. Wendy felt a bit awkward but just let the blonde continue.

"I'm Wendy Marvell, and this is Carla. We're also from Cait Shelter."

"Cait Shelter? That guild almost no one knows about?" Gray asked.

"I'd like you to watch what your saying about our guild. We're not well known, but at least we don't destroy a fucking port, drop a ship on the beach and then blow up a clock tower." Aiden said.

"That was my bad." the blonde muttered.

"You're getting all hot and bothered, and I'm interested in those blue flames, I didn't know you used Rainbow fire." Natsu said, a smirk on his face.

"Rainbow Fire? Pardon me, but Aiden doesn't use that weak excuse for a flame." Phoebe said. Back in Fairy Tail, one of their mages sneezed loudly. He then continued flashing his Rainbow Fire around for his son who was laughing and running around the guild.

"Oh? Then why is that fire blue? Its probably weaker than normal flames." Gray said. Aiden cracked his neck.

"You wanna go buddy? I got the time, trust me. Its gonna be some time before someone fucking takes us to Galuna, but until then I can play a little." he said, making his flames dance a bit around his hand. Gray smirked and tossed his pack aside, along with his shirt.

"Why are you taking your shirt off?" Carla shouted.

"I'll play with you kid, just don't go home crying to mommy when you lose." he said, getting into a fighting stance. Phoebe ushered everyone back, giving the too mages some space. They were going to fight and when Aiden fought, it got messy.


	5. Galuna Island Arc: Galuna Island

**A/N: Hi everyone..this is officially the first posting of this story for the year. I hope you are all enjoying it, I've taken it into consideration and I might continue this, after I finish a few other projects, until then, I hope this chapter keep you entertained. Happy New Year everyone!**

Fairy Tail

Tales of the Hellfire Dragon

Chapter 5

Galuna Island

Aiden scoffed a bit at the mage in front of him. By his cold aura, he figured he was an Ice mage. He didn't know what kind, but he knew he was going to wipe the floor with him. If not for himself, than for the sake of teaching his friends a lesson. Who the hell just takes an S-class mission without thinking about the consequences. Then again this was Fairy Tail as clear by the teens guild mark. After another minute, the black haired teen sprung into action. He placed his fist into his open palm, and ice swirled around his hands.

"Ice Make Lance." he chanted, launching several thick lances of ice at Aiden. The young boy stepped out of the way, letting the ice fly past him. Gray grit his teeth.

"Ice Make Fist." he cried out. A large fist of ice flew at Aiden who pulled his own fist back and shattered it, without even using magic. Gray grit his teeth.

"Is that it? Or are you going to actually try."

"Why you little..Ice Make Saucer." He chanted, launching a large spinning saucer at Aiden, who simply jumped over it. The ice hit the ground, freezing it on contact.

"He's not even trying. Come on Gray, wipe the floor with him, show him what he gets for messing with Fairy Tail." Natsu shouted.

"I'm trying, shut it Natsu." Gray cried back. That gave Aiden the opening to attack. He punched Gray in the face, sending him flying back. Aiden sighed.

"If you're going to fight then at least try to entertain me. Whatever, I guess your not serious." he said. Gray stood up, a little dazed from the hit.

"Goddamn it Gray. Let me at him." Natsu shouted.

"That's actually a good idea. I'd like to fight Natsu if I could." Aiden said. He jumped back, avoiding several incoming spears that struck his feet. A large ice fist struck him hard in the chest, sending him flying back a few feet.

"Aiden." Wendy cried out. Phoebe chuckled.  
"Don't worry your pretty little head off Wendy. An attack like that isn't enough to take Aiden down. You saw what he could do back when he killed that Wyvern and destroyed that boat. Give him a chance." She said.  
"He killed a Wyvern?" Lucy asked. The three Cait Shelter members nodded and the blonde turned her gaze back to the blue haired boy, clearly impressed. She had heard about how aggressive Wyverns were, and for a boy that young to take down and kill one was unheard of. Aiden stood up and dusted himself off.

"Well then, that was actually pretty good, but now its my turn. Your Maker magic is something, but its nothing compared to the others I've seen." he said.  
"Huh? What are you talking about?" Gray asked. His eyes widened a bit when Aiden put his fist into his open palm. Blue flames swirled around his joined hands, a smirk on his face.

"Fire Make Lance." he shouted, sending large lances of fire at Gray. The stunned mage barely dodged the attack.

"Fire Make Chain Whip." he shouted, making a large blue whip of flames, that had sharp looking blades coming out of it. He swung it a Gray who tossed another spell out.

"Ice Make Shield." he cried. The large snow flake looking shield took the hit, melting on contact. He was about to attack again when Natsu hit him with a flaming fist, knocking him out cold.

"What the hell Natsu." Lucy shouted. Natsu set the half naked teen on the bench and cracked his knuckles.

"So you use the same magic as the nude idiot eh? And you want to fight me, however I should let you know, fire doesn't work very well on me." he said.

"Whatever, Gray is good with his maker magic, but he's not strong enough to bring out its full potential." Aiden said with a shrug.

"What the hell Natsu? You bastard." Gray shouted, having already recovered. Natsu smirked.  
"I'll take care of this one, but you owe me." he said, igniting his fist. He ran forward, gritting his teeth. "Fire Dragon's Iron Fist." he shouted, as the flames swirled around his fist. Aiden uppercutted Natsu, sending him flying into the air. He put his hands together, flames swirling around them.

"Fire Make Blooming Roses: Fire Machine Gun." he chanted, tossing the flames around him. Large blooms of Fire sprung from the magic seals and bloomed into beautiful fire roses. Each of them fired large fire balls at Natsu, who simply tore them apart. He landed on the ground and started to suck up the flames, a smirk on his face. That was until he grabbed his throat in pain and dropped to the ground.

"The fire is..hurting him?" Lucy asked stunned.

"What the hell? Why can't I eat your flames?" Natsu demanded. Aiden smirked.

"Simple, my blue flames are more than they appear. Its not rainbow fire, its Hellfire, the likes of which can't be eaten by Fire Dragons like you." he said.

"Then I'll just tear your flames apart." he shouted running forward and throwing a flurry of flaming punches at Aiden who dodged and returned the flurry with one of his own. Flames danced around the two, Orange and Blue melding together to create a beautiful purple display. A few passerby stopped to marvel at the to battling mages, some even recording it with their camera lacrima. Aiden threw a solid punch to Natsu's face, knocking him back a few feet.

"You wanted to fight like a Dragon, so I'll fight like a Dragon as well. Hellfire Dragon's Roar." he shouted, unleashing a plume of blue flames at the stunned Natsu.

"He's a Dragon Slayer." Gray, Lucy and Happy cried, clearly taken aback. They looked to Wendy for answers but she wanted to keep watching the fight. Aiden let his roar die down, seeing Natsu still standing, though some smoke was coming off his body. He smiled a wide toothy grin.

"Wow, that's some hot fire. I almost forgot what it was like to fight someone who used fire like that. So your a Fire Dragon too?" he asked.

"Hellfire Dragon to be exact. Our fire is something that shouldn't be messed with." he said. Natsu threw a punch at him, nailing him in the face. The broke into another flurry of punches and kicks. They were forced to stop however when a shrill whistle tore through the area. The two stopped punching each other but ended up pulling each others cheeks rather roughly.

"Oi, I heard the lot of you wanted to sail to Galuna Island. I'll be glad to take you." the man said. He had tan skin and was wearing a large cloak over his tan shirt. He was also wearing brown pants and boots. Natsu let go of Aiden, running up to the man.

"You'll take us to Galuna Island?" he asked again.

"Yup, hop aboard." he said.

"Hey, we're not done here." Aiden cried out.

"Oh quiet down kid, we'll continue later. Lucy, Happy lets go." Natsu said.

"I can't let you do that Natsu. The Master will have my head if I don't take you back." Gray said, now wearing his shirt again.

"We're going and that's that." Natsu said, butting heads with him.  
"Oh yeah? And I say I'm taking you back." he said, channeling some ice into his hands.

"Hey Gray, your fly is down." Happy said with a small smile. Gray looked down for a split second, only to get knocked out by Natsu. He grabbed the teen before he hit the ground.

"Lets go Lucy." he said, throwing Gray into the boat.

"Aiden, what about us?" Wendy asked. He sighed and looked at his partner.

"Get in the boat. Its the only one available." he said through clenched teeth. Wendy nodded and cast Troia on him, curing his sickness. He hopped into the boat, helping Wendy into it. He looked at Lucy's outstretched hand before he sighed and took it, helping her into the boat. After a minute of tying Gray up, the boat sailed off. Almost instantly, Natsu got sea sick, and he started puking over the side of the boat. The boat was a bit cramped as it was, and he didn't want puke all over him.

"Just so you know Blondie, I am not covering for you with your guild master or the council. Me and my team legally took this request and if they call me to testify I am not saying anything to help you." He said.

"Oh come on, no need to be hostile." Lucy said, backing away from him a bit.

"He's right you know, you could get in serious trouble, and Cait Shelter is not responsible for what happens to mages of the Fairy Tail guild." Carla quipped.

"Aiden, its alright. They must have a reason for taking such a high leveled quest after all." Wendy said. Aiden looked at Lucy and clicked his tongue.

"Alright, explain, why'd you take an S-class Quest without permission?" he asked. She sighed.

"I didn't want to do it at first. I just joined Fairy Tail and all and I guess in my excitement, I got carried away." She said.

"Natsu wants to prove to the master that we're capable of taking tough quests like this one. We're not weak." Happy stated.

"S-class missions aren't sugar drops and rainbows buddy boy, there's a risk of death. You have no idea what's in store for us on that island." Phoebe said, clearly annoyed.

"Judging from the keys at your waist, I'd say your a Celestial Spirit mage, which means your here for that Gate Key. A Zodiac key is a rare collection piece for mages like you. If you stay out of my way and don't interfere in this mission, I'll think about selling it to you." He said. Lucy looked down in shame, muttering things about what a failure she was. He rose a brow and turned to the man sailing the boat.

"So, what's the story? Why are you the only man who has the balls to sail to a cursed island?" he asked.

"Aiden." Wendy scolded. He shrugged, but he was already annoyed greatly by the Fairy Tail mages. It was already night time as their search for someone with information had taken them all day, and waiting for someone to sail them there took even more time. The man shook his head and smiled.

"Aye, mages are just as rowdy as ever. I'll start with my name, I'm Bobo. The story behind the island isn't known to some, not as much as its curse though. It happened several years back, one night, the moon rose into the sky, and it turned a bright purple. From that day on, everyone believed that it was a curse, laid upon the island by some angry deity or some other thing. The curse story actually started to become believable because the inhabitants begun turning into demons when the light of the moon hit them, or when it was dark out. I used to be an inhabitant." he said, showing them his arm. It was a dark purple and had turned into a demonic looking clawed arm. Lucy gasped in shock.

"Ugh..why the hell am I tied up?" Gray asked as he woke up.

"Shut it, is there anything else you can tell us Bobo?" Aiden asked.

"Not really, except noises come out of the old ruins some times." He said. Aiden nodded, taking that to memory.

"We got a lot to work with Wendy. Lets be careful alright? You're still a C-rank so if something bad happens to me, I want you to leave as fast as possible." He said.

"Alright Aiden. As much as it pains me to agree to this, I will if I have to." She said with a nod.

"This is as far as I can take you. You're on your own from here on out." Bobo said.

"Eh? What are we supposed to do? Swim there? I don't even see the island." Lucy cried out. She suddenly screamed when the man sprouted wings and shot into the air, leaving them alone. Natsu groaned as the boat hit a rather big wave. Aiden looked at the sky, but the man was already gone.

"Hmm, something isn't right here."

"What makes you say that? The crack pot story or the man with wings?" Gray asked.

"Can we not argue right now? I'm still trying to figure out this whole thing. Can an island really be cursed?" Lucy asked.

"I don't know. But whatever is going on is turning the people into demonic creatures. I don't get how the moon is involved though, and how its purple when its clearly white." He said, looking up at the sky. The Moon was out and was a pure white color. One could even see the craters on its surface.

"I don't get that part either. Something must be making it so that they turn into demons. Perhaps magic?" Wendy suggested.

"Who knows. We'll know the full story when we talk to the client." Lucy said.

" _Our_ client." Aiden said.

"Alright no need to remind us so much. Now untie me, my arms are asleep." Gray said.

"You'll get away, sorry." Happy said.

"Seriously? How the hell would I get away? I'm in the middle of the fucking ocean on a fucking boat with a puking idiot and a massive asshole."

"I was going to burn the ropes tying you up, but now you can go fuck yourself."

"Aiden Flame, stop swearing around Wendy. What did I tell you?" Carla snapped. Aiden muttered something under his breath and leaned back, crossing his arms. He glanced at Lucy who was busy looking at the water. She had a nice body, he admitted, and he had a nice image of what she'd look like naked. Wendy caught his glare and kicked him in the nuts, causing him to cry in pain.

"Ow, what the hell, Wendy."

"I'm so sorry Aiden, my foot slipped." she said, in a worried tone, though in the back of her mind, she was really mad that he was looking at Lucy and not her. She hovered her hands over his area, a glowing light washing over him. He sighed with relief when the pain went away.

"No worries Wendy. Just try not to let it happen again." he said firmly. He was pretty sure she did that because she caught his pervy looks.

"You're a healer? Like a magic healer and not a potion healer?" Gray asked, getting Lucy's attention.

"Yeah. My mom taught me the lost art of healing magic." She said with a blush.

"That's amazing. What was your mom like?" Lucy asked.

"She was really sweet, to anyone that she met. She was wonderful, loving and took her teachings very seriously. She was an amazing Dragon, but she left a while ago." She said sadly.

"You're a Dragon Slayer?" Lucy cried.  
"Jesus girl, you got some voice. You can put a damn banshee to shame." Aiden cried out, as he was awakened from his little nap. Lucy blushed and hid her face in her hands.

"To answer your question Lucy, I am a Dragon Slayer. I use Sky Magic as my element, but I'm mostly a supporter." She said.

"So you can enhance other people in battle? That's pretty cool, ever thought of joining Fairy Tail? We could use someone like you." Gray said.

"Gray, ask something like that again and I'll set your balls on fire." Aiden said firmly. The ice mage zipped his lip, not wanting to piss the fire mage off more than he already was.

"Sorry Gray, but Cait Shelter is my home. I can't leave my family behind, and besides me and Aiden are in a Team. Team Flaming Skies, and I can't leave him behind." She said firmly. Aiden couldn't help but smile. He looked at Lucy again, who was now looking at the stars, while clutching her keys tightly. He tilted his head curiously. He grabbed his pack and opened it, looking for something inside.

"Something wrong Aiden?" Wendy asked.

"Uh, no..Just a little hungry. Luckily I brought snacks." he said, pulling out four packs of Snowballs. Phoebe squealed and took her pack, tearing it open and devouring it.

"Don't you have manners?" Carla asked. All she got was a muffled reply. He looked around for the flier he had received a while back when he was passing through Onibus town, but a rumbling sound made him look up. Lucy blushed and looked away, rather embarrassed. He rolled his eyes and tossed her a pack of coffee cakes.

"I may be pissed, but I won't let you starve. You too stripper." he said, burning the mages bindings. He handed him a pack of Zingers, which he tore open.

"Thanks. Sorry about before." he said.

"No problem dude. Sorry for being a dick, I'm just mad because what you did could end up putting you in danger, even though you were dragged into it Gray." he said. He finally found the flier he was looking for and unrolled it. His eyes widened a bit and he looked over at Lucy, who was busy eating her snack. He sighed and shook his head.

" _Wanted, Lucy Heartfilia, if found please alert the authorities as quickly as possible. Has been missing for over a year. Reward 10,000,000 Jewel. Sign, Jude Heartfilia of the Heartfilia Konzern. Man, what's the reason for you to run away Miss Heartfilia? And why haven't you told your friends?"_

"Something wrong?" Lucy asked, forcing him to shove the paper in his hands, back in his backpack.  
"Nope. Just an old report of a Dragon sighting, though we already checked it out and found it was a bust. No need to worry." he said with a small smile. Though his eyes were filled with a bit of concern now. After awhile of drifting, he got seriously bored. He felt the effects of Wendy's Troia wearing off, he didn't want to puke all over Lucy's shirt so he looked at Wendy who was nodding off.

"Wendy."

"Huh? Y-yes Aiden."

"I can see the island in the distance, can you use your Dragon Roar to get us there faster?" He asked. She nodded and moved from her seat near the bow to his own near the stern.

"Hang on tight, I don't want anyone flying off." She said. Lucy grabbed the sides of the boat as hard as she could, while Gray used his ice to freeze Natsu's arms to the boat. He gave her a nod and took a deep breath, sucking a bit of the sea air into her mouth.

"Sky Dragon's ROAR." She shouted, unleashing a large vortex of wind into the water. The boat immediately picked up speed, shooting like a bullet towards the island. Happy cried out as he tried to hang on, Carla had managed to catch his tail though but he was whipping around wildly, hitting the side of the boat. Phoebe was standing on the seat, arms spread out like a surfer.

"Look, I'm surfing." she said. Wendy cut her attack short when a giant wave picked up the boat.

"Oh crap." she cried out as the water swallowed the boat whole. Aiden lit up his hand, giving them all a bit of illumination, even under the water he could hold his flame up, though it was a bit hard to do and took massive amounts of magic. He grabbed Wendy's wrist and swam up to the surface. Both took a deep breath of air once they breached the surface.

"You alright?" he asked. She nodded, brushing her hair out of her face. The exceeds were flying above them, and Phoebe was busy laughing at them all. Gray surfaced a second later, and so did Natsu. They all looked around but couldn't find Lucy.

"Lucy, oi Lucy?" Natsu cried out. Aiden grit his teeth and pulled out his lacrima flashlight.  
"Shit." he shouted, taking a deep breath, he dove back under the water. He shone the light around, catching the glint of the girl's keys a bit lower in the water. Since they were close to shore, they were near a reef. He swam down further, finding the mage struggling to free her leg from a bunch of sea weed that had wrapped around it. He handed her the flashlight, and aimed it at her ankle before he used his flames to burn away the sea weed. He grabbed her by the waist and swam up as fast as he could, before she lost all the air she had. They finally breached the surface, with Lucy coughing loudly from the lost of oxygen.

"You scared the shit out of me." Natsu cried out.

"Sorry. Leg was caught." she said. Aiden brushed his hair out of his face and looked around. He found the island and started swimming toward it.

"Don't let go, I can't swim that well." Lucy cried. He sighed.  
"Really? You're Seventeen and haven't learned how to swim?" he asked.  
"I didn't really have the time you know. Who the hell knew I needed to swim on this mission?" she cried out. He shook his head and took her hand.

"Come on, kick your legs and use your other arm, I'll compensate for it." he said. She nodded and tried her best to swim, even though the waves were giving her trouble. After about fifteen minutes, they landed on the beach, due to the waves pushing them to the sand. Aiden stood up, wringing his clothes out.

"Man, what a drag. Can't say I'm not having fun though." he said.

"I'll say." Wendy muttered. She had taken her shirt off to squeeze the water out of it, and stayed in her baby blue bra, making him blush a bit.

"At least our packs are magic proof and we have spare clothes." Carla said, already looking for a spare of clothes for her best friend.

"What the hell Wendy, don't take your shirt off in front of guys." Aiden cried, a vibrant blush on his face. Her face flushed and she looked away.

"Its only weird if you make it weird. Besides this is a bikini top. I came prepared in case we ended up going to the beach." she said firmly.

"But still." he said.

"Whats wrong kid? She rustle your Jimmies?" Gray muttered, that however earned him a sock to the face, which knocked him back into the water.

"Is that a tattoo?" Lucy asked curiously. She had dragged the girl away, allowing the boys to change out of their clothes. Aiden changed out of his wet clothes, though he used his body heat to dry his underwear. He also charmed his boots so sand didn't go into them. Natsu was drying off his clothes using his fire magic. Aiden grabbed his pack and slung it over his shoulder.

"I take it your not going to heed my warning about this mission right?" he asked, looking at Natsu.

"Nope." he said. He sighed.  
"Fine, just don't do anything stupid. If we do complete it, I'll just convince the master of your guild that I took you with me. I am a certified S-class mage, so if your lucky, you'll only get in trouble for stealing it from the board. Now come on, lets see what's up with this island." he said, heading to where the girls were finished changing.

"Didn't that hurt?" Lucy asked.

"Like hell, but it was a ritual and my best friend gave it to me, so its special." Wendy replied.

"Did he see your boob?" she asked. Wendy blushed and nodded. Aiden walked past the two and took Lucy's wrist, pulling her along.

"H-hey."  
"We need to talk, in private." he said, shooting Wendy a look. She nodded and ran back to where Natsu and Gray had gotten into another fight. Once they were far enough from everyone, he stopped walking.

"So, what did you want to talk about?" she asked.

"I have a deal for you. Since your a Celestial Mage, you want more keys, Sagittarius would be good for your collection. I'm going to finish this quest, no matter how long it takes me. That key is yours if and only if you answer my questions."

"Done." she said, without thinking it over.

"Alright, why did you run away from home?" he asked.

"Eh?"

"Don't be so shocked. Your father has been handing out fliers to nearly anyone who will take them. 10 million is a steep price, and I'm considering taking you home. So spill." he said. She sighed.

"Fine, I'll let you know. I ran away from home because I didn't want to be my fathers little tool. He never loved me, not like my mother did. He only sees me as an heiress to his wealth and wants to marry me off the highest bidder. I wanted to be a Celestial Spirit Mage like my mom. So the first chance I got, I ran away and I haven't been back since."

"Why haven't you told your friends?" he asked. She sighed and looked at her guild mark, a small smile on her face.

"I've wanted too, but I don't want to worry them with this. Joining Fairy Tail has been my dream for a long time. And now that I'm in it, I'm finally happy." she said. He nodded and looked back to Wendy, giving her the okay. He turned back to the main trail that lead up to the settlement on the island. He stopped and looked back, a small smile on his face.

"Don't worry, I'm not taking you back. Breaking a girl's dream isn't something I want to get paid for. Your secrets safe with me, so don't worry your pretty little head off." he said, turning back to the path in front of him. Now, he wanted answers about the curse on this island, and the villagers were the perfect solution to that problem.


	6. Galuna Island Arc: Exploration

**A/N: Hi everyone and welcome to a new chapter of the Hellfire Dragon Slayer. I've actually been getting a lot of positive reviews on this, so I have decided to continue writing it, though I will take a while due to the fact that I will need to watch certain arcs of the anime to get the story right, I pretty much have the Deliora arc all set, and most of the Phantom Lord Arc. I decided to have Cait Shelter be involved in that battle due to them being in town. They will also be involved in the Fighting Festival Arc and of course the Oracion Seis arc. there will be some original stuff in between some arcs with mentions of cannon things, but for now I have to get on that, so until then, I hope you enjoy this new chapter.**

Fairy Tail

Tales of the Hellfire Dragon

Chapter 6

Exploration

It took them an entire day to reach the village that was on Galuna Island. Aiden had taken the role of group leader, leading his team and the Fairy Tail wizards up the path. They had rested a couple times on the long journey, but it was evident that they were all exhausted. Wendy was panting a bit, not having the stamina to walk for hours on end, and Lucy was in much the same state. Gray, who had also decided to help complete the quest was keeping them all cool with a bit of his ice magic. Aiden cracked his neck as he walked, making Lucy cringe a bit.

"So, once we get to this village, what exactly are we gonna do?" Natsu asked.

"First off, we need to compare what Bobo said to what the Chief will tell us, deduce what's right and then figure out a way around the current situation. If all of the villagers here are being turned into demons by this curse, then we run the same risk as them." Aiden said rather seriously.

"Eep, I don't wanna be a demon." Lucy cried out. Wendy hugged her tightly, uttering the same thing with tears running down her face.

"Oh grow up you two." Phoebe muttered.

"There it is, the front gate. Once we're inside, I want you to treat the people here with the utmost respect. I can't have you soiling my reputation in Cait Shelter." Aiden said.

"You started a week ago." Carla said, making the teen brood a bit.

"Halt, who goes there?" a voice cried out from the top of the gate. Aiden was about to speak when Lucy beat him to the punch.

"Hey, we're the mages you requested. We're from the Fairy Tail guild." she cried out.

"You took the mission? Why didn't we get a confirmation? The only ones who took it were mages of Cait Shelter." the man cried out. Aiden was about to speak when Gray covered his mouth.  
"It must have been a mix up with the paperwork." He said. Aiden gripped his hand with his own, which was on fire. He howled in pain from the heat, making Natsu laugh.

"Will you let me speak? Christ...ahem..ignore them, I'm the S-class mage from Cait Shelter. I came here with my team and ended up running into these Fairy guys." he said.

"Well, we can't let you in just yet, show us your marks for proof." the man said. Aiden nodded and lifted his shirt sleeve, exposing his guild mark. Wendy brushed her hair behind her shoulder, showing off hers, while Carla and Phoebe lifted up their shirts and showed their backs to the men.

"Alright, Mages of Cait Shelter confirmed, what about Fairy Tail?" the man asked. Lucy showed the back of her hand, while Gray lifted his shirt and exposed the mark on his chest. Natsu showed them his bicep and Happy, like Carla and Phoebe showed them his back, where a lime green mark was.

"Alright, let them in."

The large wooden gates shook a bit as they were lifted open. All of the mages gasped as they saw the villagers near the center of the village, with worried looks on their faces. Aiden nodded to his friends and they all headed inside.

"Hello, my name is Maka and I'm the village chief. I'm so glad you came." a short man said. He was like the rest covered in cloaks, he was holding a staff with a crescent moon shaped stone tied to the top.

"I'm Aiden, S-class mage of Cait Shelter, these are my guild mates, Wendy, Carla and Phoebe. Behind me are the mages of Fairy Tail, Lucy, Happy, Gray and Natsu. What seems to be the problem?" he asked, as he bowed in respect.

"A terrible curse has been laid upon the island for some time now, and its turned us into hideous monsters. Now everyone, we have to show them." he said, ripping his cloak off. Everyone did the same, making the mages go wide eyed. The villagers had some sort of demonic transformation on their limbs, whether an arm, or a leg, or even horns and demon ears, all of them were affected.

"You see, ever since the night the moon turned purple, a terrible curse has been affecting us all. With each day that passes, the demonic transformation takes us deeper into its grasp, some of our own have fallen so deep, that they can't even revert to their human forms. During the day we become human, but when the night comes, our true forms are exposed. Ugh..stand back, its happening." he cried. Aiden looked up, seeing the clouds move away from the moon, and it was indeed purple. All of the villagers started crying in pain as the transformations took place. They all turned into demons, right before their eyes. Wendy hid behind Aiden, clearly scared at the whole ordeal.

"The moon really does look purple. Wow." Lucy muttered.

"Since ancient times, this island has gathered the moon light naturally, but ever since it turned purple, its made our lives a living hell. Those who fall to this demon's curse become highly aggressive, so we have no choice but to put them to death." Maka said, clearly distressed.

"What? How can you do that? What if they turn back some day?" Natsu cried.

"Even if they could, we can't sit around and wait for it to happen. They become too aggressive and loose their minds. Even if we did catch them, they'd break free. I know because we've done it before, I had to kill my own son." the man said, holding a picture in his hands. Wendy broke into tears, upon seeing the image. Aiden's eyes widened.

"That's the man from the boat. But he was with us just a few hours ago." Lucy whispered.

"Don't tell them that...maybe that's why he didn't want to come here. Because he's actually dead, and his soul can't find peace." Gray said.

"We...saw a g-ghost?" Lucy muttered.

"There's only one thing you can do to stop this from happening, and that's destroying the moon. Once its gone, this curse will be broken and we'll be back to normal." Maka cried out, startling them.

"Alright Chief, we best stay out of the moon light, lest we fall to the darkness of this curse. I'll take our guest too their tents." one woman said. The man nodded.

"Please, Cait Shelter, Fairy Tail..help us, the reward stands out for both of you." he said, before departing with a few of his people. The young woman, or demon sighed and looked back at the mages.

"Come with me. Cait Shelter and Fairy Tail will be getting separate tents." She said, leading them towards some rather large tents. They were white, with tribal markings all over. There were two side by side, one of them bore the Cait Shelter insignia, so they must have prepared it for them since the request was taken. The woman nodded to them and they headed to the tent. Aiden stopped and looked at his new friends.

"Alright guys, lets meet up tomorrow morning and figure out what to do."

"Sounds like a plan. Good night Aiden, Good Night Wendy." Lucy replied.  
"Night Lucy, Night Natsu, Gray, Happy." Wendy cried out, before ducking into her tent. Aiden wished them a good night before following his friend's example. They were surprised to see how spacious it was, though it lacked some of the commodities they were used too, no one really minded. Aiden sighed and set his bags down next to the mat he had claimed as his own. He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"This is much harder than I thought it was." he muttered.

"Its so sad..I didn't think they'd..kill each other off." Wendy muttered, rather sad at the story.

"Its a killer curse though. Did you see the man's side burns?" Phoebe asked, giggling a bit. A cold glare from Aiden firmly shut her up.

"Something isn't right here though. I don't think its a curse, but the moon is definitely the biggest cause of this." Carla said.

"Why do you say that?" Phoebe said. Carla smirked and looked at Wendy.

"Can I show them?"

"Sure, their our friends." she said. Aiden was very curious about what the exceed was going to do. She started glowing brightly and her body started morphing. Her paws turned into hands, and her legs grew in length. She grew in height as well, being a little bit taller than Wendy. Her tail grew in length and her cat ears became more pointed. When the bright flash died down, they were no longer looking at an exceed, but a young girl. She was dressed in the same clothes as before, only a larger version of them, and her face showed the same scowl as before, though there was a little smile now.

"Whoa, Carla has a human form?" Phoebe asked, rather excitedly.

"I do. Its a trick I learned a few years back, I can hold this form for days on end if need be, but I usually stay in my true form to save magic. In this form, I use what's known as Moon Magic."

"Moon..Magic? Never heard of it? Have you Aiden?"

"Yeah I have. Atlas Flame explained it to me once, he said there was once a man who met the Solar Dragon, and was granted some of its magic. In turn, he ended up creating two variants of this magic, which later became what's known as Solar Divinity Magic. It gives its user the properties of the sun and allows them to absorb sunlight for power. Its mostly used for enhancing purposes." he said.

"That doesn't really answer my question." the exceed deadpanned.

"Well if you fucking let me talk. Ahem, as I was saying, similarly, there was a woman who met the Lunar Dragon and did the same with its magic, creating Lunar Divinity Magic. This magic allows its user to absorb and use Moon light as their magic. Even during the day, they can redirect the flow of light around themselves and absorb power from the moon to enhance their attacks. First tier spells for this include powerful punches and kicks, with practice, one can even use pure moon power to blast a hole through mountains." he said.

"That's the magic I use Phoebe. I was always a bit weird ever since Wendy hatched me, I had dreams of a warm glowing magic. So I learned Transformation magic and then focused on this form, with it my true powers over the moon appeared and I've been practicing them since." Carla said, rather proudly.

"Except Cait Shelter doesn't get good missions, so her talents go to waste."

"Wendy."

"Sorry." the Sky Dragon cried out, crawling into her bed.

"Hmm, interesting. Hey, do you think I can learn Solar Divinity Magic? That'd be great..the Sun and Moon working together to bring down evil. We can be our own team, Team Savage Cats." Phoebe cried.  
"Hold it right there Phoebs. Learning Solar Divinity Magic is hard enough as it is. You'd have to do what Carla's doing, build up your magic for a solid transformation like hers and then start working on that. It would take years of practice to reach the level Carla's at."

"That's a load of bull...I want to be able to do that..it looks cool." she said sadly. Aiden pat her head.

"Tell ya what...after this mission is over, we'll head on to the magic library and pick up a few books on the subject, then we can train hard. After all, I want to make Wendy a strong mage too. We'll put Cait Shelter out of the gutter and make it the best guild in all of Fiore." he said proudly.

"Aye Sir." Phoebe cried out loudly.

"Hey, that's my line." Happy cried from the nearby tent, making them all laugh.

"Anyway, Carla why are you sure the moon is the cause of this?" Wendy asked.

"Honestly child, I use Moon magic. Clearly I would know if something was wrong with it. The moon itself is perfectly intact, but I feel a weird dark aura on this island, its blocking most of my natural moon magic. And its giving me this." she said, holding her hand up she formed an orb of magic in it. It glowed a bright purple.

"What? Purple Moonlight?" Wendy cried.

"Yes. I'm not certain what it is, but I feel twice as strong as normal. Mostly because of the Islands natural affinity to collect moonlight, but this weird purple light is whats bothering me. I don't know what to make of it." She said.

"Just another piece to the puzzle that we'll have to figure out. We best get some sleep, we got a lot of work in the morning." He said, turning off the light lacrima and throwing the room into darkness. He lay down on his mat, with Phoebe at his side. Wendy yawned a bit as she fixed her tee shirt, which she had borrowed from Aiden. Carla however looked out of the window, focusing a bit on the moon.

"Carla..are you sure your fine?" Wendy asked.  
"I'm fine. I think I'll go meditate for a bit and clear my head." She said.

"Don't stray too far alright, and don't stay up to late."

"Got it. Night Wendy." the girl said, before exciting the tent.

The next morning, Aiden had woken up rather early and decided to rouse his team from sleep. Though tired, all of them were ready to tackle the day. He met up with Lucy outside the gates, while his team finished getting ready. He cracked his neck and leaned against a tree.

"Morning, how'd you sleep?" He asked.

"I didn't. My idiot friends snore worse than a freaking pig." She said, rubbing her eyes.

"Heads up." he said, tossing her a can, which she almost dropped. He cracked one of his own open and gulped it down.

"Redbull? Really?" She asked.

"Hey, I don't like them either, but we need to be fully alert for this and besides, don't Celestial Mages need full focus to keep their spirit gates open?" he asked, a smug look on his face. She glared at him and opened the can, drinking its contents.

"Aw man, I've never been up this early." Natsu groaned.  
"Yeah, this sucks."

"Oh shut up, I didn't sleep at all and I'm not complaining." Lucy cried out. Wendy gave Aiden a shy wave before stopping next to Lucy. She looked back, seeing Phoebe talking about fish with Happy, while a weird white haired girl was, trying her hardest to ignore them.

"Wait, who the heck are you?" She asked, pointing to the girl. Carla raised a brow in curiosity, a smile at her lips.

"Forget me so soon Miss Lucy?" she asked, tail whipping about.

"C-Carla?"

"The one and only." She said.

"Whoa..I didn't know cats can turn into girls." Natsu said.

"Me either. Hey Happy, how come you can't do that?" Gray asked.  
"I don't know transformation magic Gray, and even if I did, I wouldn't turn into a girl, though she looks very cute in that plaid skirt." He said, blushing a bit.

"Quiet Tomcat." Carla cried out, clearly annoyed, though she did have a blush on her face.

"We best start looking around this place. I have a weird vibe all of a sudden." Aiden muttered, as he started down the forest path. He looked around for possible clues on what could be affecting the villagers but found nothing of interest. After a while, he started to get bored and hungry, so using his sense of smell, he picked up on a large fruit tree. He smiled and ran toward it, eyeing the fruits.

"Alright, Paopu Fruits, and their ready to be picked." he said, a smile on his face.

"Paopu Fruits? I've never seen these before." Lucy said. Aiden gave a firm kick to the tree's trunk, making a few of them fall from the top. He caught two of them, with Phoebe catching the rest. They were star shaped fruits, with little green leaves coming from the points of it. It had a soft yellow color, and the points were soft, which meant they had been ripe for about a few days. He smiled, looking up at the sky.

"These fruits are rare in this part of the world, only a few islands in the world have the trees that grow them. A friend of mine, back home in the Sun Village told me a legend about these fruits, they say that when two people share them, their destinies become intertwined, for ever and ever. No matter how far they are, so long as they've shared the fruit, they'll always find each other. I think its a giant load of bull, but I've never actually shared one of these with someone, so who am I to judge." he said, handing one to Lucy and the other to Gray. Phoebe handed him one, as she was already eating one.

"This skin is really tough, I think you can use it to make charms. Don't you think Carla?" Wendy asked, looking at the fruit in her hand.

"Maybe."

"I didn't get one." Happy said, looking around. Aiden looked up at the tree, seeing that it had been picked cleaned, the culprit being his exceed who was looking away with a blush on her face. Aiden sighed and gave the blue exceed his fruit.

"Its alright Happy. You can have mine. There's bound to be another tree around here." he said. Walking up the path, he looked around at the other fruit bearing trees, but none of them had any ripe fruits on them. He did see one moon shaped fruit but avoided picking it, with all the moon related problems they were having, it wasn't a good idea to eat anything that resembled it. He sighed, feeling a little down.

"Well, guess that was the only tree."

"Yeah, it would seem so. I can't smell anymore of them." Natsu said. Wendy, who was still holding her fruit handed it to him. He shook his head, a small smile on his face.

"Its alright Wendy. You can have it, besides I wasn't that hungry." he said, though his stomach betrayed him, making the guys laugh a bit.

"We can share it..I-I don't mind." she said, little blush on her face. Lucy smirked and jabbed her side.

"Oi oi, what about that intertwined destinies thing?" she asked, making the girl's blush darker.

"Hmm, like I said before, I ain't sure whether its true or not. Flare wasn't exactly the brightest girl I ever met, but being the other human in the village made it so she always had some weird story in her mind for me to listen." He said. Wendy used a small knife to cut the fruit down the middle. She handed him one of the halves, her hand shaking a bit.

"Its alright, its just a fruit right?" she asked. He smiled and took it from her hand.

"Aye, just a fruit." he said, taking a bite from the soft yellow flesh. He had to admit, it was the sweetest fruit he'd ever had, and his favorite fruits were Mangoes and Pineapples. It was actually a blend of both fruits, with a tangy aftertaste. He finished it rather quickly, leaving behind the star shaped skin.

"Well, he ate it faster than I thought he would." Gray said, tossing his own fruit skin aside.

"You're supposed to savor it, you dummy."

"Right, this coming from the exceed who ate Seven of them in the blink of an eye." Lucy said, still eating her own fruit. Aiden chuckled and shook his head.

"Lets keep moving guys. We can't keep getting distracted." he said, moving up the path. They all kept moving up the path, sharing a few stories here and there, of course Lucy told the story of how she and Natsu met, making them laugh a bit. Wendy, who had finished her fruit half was drying out the left over skin with her magic. She would make them into charms so she'd remember her first true adventure. Carla however had a stern look on her face. The weird magic on the island was throwing her off and she felt like something bad was going to happen. It was just a question of when.

"So Aiden, who was it that taught you Fire Make Magic?" Gray asked.

"It was this really cool dude from the Pregrande Kingdom. He was looking for his family here in Fiore when we ran into each other. We ended up taking out a few Vulcan's together and when he found out I was a Fire mage, he decided to teach me his magic. He didn't have kids or anything and he wasn't part of a guild, so he told me he wanted someone with a fiery attitude to be a user of his special magic. We trained for a long time until I was able to fight at his skill level, but he just vanished one day, kinda like Atlas Flame did. It wasn't long after that I found Phoebe's egg, so we've stuck together ever since those times." he said. Gray nodded in understanding.

"Think you can teach me some of that?" Natsu asked.

"I don't know. Fire Make Magic takes a long time to master, as all Maker Magic, you have to have patience and of course a bright imagination. It can take years to master it from scratch." Aiden replied.  
"Bummer. And here I wanted to beat up Gray with his own kind of magic."

"I use ice idiot." Gray muttered dryly.

"So Gray, who taught you Ice Make? They must have been a very strong mage to have been able to teach you." he said. Gray scoffed and walked a little faster.

"I don't want to talk about it."

"Al..right, then..sorry I asked."

The ground started to shake a bit, forcing them all to stop. A large shadow was cast over them, making them go wide eyed a bit.

"Oi, who turned off the sun?" Natsu cried.

"Kyaaaa, its a giant rat." Lucy shouted. Wendy screamed, breaking into a sprint.

"Kill it, kill it, KILL IT." She screamed as she ran. The rat let out a screech, making them cover their ears.

"Alright you overgrown house pest, your ass is mine." Aiden said, running forward. He did a few hand signs and a large blue magic seal formed before him. "Fire Make Explosion." he shouted, waving his hand in a forward arc. The air around the rat ignited, causing a large explosion before it. It cried in pain, before it threw a punch at him, he jumped back, dodging the hit.

"Ice Make Hammer." Gray cried, slamming his hands together. A large ice hammer flew out of his magic seal, hitting the rat in the head. Aiden smirked and did another hand sign, changing his magic seal to a lighter version of the previous one.

"Switch Style: Fire Make Sparrows." He cried out. Several flaming birds flew out of the seal, they flew in a triangular formation, striking the mouse dead in the face. It fell back, knocked out. He sighed and wiped some sweat from his brow.

"That was a surprise." he said.

"What the hell? You can make moving magic too?" Gray asked. Aiden smiled.

"Yeah, its of my own creation. Maker magic relies a lot on the users imagination, but sticking to one style was a bit hard for me, so I switch between them. By using Switch Style Fire Make, I can't create living creatures. It gives me limitless possibilities." he said. Gray nodded, now thinking about his own magic a little more. They ran ahead, to catch up with the rest of their friends who had run off. They were right in front of a large temple. It was rather large, and yellow in color, with moon shaped runes on it.

"Its a temple. Maybe we'll find some clues inside." Lucy muttered. Aiden thought it over before giving them the go ahead. They slowly moved inside, as to not alert anyone who might have been poking around.

"Wow, this place is a wreck." Natsu muttered.

"Its really old. Must be several hundred years old actually." Lucy said. Wendy took a whiff of the air, coughing a bit.

"Its a bit dusty, but I do smell perfume." She said.

"Its probably Lucy. She drenched herself in that crap." Aiden said.

"Excuse me for wanting to smell good." the blonde cried out.

"What do you think these are?" Happy said, looking at one of the moon shaped drawings on the wall.

"Their moons. Makes sense since Galuna Island used to be known as the Island of the moon." Gray replied. Carla looked around, tracing her finger over the runes, but nothing happened. She looked up, seeing another large moon on the ceiling.

"Man this place isn't safe, even the ground feels like it'll cave any minute." Natsu said, stomping the ground.

"If its not safe then don't stomp on it." Lucy cried out. As if on cue, the ground underneath them shattered. Aiden was quick enough to jump back, but everyone else fell with the rubble.

"Aw jeez. Natsu." he shouted into the hole.

"That idiot. If he hurt Wendy I'll."

"Carla, you're still here?" Aiden asked, looking up. He saw the girl floating above the hole, large angelic wings coming from her back. She had her arms crossed, a look of disdain on her face.

"Just because I'm in this form doesn't mean I can't use my wings." she said, landing next to him.

"Okay, now what? That hole looks deep as hell."

"I can't fly down there, my magic would run out before I reach the bottom. I'm sure there are stairs around here." She said, looking around.

"This whole place is unstable, so watch your step." Aiden said, walking a bit softer than before. He followed his sense of smell, catching the perfume Wendy had spoken off. His head snapped to the left and he started heading that way, catching the scent of Cherries, Roses and...rat?

"Where are you going?" Carla asked.

"Sorry, my nose picked up a scent. Its the same one Wendy described earlier, so I'm gonna follow it. She's fine, I'm sure she is." he said.

"So you're not going after her?" Carla asked.

"Look, Natsu and Gray are with her, so she'll be safe. This takes priority and if she were here and me down there, she'd go after this scent too. I can't lose it or we won't find out whats wrong here." he said. She sighed and nodded.

"Fine, but I'll go with you." she said. He nodded and moved on after the smell. They found some stone stairs and ended up running up them. The scent got a bit stronger as he ran, making him speed up a bit. He reached the second floor of the temple and took a quick whiff of the air, only finding dust.

"Not here. It must be at the top." he said quietly. He kept on running up the stairs, reaching the very top of the temple. He and Carla ducked into some bushes that were near the stairwell. He was surprised to find plant life at the top of the temple. He and Carla moved on to the edge of the large broken wall, peeking from the side of it.

"How is everything coming along?" a voice asked. It belonged to a young man, not much older than Gray, he figured. He was dressed in a blue outfit, with matching pants and boots. He also had some sort of viking helmet that covered his entire face. He was talking to a pink haired young woman, who was wearing a sleeveless Lolita dress, with a pink bodice and black laces. The skirt was a frilled and had some bows on it. She also wore matching black heeled boots that reached up to her thighs.

"With luck, Deliora will be thawed out by tonight, if not early tomorrow evening. Provided nothing bad happens and the ritual can continue accordingly." the woman replied.

"And why wouldn't it Sherry?" the man asked.

"Cold Emperor, it seems Angelica was attacked not to long ago. From the looks of the injuries, I'd say it was a Fire mage. The villagers here possess no magic, so it must be outside help. Yuka and Toby are already inspecting the chamber underneath the Temple for clues." She said.

"Well, if you do find them, bring them to me. Anyone who interferes will be killed on sight. Don't fail me Sherry."

"The love of mercy. You really are an amazing person, Cold Emperor." Sherry said, hugging herself. Aiden moved forward a bit, knocking off a piece of the wall. The small rock hit the ground, alerting the two of the presence. He grit his teeth and hid as best he could.

"Shit." he muttered.

"Nice going." Carla hissed.

"Who goes there?" the man known as the Cold Emperor said. The temperature decreased slightly, making Carla shiver. Aiden however felt perfectly fine. He swallowed hard.

"Uh..Pizza Delivery?" he asked.

"Oh really? Great put it over there." the man said.

"He bought it?" Carla asked.

"No, I didn't buy it." the man said, peeking over the wall. Aiden kicked off the wall, flipping back and landing on his feet. He got into his maker stance, surprising the man.

"Carla get out of here, I'll handle these bozos." He said.

"But Aiden."

"I said go Carla." he said firmly. She nodded and summoned her wings, taking off into the sky. Sherry smirked.

"I'll go get her." she said, about to leave, only to be stopped by a blast of fire that drove her back.

"I don't think so. I'm your opponent." he said firmly. The Cold Emperor smirked.

"So, you must be the Fire mage that attacked Angelica. You have some nerve coming up here and spying on us. That means I'm gonna have to kill you." he said.

"I'd like to see you try." Aiden said, getting ready for battle. He just prayed Carla found Wendy in time for them to show up here.


	7. Galuna Island: Aiden vs Lyon and Sherry

**A/N: Wow its been awhile...well I'm here to bring you both Chapter Seven and Eight. they are the last Chapters I wrote and honestly, as good as this story is, I don't plan to continue it for a while. I have to rewatch the anime and I have been suffering from severe writers block for a while. All of my current projects are at a stand still, and its rather annoying. so I hope everyone enjoys these two chapters and let me know what you think of them. I might continue this in the future but for now I have no plans to do so.**

Fairy Tail

Tales of the Hellfire Dragon

Chapter 7

Aiden vs Lyon and Sherry

Aiden was still staring down his two opponents, not wanting to back out of the fight. If he did, he exposed himself to attack and if they followed him, they could also find his friends and that was something he wasn't going to risk. He wasn't one to back out of a fight anyway and he was sure he could beat them two on one. The Cold Emperor started chuckling a bit, startling him out of his thoughts.

"I commend you for standing up to me. But it wont matter, whatever you do, that winged girl will be caught. You will be put to death for interfering with our ritual." he said.  
"Ritual huh? To do what? Revive a demon of destruction? What do you accomplish by doing that?" he asked.

"You wouldn't understand. Its all out of Love." Sherry said. He swore he saw little hearts flying around her. He didn't like her much.

"Right, because resurrecting a demon that destroyed entire continents is love. I don't know what fucked up love your thinking of lady but that's not the love I'm used to seeing. I'll put a stop to it, I don't like hitting girls but I will if I have too." he said, running forward. He threw a hard punch at the Cold Emperor, sending him flying back a few feet. He grabbed Sherry by the neck and slammed her into a wall, causing her to scream in pain. He was about to knock her out when the man attacked.

"Ice Make Eagle." he shouted, pelting Aiden with several large ice eagles. Aiden growled a bit and looked up, seeing the same magic circle Gray had cast before.

" _Ice Make Magic? The same as Gray's? No...this seems like Dynamic Ice Make."_

"Ice Make Snow Tiger." the man chanted, creating a large snow tiger from his ice. Sherry grinned and rose her hands up.

"Marionette Magic, take him out." She said, taking control of the snow tiger who lunged at Aiden, throwing several speedy slashes.

"Shit." he muttered, crossing his arms. He was flung back a few feet, slamming into a stone wall.

"Face it kid, nothing beats my Ice Make Magic." the emperor said. Aiden smirked and stood up, slamming his fist into his hand. A magic seal burst out and flames swirled around him.

"Switch Style: Fire Make Spider Monkey." he chanted, slamming his flaming hands into the ground. A large plume of fire shot up, taking the shape of a monkey, though it had large spider legs. It punched its hands together and ran forward, destroying the ice in one hit.

"What? A Maker mage?" the man cried.

"Marionette Magic, take over the monkey." Sherry cried out. The Spider Monkey stopped moving and then turned back to Aiden, its eyes glowing pink. He grit his teeth.

"Fuck, she can take over magical fire?"

"As long as its not a human, it doesn't matter. I can take over even Fire animals and Ice animals." she said rather proudly. Aiden dodged several punches from his own creation, gritting his teeth a bit. If this kept up, he'd grow tired before taking out the two mages. He ran forward, doing a hand spring, he spun on his hands, igniting his legs.

"Hellfire Dragon's Twin Fang." he shouted. The large tendrils of blue flame slammed into the monkey tearing it apart. He flipped up, only to be hit with a large ice fist.

"Hmm, not just a Maker mage, but a Dragon Slayer too. What a surprise." the emperor said.

"How beautiful, you showed your creation love by destroying it." Sherry said.

"Seriously, stop saying love so much you creep." Aiden said.

"I am not a creep, just because you haven't experienced love doesn't make me a creep." she shouted.

"Oh yeah? They say women who shout things about love in general end up living alone for the rest of their lives, with nothing more than cats for company."

"Why you little bastard. Sand Doll." she chanted. All of the nearby sand from their battle started flowing toward her, forming a rather large doll. She sat at the top of its head, arms raised as she took control of it.

"Ice Make Chains." the emperor cried out. Thick chains of ice wrapped around Aiden's body, restricting his movements.

"Alright Sand Doll, punch him." Sherry shouted. The large doll rose its hand and threw a punch at Aiden, who ended up taking it. Sherry cheered loudly as her enemy was taken out.

"That was a hassle, and here I thought I'd have to waste more magic on him." the man said. They both looked on in shock as the air around them started getting really hot. They saw a large blue flame coming from the sand dolls fist. The monster grunted a bit as his arm was slowly turned into glass. A flaming fist slammed into it, shattering it into a million pieces. Aiden stood before them, a smirk on his face. The blue fire had covered his entire body and the only thing they could see was an eerie fire smile.

"One word of advice. Don't attack a Fire mage with sand, especially when their flames are hot enough to turn said sand into Glass." he said.

"Sherry, take care of this wretch. I have no time to waste." the man said turning around.

"Oi, come here and face me like a man you fag."

"I will not allow you to speak to the Cold Emperor like that." Sherry cried. The fist on her monster reformed, now made of glass. He grit his teeth and took a step back.

" _I can't waste time here. Whatever their planning, I have to tell the others, but this bitch will follow me if I dip out. I need to knock her off that doll and knock her out."_

"Say uh...how about a romantic walk on the beach?" he asked.

"Not interested. Your love isn't what I'm looking for." she said dryly, making the doll punch him again, with its glass arm. He let out a startled cry as he dodged it. A smile on his face.

"Well if you want me that bad babe you'll have to catch me." he said, running off into temple. Sherry clicked her tongue and jumped down the side of the building.

Aiden jumped over the large hole Natsu had created, running out of the large temple, only for Sherry to land in front of him.

"Crap your fast."

"Now Sand Doll, destroy him." she chanted, waving her arms forward. The sand doll came up from behind him and threw a punch, only for him to jump out of the way. He flipped mid air and took a deep breath.

"Hellfire Dragon's Roar." he shouted, unleashing a large plume of blue flames at the sand doll. That resulted in it turning into glass. He grit his teeth as the doll moved forward, kicking him through some trees.

"This chick is nuts. All I said was she'd end up living with cats."

"AAAHHH, I will not let myself become a crazy cat woman." She shouted, her doll started throwing punches at him, forcing him to run through the woods. He dodged a few of the trees that were being ripped up by the large glass monster. He grabbed a vine and swung around a tree, aiming his leg at the creature.

"Hellfire Dragon's Leg Strike." he shouted, coating his leg in blue flames. He kicked the glass legs, breaking them apart. The doll fell to the ground and shattered, forcing Sherry to grab onto a tree branch. She dropped to the ground, a smile on her face.

"Well, your a worthy opponent. I think I'll share my love with you too."

"Uh.."

"Tree Doll attack him now." she cried out, sending a large monster-esque tree at him. He sighed.

"Why do I have to fight the creepy ones?" he muttered. He put his hands together, doing a small hand sign.

"Fire Make Ascalon." he shouted, making a large flaming sword from his magic. With a fierce cry, he swung the sword, slicing the doll up and setting it aflame. He ran forward, throwing a few punches at Sherry, only for her to dodge and block them.

"Don't underestimate me, I used to be part of a guild too." she said.

"I don't give a shit about you or your guild. What I want to know is why your stupid enough to revive a fucking demon?" he shouted, nailing her in the chest. She cried in pain and flew back into a tree. She stood up, clutching her stomach.

"I'll say, you're love hurts." she said.

"I'm gonna make it hurt more if you don't answer me." he said firmly, hands blazing with fire. She clenched her hands and smirked.

"Rock Doll, come forth." she cried, this time forming a doll of pure rocks and boulders.

"Another one? No matter, I'll take it out as well." he said, running forward. "Hellfire Dragon's Iron Fist." he shouted, punching the rock creature in the face. He cried in pain as his hand broke. She smirked.

"You can't punch solid rock you know. I guess this is my version of tough love."

"Okay seriously, that love crap gets annoying. How do you expect to get a date if you keep it up?"

"Gah, you have some nerve eh? Blue haired freak. Rock doll crush him." she shouted, waving her arms forward. Aiden jumped back, avoiding the swift punches the doll was tossing out. He broke into another run, as the marionette mage cackled loudly. He gripped his hand tightly and snapped all the bones back in place.

"Leave it to me to punch goddamn rocks." he muttered, as he used his fire to make a wrap for his hand. In a few minutes, his hand would be healed, as he was forcing his magic into it and that usually regenerated his injuries, though not to the extent Wendy had. For now, he'd have to dodge the crazy girls doll until he could fight again.

"Why are you running? Can't handle a little tough love?" She shouted. Her doll threw another punch, almost hitting Aiden in the head, but luckily, he'd barely dodged it. The sun had gone down by this point, and he was surprised that he had been running for so long. His hand finally healed enough to fight, so he sprung into action. He grabbed onto a tree branch and swung forward, grabbing another one, he used them to climb up to the higher parts of the trees. He jumped back, aiming a flaming fist at her.

"Hellfire Dragon's Iron Fist."

"Rock Doll, shield me." She cried out. The doll rose its hands, effectively shielding her. Luckily Aiden didn't break his hand a second time. Instead he used the rock monsters hands as a spring board to jump higher into the air. Sherry's eyes widened in shock.

"Hellfire Dragon's Roar." he shouted. She cried in pain as the plume of fire hit her. She landed on the ground, rather roughly, and her clothes were a bit singed. She got up, gritting her teeth.

"My clothes...is this your true love for me?" she asked.

"What? Jeez can you stop with the love crap?" he asked. She blushed a bit and shook her head.

"I'm not done with you. Rock doll, punch him." she cried, the rock doll obeyed, throwing a punch at Aiden, which sent him flying into the air. He however spun around and crossed his arms before him, arms covered in flames.

"Fire Make Whip." he cried, launching the whip at her. It wrapped around her waist, much to her surprise and dismay. With a firm tug, she was dragged along with him. He pulled harder, making her fly up to him.

"God, I hate hitting girls." he cried, throwing a punch at her. Which she surprisingly blocked.

"You don't understand. The Cold Emperor is doing this out of his love for all of us." She cried out. Gravity finally caught up to them and they begun to fall. He grit his teeth as he tried coming up with a plan. He felt a tug on his shirt, which stopped him from falling.

"Ah, Phoebe." he cried.

"Nice timing on my part. Seems like you caught one." She said, referring to the pink haired girl in his grasp.

"Yeah I did, I.." he stopped mid sentence as her hand slipped from his own. She gave him a little smile as she fell, cheeks tinged red.

"This is your love for me. I can tell." she muttered.

"Phoebe, Max Speed."

"Aye Sir." she cried, she zoomed down towards the beach below them, and past the pink haired girl who was still falling. Aiden forced them to turn around in time to catch her in his arms. She looked into his eyes, quite surprised. He tsked and looked away.

"Jeez, your such a klutz you know that?" he asked.

"You saved me..but why?" she asked. He sighed and shook his head as Phoebe set them down.

"I told you, I hate fighting girls, and by extension, seeing girls getting hurt. I wasn't going to let you hit the sand head first." he said.

"You saved me because of love." she said, little hearts flying around them.

"Okay, now I think I've gone crazy." he said, blowing the hearts away with his fire. He pink haired girl wrapped her arms around his neck, catching him by surprise.

"Cait Shelter..a little kitten saved me. I guess I will end up with a cat, but this is a cat I can get used too." she said.

"Eh?" he asked, only for his eyes to go wide. Sherry had silenced him by locking lips with him. Phoebe giggled and spun around them like a ballerina, chanting things about babies. The pink haired girl pulled away from him, leaving him in a dazed state.

"A-Aiden?"

He looked up, seeing Wendy before him. Her eyes were widened in shock. He dropped Sherry, much to her discouragement, and walked forward.

"Uh..hey Wendy..what's up?"

"What's going on here?" she asked.

"Its not what it looks like..she's crazy...muttering things about love and crap. It wasn't me it was her." he cried out. Wendy turned heel and walked off, clearly pissed off. He reached out for her but she just kept walking.

"Aw great, now she's pissed at me. What else could possibly go wrong?" he asked himself. He then felt a sword at his neck.

"Tell me, have you seen a man named Natsu? And if you have tell me where he is." a stern voice asked. He felt a shiver go down his spine.

" _Oh Shit. Its Erza."_

"Ugh..I can't believe the nerve of him, kissing that bimbo like that. Like what is he thinking?" Wendy muttered dryly. She stopped when she looked up at the temple, seeing the purple light of the Moon Drip ritual. Thanks to Natsu's stupidity, they had landed in a cavern below the temple, which in turn lead to a chamber where the demon of destruction Deliora was being kept. Thanks to Lyra, Lucy's Spirit, they were able to find out what exactly was going on, but Carla had found them and told them all that Aiden was in trouble, so like the good partner she is, she told the Fairy Tail mages to handle things while she backed him up, only to find him making out with another girl. It just burned her insides and she didn't know why.

"Wendy."

She stopped walking as she heard a faint voice calling out to her. She looked back and saw nothing, so she kept walking ahead.

"Wendy."

Okay, that time it was definitely a voice. She turned around, seeing a faint figure running towards her. Upon closer inspection, she saw that it was Aiden. However his clothes were torn up, worse than when she'd seen him. She tsked and turned around.

"I'm not helping that ass." she said.

"Get back here Aiden Flame." a loud yet commanding voice cried out. Aiden quickened his pace, running faster than before. A sword almost hit him, forcing him to run faster than before. He ran past Wendy, leaving her a bit stunned and confused.

"Uh..what's going on here?" She asked.

"Its a monster. Take it out. Please." he cried. He was about to run behind a rock when a dagger pinned his shirt to a rock. He let out a cry and started pulling on it.

"Finally. You gave me a good workout, but I finally caught you Aiden Flame." the monster, or rather young woman said. She was around 19 years old, and had long red flowing hair. She was wearing a beautiful set of armor, which had a metallic skirt, with wing like designs on it. She wore a tight fitting chest plate, which let her arms and naval exposed, it also had a wing like design on it. She had large metallic wings on her back and was floating off the ground a bit. She was holding two long swords in her hands, each of them having winged hilt.

"Is something going on here that I should know about?" Wendy asked, looking between the red haired woman and Aiden. Her eyes widened a bit when she saw who it was. "Titania." she cried. The red haired woman looked at her in confusion.

"Ah, young lady...would you mind stepping aside while I deal with this young man?" she asked.

"Are you going to kill him?" she asked.

"I might."

"Wendy, please...don't even think about fighting her, she'll destroy you." Aiden said.

"I'm actually thinking of helping her."

"What?" he shouted.

"Don't act all surprised. I was scared off my ass all day, worrying for your safety. Carla told me you were fighting that weird puppet girl and being chased around, so I thought I would help you, only to find you making out with her on the beach. Now you get why I should kill you?" she shouted.

"Jeez, I didn't think a sweet girl like you would give me a death threat." He said.

"And I didn't think my partner would go around kissing random girls."

"She kissed me." he shouted.

"Would you be kind to fill me on what's going on here?" Erza asked, looking at the two young mages. Aiden sighed and looked at the dagger that was still pinning him to the rock.

"Remove that and I'll be glad to explain everything." He said. Erza waved her hand and the dagger disappeared, letting him fall to the ground. He cracked his neck and stood up.

"Alright then, before you gave chase to me and tore my clothes, I was going to interrogate that girl so I could get answers to this whole mess. Me and Wendy here are mages of the Cait Shelter guild and we legally took the Galuna Island Mission. Sadly we ended running into those idiot friends of yours." He said.

"You're..a guild mage now?" She asked and he gave her a nod, showing her his mark.

"I joined Cait Shelter about a week and a half ago after Wendy here saved me and Phoebe. I was in the middle of said mission when you arrived on here and decided to thrash me." he said firmly.

"But that girl in your arms." Erza muttered.

"One of the ones responsible for being on this island and messing everything up. God, I have to already deal with Natsu and the rest of your friends. Now I have to go back and find that chick and get some information out of her." he said.

"Wait, if you took that mission legally with your team then why did you run away from me?" She asked sternly. Aiden grit his teeth and clenched his hands.

"Because, last time we ran into each other you ended up destroying the goddamn candy store I was visiting, all because you thought I was fucking stealing. I was lucky to get away with minimal injuries, that stab wound left a scar." he shouted, showing her his leg. Wendy's eyes widened when she saw a thick scar running down the side of it, one she hadn't seen before.

"I see. My apologies...It seems I acted irrationally once more." she said, requipping out of her armor. He sighed.

"Its cool Erza. I don't hold anything against you. You caught that Moulin Rouge girl right?" he asked.

"I did, but even so you still got hurt in the process, and I hurt you here once more. I want you to hit me."

"What?" Wendy cried. Aiden scoffed and spat at the ground.

"Come again?" he asked.

"Actually, I'd like you to hit me twice. I not only wronged you, but I interfered in a legal guild mage's request and that's punishable by law. So please take your anger out on me."

"Nah, but if you still want to apologize then do me two solids."

"Name it." she said, bowing before him. He smirked.

"Requip into a Lolita Dress." he said demanded. She nodded and closed her eyes allowing her magic to take over her body. Her armor changed into a Gothic Lolita dress. It was a nice black color, with long sleeves and frilly cuffs. The skirt was short, but modest while retaining its frill and Gothic style. She wore knee high converse with black laces and she finished the look by tying her hair back with a black ribbon, that formed a bow at the back of her head.

"So pretty." Wendy said. Aiden smirked and snapped a few pictures.

"Perfect, this will be nice for the album. The second thing I want..."

Erza, who was normally stern was now at his mercy. She wouldn't be surprised if he didn't spare her after all the trouble she had caused him.

"The crystal sword from your Sea Empress Armor, I claim it as mine." he said firmly. Her eyes widened in shock. After all of that, he was after her sword?

"Why do you want her sword Aiden?" Wendy asked.

"Because, two years ago I was one of the most powerful wizards in Southern Fiore. I was undefeated and every mage that tried to fight me failed before they even got started, that is until I met Fairy Tail's Titania Erza Scarlet. I was with Phoebe buying some candy for our trip when she burst into a candy store, fighting some girl named Moulin Rouge. In the scramble for everyone trying to get out, I was one of the victims. I grabbed the box of candy I had already purchased and left the store, only for her to catch me by surprise. We fought, oh we fought hard...but in the end, her Sea Empress Armor got the best of me. Her words got to me that day, even though I didn't steal it and showed her my proof, she still kicked my ass. I felt like a loser for so long, until I remembered her words, to keep my goals high and my dreams higher, and to find some friends. Ever since that day, I trained as hard as I could, and I admit, I wouldn't be here today if it wasn't for those words. So I want her Sea Empress Sword, it wasn't just the sword that defeated me, but it was the sword that gave me the beat down I needed, to become the mage I am today." he said firmly. Wendy was surely surprised. She didn't think someone could speak so passionately about something before. Her anger for what he had done as replaced with nothing but respect. In the little time she had known him, he had proved his power, but this proved that he was powerful in more ways than one. Erza smiled and held her hand out, requipping the Crystal Sword. It was around 56 inches in length, with a full tang carbon steel handle. The cross hilt was in the shape of fins while the blade itself was crystal clear, and looked as if it were made of water. She stabbed it into the ground and nodded to him.

"Its yours. Hold it proudly Aiden Flame, for you are a capable wielder. More capable than I ever was." She said.

"But wait...isn't that Crystal Sword part of an Armor set?" Wendy asked.

"I have a few spares, this one however is special, not just to me but to Aiden as well. He's earned it." She said, a small smile on her face. Aiden lifted the sword out of the ground, testing its weight, for its size, it was rather easy to swing around. He could feel its Water magic and he smiled.

"With this, I have control over water, and I can redirect it from me when fighting water mages. Your the best Erza." he said, giving her a tight hug, she smiled and ruffled his hair.

"You've grown quite a lot in two years, how old are you now, Fourteen?" she asked.

"Yup, turned Fourteen last February."

"He's a year older than me?" Wendy muttered quietly to herself. She felt a bit disappointed at hearing that. Aiden requiped a sheath from his pocket dimension and slipped the sword into it, which he then slipped across his back. The hilt glinted brightly in the moonlight. Erza cleared her throat.

"So, mind telling me what's going on here?" She asked.

"The villagers here have this nasty curse on them, and the believe the moon is responsible for it, but we just found out it was some guy casting a spell, which would then thaw out the Demon of Destruction Deliora."

"Great, and who is she?" She asked, pointing to Sherry who had somehow found them again. Aiden shivered and looked back.

"Oh my sweet Aiden, that was the most powerful story ever..will you please tell me again? I'll share my love with you." She said, clutching her hands together.

"I don't know how to explain her." he said.

"She's a dumb bimbo who's trying to seduce Aiden." Wendy cried out.

"What? How dare you say that little girl? My sweet Aiden isn't anyone to be messed with and I would never seduce him. Besides your too young for him, Aiden deserves a mature woman, with big breasts like mine. Not Mosquito bites like yours."

"Uh." Aiden muttered.  
"You bitch. My boobs are not Mosquito bites, and besides, big boobs give you back pain, while I don't have to deal with that." Wendy said. They glared at each other, lightning shooting from their eyes.

"Hey Erza, could I borrow your Black Wing Armor? I need to fly as far from here as possible." Aiden said.

"Sorry Aiden, your on an active mission, and even though Cait Shelter is not my guild, I'm not letting you quit now." She said, dragging him towards the village.


	8. Galuna's Final Battle: Yuka vs Aiden

Fairy Tail

Tales of the Hellfire Dragon

Chapter 8

Final Battle

Yuka vs Aiden

It had been a few hours since Erza had arrived on the island, and she was successful in finding Lucy and Happy, who were trying to flee from her. They were both tied up of course, and dragged with her as they tried to run away. Aiden couldn't help but laugh, but he had his own problem to handle. Wendy and Sherry had not stopped arguing since they came up from the beach and they were getting on his nerves. It was late and he was tired, so he didn't need the extra stress. His eye twitched every other second as he was trying to keep his cool, but he was rapidly loosing it. Finally he stopped to face the two girls, body fully engulfed in fire.

"Will you two shut the hell up?" he shouted. Wendy eeped and hid behind Erza, who didn't seem fazed at all.

"I'm so sorry Aiden. Please, don't disband our team, I like being on missions and stuff." She pleaded. He sighed.

"Now why the hell would I do that? I gave you the Sun Village crest for a reason Wendy. Its because we're best buds and teammates, you never annoy me, you on the other hand I can't vouch for." he said, glaring at Sherry.

"Well I can't just up and go back to my Cold Emperor. He'd do unimaginable things to me knowing I not only failed in stopping the enemies but also spent my time sharing my love with him."

"Man, she never shuts up with that love crap." Lucy muttered, trying to ignore Erza's hard glare.

"Since your here then make yourself useful, what exactly are you guys attempting to do with Deliora?" he asked. She sighed and stopped walking, prompting them all to stop.

"The Cold Emperor...I mean Lyon...he doesn't mean any harm. This all started as a plan, to thaw Deliora so he could kill him. His master, the woman who cast Iced Shell was the one who sealed it away, but she was killed when she cast the spell. It turns the users body into the seal, which is said to be unbreakable. Lyon figured out that if he used Moon Drip, he could melt it and kill the demon, so we all moved it from the Northern Continent and brought it here to Galuna Island, where the moonlight was stronger than anywhere else in the world." She said.

"Why would you do something so foolish? A Demon like that could destroy many lives. Loosing one over loosing millions was a worthy sacrifice." Erza said.

"I know, it wasn't his fault...he just...wanted to surpass his master..when we all heard that he had a plan to kill the demon, we all quit the guild we were in and came to help him. It was all for love..."

"And she was doing so good." Lucy muttered, making Happy chuckle, both were silenced by Erza's glare.

"Hmm, so Lyon decided to unfreeze Deliora and kill him to prove he was stronger than his master, because technically, while its sealed away its not dead, so if he killed it, the monster she couldn't defeat, he'd be able to successfully complete his dream." Aiden said dryly. He looked back at the top of the temple. Since the sun was starting to come up, the ritual had ended, but that didn't mean they hadn't gathered enough energy.  
"We have to put a stop to this before it gets too late...Aiden, I'll have to leave this to you. I only came back to get my guildmates, and since you legally took the quest, it falls onto your shoulders to finish it." Erza said.

"But Erza wait..we can't seriously be leaving this to him?" Lucy said.

"And what's wrong with me?" Aiden said, placing a hand on the hilt of his sword, scaring her a bit.

"Not another word Lucy. We will find Natsu and Gray and leave this island at once. You have betrayed Fairy Tail, and only Master Makarov can decide what to do with you." She said sternly.

"Ooo, someone's in twubble." Phoebe taunted.

"Phoebe, you and I are gonna have words if you keep taunting them."

"A-aye." she cried, a bit scared. He sighed and looked back at the rapidly clearing sky.

"Its going to be a tough battle, that's for sure." he muttered.

"This is a battle for love...we should fight Lyon together sweetheart and defeat him with the same love that defeated me." She said.

"We? Last time I checked your under the Custody of the Cait Shelter guild. Once we reach the village I'm tossing your ass in a cage. Besides I'm sick of the little hearts floating around me. I can't be the only one who sees them." he said, blowing a few of the pink hearts away from him. Wendy walked up to Aiden and matched his pace, a smile on her face. She looked back at Sherry, who was struggling with her bindings. The pink haired girl looked up, a small smile on her face. Wendy gave her a troll face before sticking her tongue out at her. Sherry grit her teeth and started to struggle more.

"Ugh..when I get out of here, I'm am so thrashing that little girl. Who does she think she is, stealing my man away from me, those itty bitty titties aren't enough to satisfy him, only my love will be enough for him." she muttered under her breath.

"I thought she as insane before, but this girl definitely needs to be put in an insane asylum." Lucy muttered.  
"There's no asylum strong enough to hold that within its walls." Aiden said, walking past her with a look of utter tiredness on his face. It wasn't long before they found the villagers and were brought to the storage area they had set up. Aiden didn't even care..he walked up to where one of the villagers had pointed and he just dropped into his bed, not giving a shit about anything else. Wendy was much in the same state, but she was dragged into a tent with Erza so she could heal Lucy's injuries. Apparently she had done battle with the giant rat and ended up on the losing end until a large boulder struck it in the head. He settled into his mat, not caring about anything other than the throws of sleep.

He stirred a few hours later, coming back into consciousness. He felt something wrapped around him, and he was having a bit of trouble breathing, he opened his eyes, only to be met with a big pair of breasts. His eyes widened and he tried to scream, but his mouth was covered by said breasts. He tried to break free, but was unable to do so.

"Hmm, stop moving so much my love. Let us sleep a little while longer."

" _This chick is seriously in need of some counseling."_

He ignited his arms with his blue flames, making her scream a bit in pain. She looked at her already bandaged arms, seeing that her bandages had been burned off and her skin was red from the fire.

"Stop giving me tough love already. Give me some gentle love instead, I promise to be gentle to you as well, unless you want to be a little rough, then I can give you some tough love as well."

"Sherry, please leave me alone." He said quietly. He looked at the girl in front of him, who was busy checking her injures. Her hair was tied into twin tails, like it had been before, but now she wore black ribbons on them, she was also wearing Erza's Lolita Dress, how she got a hold of that was beyond him. She looked up at him, a sultry look on her face.

"Oh I get it, that tough love was just a bit of a test...I know what your really after. You can't stand the little kittens tiny boobies, so you want to see some real boobs, I can show you them if you want."

"I don't want to see your boobs. Goddamn it.. can't you see I'm on a serious mission here?" he cried out. He stood up and grabbed his discarded vest, putting it on, he left the tent, leaving behind a pouting Sherry.

"Blondie said this would make him give me some hardcore love. Maybe she was wrong? Or she was playing me for a fool..that bitch." she muttered.

"Ugh...sometimes I regret being a man." he muttered. He bumped into Carla, who was too busy with something to even acknowledge him. She shook her head, a bit dazed before looking up at him.  
"Oh, its you Aiden."

"Something on your mind Carls?"

"This whole moon thing is really bothering me. I don't get why, but I've been filled in on everything and I'm still trying to figure it out. You all were so tired so I let you sleep, Erza and the rest of the Fairy Tail mages went to stop Lyon." She said.

"Alright, that seems like a good deal. It wasn't my battle anyway." he said, remembering the little spat he had heard between Erza and Gray while he was trying to sleep. If he wanted to settle it, then he'd respect that choice.

"Yes, but it still stands, we have to remove the curse from the island and we have no means to do it." She said. He nodded, scratching his chin in thought. Carla glanced behind him, brows furrowing. She caught Sherry, hiding behind one of the tents and peeking at him, there was a blush on her face as well.

"So...what's up with pinkie?" she asked.

"Huh?" he asked, glancing back. He saw nothing and shrugged.

"She's being held captive here for being directly involved in the Moon Drip ceremony. On a side note, ever since I beat her at the beach she hasn't left me alone. She keeps saying stuff about love and its really annoying the fuck out of me." he muttered, whispering in her ear.

"It looks like she won't give up though. Her look is serious."

"Yeah..but we can't focus on that. Where's Wendy? And Phoebe? We need to figure out a way to stop that Moon Drip from happening, or else Deliora will be crawling around again."

"Well, the only other thing I have in mind is destroying the temple. If its destroyed, the Moon Drip Ritual can't be preformed."

"Thing is, we'd get in big trouble for destroying the temple. Its a scared part of this island." he muttered.

"Yes, and as for Wendy and Phoebe, both of them were exhausted from the day's events. I decided to let them rest, so this task falls upon both of us."

"We can't really do anything until night time though. Only when the moon is out. We might as well track those guys again and lend them a hand, at least until its night time." He said. She nodded and sprouted her wings. She wrapped her arms tightly around his waist and took off into the air.

"You know, people will get the wrong idea." he said.

"What idea is there to get?" she asked.

"A cute cat girl with wings carrying away a handsome Dragon Slayer in her arms? Don't you think people will talk?"

"My, you Dragon Slayers have some imagination." she said with a laugh. Aiden's eyes suddenly widened, he grabbed Carla's hands, shocking her as he pulled them apart. He swiftly turned around and pushed her back, avoiding the clear energy that barely missed them. He grit his teeth and used his flames to soften his landing. He landed in a clearing, with a few trees lining up the sides. Before him was a young man, with bush brows and spiky blue hair. He was wearing weird clothing that matched what Lyon was wearing to a certain degree. He was smiling wildly.

"Ah, we meet at last Blue Flare. You know I didn't believe the others at first, when they said Sherry was kidnapped by a Dragon Slayer that used blue flames, but now I believe it with my own eyes." he said.

"What nerve, you attack me and my friend for no reason? How can you still want to stop us? Knowing what the hell will happen when that thing awakens?"

"My Emperor is strong enough to kill it, in fact he is the strongest wizard on the planet. He can defeat Deliora rather easily."

"Pfft, you mean the same guy who had trouble keeping up with my flames? I'd like to see him try. But whatever, Natsu and Gray will put a stop to him, as for you friend Sherry, take her back, its all I ask." he said, the last part sounding a bit desperate.

"What did the wench do to you?" he asked curiously.

"Ugh..first she won't stop following me, and I just woke up not to long ago with my face in her tits, and she won't stop talking about love..I smell like her perfume and there's little hearts floating around her every time she speaks. And I think I'm the only one that sees them because no one else has said anything about them. Its freaking tearing me apart." he shouted, pulling on his hair. The teen smirked and rose a hand.

"Then it sounds like you do need my help. I'll put you out of your misery so that Sherry can't bother you ever again."

"What?" he muttered, igniting his hand.

"Tch..more fire? I've had just about enough of your kind. Now taste the power of my Wave Magic." he cried out, a magic seal appearing before him. Aiden jumped back as a large orb of nullifying magic almost struck him. He had to duck and weave as several more flew at him. He drew his sword, cutting apart three orbs that flew at him.

"What?" he cried. Aiden smirked and ran forward.

"You're wide open. Water Slicer." he shouted, swinging his sword at him. Yuka smirked and held his hand out, not only stopping Aiden's spell, but forcing his sword back into its pocket storage. Aiden only grinned when his idea actually worked.  
"Hellfire Dragon's Iron Fist." he shouted, socking Yuka in the face. He flew back a few feet, skidding across the ground.

"But..but how?" he muttered as he got up.

"Idiot, I know what Wave magic is. Its a type of nullification magic that centers on the use of waves to dispel magic. Thing is, you can only dispel one type of magic at a time." Aiden said, requipping his sword. He swung at Yuka again, only for him to nullify it. He took his chance to drive a flaming leg into his side.

"There's nothing you can do, I will just keep Requiping my sword, whether you dispel my Requip or my Fire, you'll have to pick one and get hit by the other." he said with a smug look. Carla looked at him amazed.

" _Even I wouldn't have been able to figure that one out. But of course, he's traveled Fiore for Seven years now. He should have seen countless kinds of magic on that journey, and those skills are the ones he's applying to this situation. Impressive."_ she thought, clearly impressed by her ally. She hadn't thought of him much before, but now she had the utmost respect for him. Aiden swung his fist forward, and its magic got dispelled, leaving Yuka wide open for a sword swipe.  
"Water Slicer." he shouted, slashing the teen across his chest. He cried in pain and flew back a few feet. He smirked and held his hands up.

"I guess I have to go all out now. Wave magic, Nullification Blaster." he chanted, sending out several orbs of magic at him. Aiden let his sword disappear and crossed his arms in front of him, making a swirling vortex of fire around his body. Several magic seals appeared before him.

"Switch Style: Fire Make Sparrows." he cried out, sending out several sparrows out at the incoming projectiles. They all connected, leaving several explosions in the area. Aiden used them as cover to dash forward.

"Requip, Sea Empress Sword." he cried out, bringing his sword to his hand once more. Yuka grit his teeth and sent out more Wave magic with a firm shout. Aiden sliced each ball apart, until his sword disappeared. Yuka smirked about to cast another spell, only for Aiden to break through his magic seal, stunning him in the process. He threw several quick punches at Yuka, hitting him several times in the chest and face. His punches picked up speed and flames burst from his hand. He let out a fierce battle cry.

"AHHH, Hellfire Dragon's Flurry of dancing Flames." he shouted. His punches slowed down, he threw a jab, followed by a haymaker and ending the combo with a left hook. The flames burst out, sending Yuka flying into the rocks behind them. The teen was passed out, clothes smoking and a pained look on his face. His mouth was ajar, a stunned look on his face. Aiden panted for breath, his left eye was closed and he had several scratches on his arms and face.

"Aiden, are you alright?" Carla asked, running to his side. He nodded, giving her a thumbs up.

"I'm fine Carla. That guy was tough, but he wasn't a match for me." he said. She held her hands out to him, healing his injuries. He was surprised a bit, but remembered she was a user of Moon Magic.

"How did you figure out his magic type? Sure he said it, but I hadn't even heard of Wave before."

"It was simple really. I used my sense of hearing to figure out what kind of nullification magic it was. Wave uses vibrations to tear apart other magic spells. Thing is, it can only be used on one spell at a time, so me switching from Requip to Fire on him was his weakness. Even then, I wasn't able to get a hit until I slashed through his Wave Blasts." he said. They all heard an explosion and looked toward the temple, seeing several plumes of smoke. He smirked.

"Looks like they're raising hell." he said.

"And yet here we are dealing with the lackeys. Come on, we have to find a way to break this curse."

"There...is..no..curse." Yuka uttered. Aiden looked up, seeing the teenager trying to stand and failing. He gripped his arm tightly as there was a gash on the side that was bleeding profusely.

"What was that? Answer us and we'll heal you." he said. The teen chuckled and rested his head on the rock behind him.

"There is no curse on this island. We never made contact with the villagers, up until last night when we destroyed their village. Not once...so were not responsible for whatever curse they may be going through." he said. Carla knelt before him and focused on her magic, which started to seal his cut.

"Alright, so whats your story? Sherry wasn't through with her explanation of what's going on here." he said.

"Deliora...it destroyed our homes. All of us, Lyon said, that if we helped him resurrect the demon, he could kill it and we could finally get our revenge. He was the only one strong enough to do it, but I assume he's doing battle now, with all the explosions going on."

"Maybe, I wouldn't know what Natsu and the others are doing here. We were hired to rid the islanders of the curse, not kill a demon. As much as it pains me, Fairy Tail will have to handle that." he said.

"The villagers, they hide something. I would start by asking them what exactly is going on, then again, the moon is your only answer, and its still a long time until it comes out." he said.

"Thank you. Sorry for roughing you up." he said.

"No worries...I think I needed a reality check." he said firmly. Aiden nodded to Carla and they started heading back to the village.

"Hey, Aiden Flame was it?" Yuka asked.  
"Yeah..what's up?" he asked. Yuka gave him a knowing smirk.  
"Take care of her."

"Uh..okay." he replied before turning around and heading back, with Carla's help of course. Several more explosions were heard through the area, and coming out of the temple, along with a few chunks of ice.

"Man, whatever their doing there, it must be causing so much destruction." Carla said with disdain.

"Hey, it isn't going on our tab so don't fret. Lets just return to the village and wait till night fall. For now lets gather up whatever it is you've found out so we can use it to our best abilities." he said. She nodded and quickened her pace. They reached the storage area where the villagers were starting to pack their things. Wendy and Phoebe caught up to them when they touched down.  
"Hey guys..Aiden what happened to you?" she cried, looking at all the cuts and bruises he had gotten.

"Eh, its no biggie. I fought this guy with bushy brows. And he told me a bit of information that can be useful to us."

"Which is?" Phoebe asked.

"This village isn't cursed."

"Dah..don't fucking sneak up on me." Aiden cried out, looking at Sherry who was still in her Lolita dress.

"What was that again Sherry?" Wendy asked, though the way she said her name was laced with so much poison, she was surprised the woman didn't die from it.

"Jeez, make me repeat myself why don't ya?"

"Stop fighting you two, its not the time, and Sherry stop freaking invading our private talks, this is guild matters only and your not part of Cait Shelter."

"Yet." she muttered, though it was so quiet no one heard.

"She has a point though, she's onto the same thing that Yuka was telling us. Let her speak, she may shed a clue as to what this curse is." Carla said.

"Thank you kitten. As I was saying, this island isn't cursed, we've been exposed to Moon Drip for as long as they have and we're not demons..at least I hope I'm not, then I wouldn't be able to share my love with you Aiden. Then again, if I was a succubus, then I could share my love with you and you only." She said, hearts in her eyes. A few more hearts flew around her.

"Damn it. Their flying around me again." Aiden muttered, fanning the hearts away from his face.

"Hmm, Sherry, how long ago was it that you came here?"

"Oh, three years, why?" She asked.

"That's the same time this curse started...but there still isn't anything that points out the Moon Drip, just that the moon is purple. Most of them are fully demonic in the day now, soon they'll be fully consumed by it." Aiden said worried.

"Oh no." Wendy muttered.

"We're gonna have to find the solution..maybe my.."

"No." Aiden said, covering Sherry's mouth before she could even say the word. He was sick of the little hearts and he wasn't looking forward to them again. Sherry blushed brightly.

" _More of his tough love..oh he's so perfect..he makes me so horny."_

"Uh Aiden.." Carla muttered. He looked at the pinked haired girl, who was shuddering a bit, her cheeks red.

"Ew. Lets go do something to pass the time, before I end up hanging myself." he said. Wendy followed suit, staying close to his side. He didn't mind her presence and even struck a conversation with her, much to Sherry's dismay.

They heard a lot of explosions as the day continued, until they settled down. The night was finally upon them, and the moon was once again out, this time it was a full moon, and Carla had told them that she was at her most powerful when the moon was full. The purple glow was still there, making them feel weirder than usual. Now that they had Sherry and Yuka back up their claims of there not being a curse on the island, they didn't know how to feel. The fact that the chief wanted them to destroy It was also a little hard to swallow.

"Oh man...its a Blue Moon." Carla muttered.

"What?" Sherry cried, not understanding what it meant.

"It means there's a second full moon in one month, or a third full moon in a season with four. A blue moon is rare and happens every once and a while, but if this is a Blue Moon, than the Moon Drip's power will be amplified." Wendy said. They noticed the purple glow coming from the of the temple. Aiden grit his teeth.

"We have to put a stop to that ritual before Deliora..."

A loud screech tore them from their conversation. It was fallowed by an even louder screech, that shook the entire island.

"What was that?" Wendy asked, clutching Aiden's arm in pure fear. He swallowed hard, not knowing how to respond.

"Its Deliora. I would never forget something like that." Sherry said, with seriousness in her voice. Her eyes were wide and her pupils were dilated a bit, showing just how scared she was.

"What the hell are we standing here for? We have to kill it." Aiden cried.

"And you think you can defeat a demon? Get real Aiden..that's just suicide." Phoebe said. Aiden clenched his hand tightly, almost drawing blood. He felt another hand on his own, and saw that it was Wendy, who had taken it upon herself to calm him down.

"It'll be alright. Natsu can handle this." she said. He nodded.

"I guess I'll put my faith in them." he said, he then looked back at the village, they hadn't strayed far, just into the forest to eat some fruits.

"Lets help the villagers. Its the least I can do for the bad love I've shown them, and they've been kind to me while being here. I don't want them to suffer this fearful love."

"Christ. Even when she wants to help she's annoying. Lets go you, I'm gonna make you scrub the floorboards while we solve this curse." Aiden muttered dryly taking her hand and dragging her along.


	9. Training

**A/N: Man, it has been awhile...Welcome to chapter 9 of the Hellfire Dragon Slayer. I was actually working on a Kingdom Hearts story, which revolved around Anime Worlds, Fiore was actually the first world my characters visited...but everything changed when the Updates attacked. Due to my computer updating itself, it made me redownload Open Office, which in turn deleted all of my writing, at least the ones that I was working on, so Arpeggio of Blue Steel's 13th and 14th chapter and my Kingdom Hearts stuff was deleted. I was pissed, so I decided to continue this one. Sadly, as Popular as my Advent of the Stars story Is, I decided to discontinue it, not only because the original files were deleted when I switched to Windows Fucking 10, but also because I just didn't like the direction it was taking. With this one, I'm at least at the beginning of the series and I can take a lot of liberties with Characters and backstory.**

 **Now it has been awhile, but I have reread this and tweaked a lot of things. I've also increased Aiden's spells and use of Switch Style Fire Make Magic, which is of course my creation. I will be developing Wendy a bit more than in the anime and manga, so she'll be way stronger than she was by the time she meets the other guilds for the fight against Oracion Seis. There will also be a few added people in Cait Shelter which will remain a surprise.**

 **Chapter 9 is the beginning of an original story arc, centered mostly around the town of Misty Creek and several kidnappings. Will Aiden and the rest of Team Flaming Skies be able to solve it? We shall wait and see. As for the Fighting Festival Arc...I might include it. There will be two arcs, which will take place between the Phantom Lord and Tower of Heaven Arcs and will be original to the story. Afterwards, as stated above I might include the Fighting Festival Arc, the Oracion Seis arc is definitely going to be included seeing as it is a central part of the story. Depending on how many chapters there are, I might end it before Edolas. The Sequel will of course contain the Edolas Arc, the Tenrou Island Arc, an original Arc that might replace the Infinity Clock Arc, maybe, and the Grand Magic Games arc. This is just a general outline, but I'm hoping everything comes out okay with this story.**

 **If you have any questions, or wish to drop an oc for the story, then please feel free to do so. I've got a generic Oc Form on my profile, which will be tweaked for Fairy Tail ocs...be sure to check out my buddy G King's Fairy Tail story, The Outcast, which is nearing it's final arc. Shout out to all my readers, and I hope you all like this new chapter. Peace out!**

Fairy Tail

Tales of the Hellfire Dragon

Chapter 9

Training

Aiden yawned, and rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand. He was sitting next to a palm tree, looking out at the ocean. He and his team had finally resolved the curse that was supposedly afflicting the villagers living on Galuna Island. As it turned out, the Moon Drip cast a shell over the island, making the moon look purple. A side effect of the ceremony was that it caused memory loss to those exposed to it. Erza had used a special armor, combined with Natsu's fire magic to shatter the veil over the island, and that had been that. He now sat, just thinking of the last few days. He had to admit, even though he wasn't expecting to run into any of the mages from the Fairy Tail guild, they were admittedly the best suited to fight any scenario that was presented to them.

He heard the sounds of footsteps approaching him and looked up, seeing his partner Wendy, along with Phoebe and Carla, the latter of which was still in her human form. They had a smile on their face, and he didn't blame them, their first S-class mission had been a success.

"I thought we would find you here." Carla said, stopping next to the young man.

"Yeah, I just wanted to take a look at the ocean before we head back to Hargeon. Erza said we could go back with them, she hijacked a pirate ship." he mused.

"She's a scary woman. She was threatening her entire team for being stupid enough to come take a mission like this. None of them were suited for it, and yet they had come out unscathed." Phoebe said, shivering a bit.

"They could have gotten killed, but that's none of my business. What is my business is the fact that we came out successfully, and I can't wait to deliver that report to Master Roubaul." he said with a smile.

"Aiden, we are ready to set sail, are you coming with us?" Erza called out, not to far from where they were sitting. He gave her a nod and stood up, grabbing his knapsack, which was filled with a few seashells and a few other souvenirs from the villagers. Wendy hovered her hand over his chest, a familiar magic being cast on him.

"We don't want you throwing up all over the deck now do we?" she said with a smirk. He shook his head, following her and the Fairy Tail mages onto the ship.

"What happened to those other mages? The ones that were here before us?" He asked, glancing at Gray.

"Lyon and his friends said they were going to head back to their old guild. He realized it was foolish to have convinced his friends to follow in a pointless endeavor. They are going to take another ship back to Hargeon." he said.

"Alright, that seems fair. Hopefully they can redeem themselves after all of the things they did for the past three years." he replied.

"They didn't do anything wrong, they were just...misguided. Deliora took everything from them, myself included. Instead of falling into despair, I just decided to hone my skills, so that something like that wouldn't happen again. I didn't know Lyon would stoop to doing something like that he did here." Gray said, glancing back at the shrinking island.

"It isn't your fault that he chose that path. But what is your fault is the fact that you accompanied those idiots on a suicide mission." Erza snapped, glaring at her teammates. Lucy gave a scared yelp, while Natsu groaned, trying not to barf all over the wooden deck of the ship. Aiden chuckled, shaking his head.

"In all honesty, it was a stupid idea for them to take this mission, but I have to say, they were able to handle it quite nicely, everything given. I call it a success in my book." he said.

"I thought you were pissed off at us. You were on the ride to the island." Lucy said, glancing at the blue haired mage.

"I was...but it was mostly due to the fact that you pulled a bonehead call, especially you Blondie. You just joined Fairy Tail not long ago, and here you are breaking a capital rule...its not in my jurisdiction though, so I can't say anything. If you get off the hook somehow, just be careful of what you are getting yourself into." he said, tossing something at her. She swiftly caught it, looking at it closely. It was a golden key, the bow had a green arrow on it, and the blade was in the shape of a bladed tip.

"Wait...this is the gate key from the reward, I thought you didn't take it?"

"I didn't take the money. It felt wrong you know? They must have been saving that money for who knows how long just to give whoever took it a nice enough reward. I told the chief to keep it and use it to rebuild his village. He however insisted I take the key, and since I'm not trying to be a Celestial Spirit mage, I thought I'd let you have it. Take care of it alright? Zodiac keys are really rare." he said with a smile.

"Thanks Aiden."

"Don't sweat it. Anyway, Wendy we have to head back to Clover Town to pick up that dagger, I'm sure Frank is finished it by now." he said.

"A dagger you say? I didn't peg you to be one for weapons." Erza said.

"Actually, that dagger is going to be a gift for someone. Now that I have a sword, I decided to practice swordplay in case I ever need it, it was really helpful fighting that Eyebrow kid. If you are curious, the dagger is made from White Wyvern claws, so they have Lightning properties." he said.

"I still have trouble believing you killed a wyvern." Lucy muttered.

"They are like miniature dragons. Once you figure out their element, you can easily take them down." he said proudly.

"Or in his case, make a giant chainsaw of fire and cut its head clean off." Carla said.

"Don't remind me, just thinking about that makes me want to puke." Wendy muttered quietly, her face a little green. Aiden chuckled.

"Sorry, in the Sun Village, they teach you to efficiently and effectively kill your target so that it doesn't suffer and it doesn't end up killing you. As one of the two humans in the village, I had to prove myself to the rest of my village." he said proudly.

"I have a question, who was it that taught you Fire Make magic?" Gray asked.

"Oh, you mean the old man I spoke about?" he asked, earning a nod from the teen. Aiden looked at the sky, a smile on his face.

"His name was Jehoash, but I just called him Ash for short. He had been traveling all over the world after coming down from the Kingdom of Pregrande in the north. He had been searching his entire life for someone who was worthy enough to be taught his magic. He had created it after seeing a few other types of maker magic during his travels. He never truly told me what his magic specialty was, but his flames were black, almost violet, unlike any flames I had seen. When he saw my rare blue fire, he knew I was the one who was going to succeed him.

The next few years were the toughest of my life, I trained day in and day out, not only honing my Dragon slayer magic, but also practicing Fire make. It never got the hang of it, I would always either make weapons that would fizzle out of existence before they made contact, or animals that fell apart as soon as they took their first step. That's when I combined the two types of maker magic and created my unique Switch Style Fire Make. I can switch between Static and Dynamic that way, so that I could use the potential of both styles. After that, it took me less time to master it. Around two years passed, and I kept on training, making sure to practice every spell I knew.

One night he just...I dunno, he just disappeared. He only left a note, saying he had taught me all he knew and that the rest was up to me. I haven't seen him since...it wasn't long until I found Phoebe's egg. Sometimes I wonder where he is, if he's even alive or dead, but if he's just like Atlas Flame, then I know I'll see him again someday." he said.

"I trust that you will. Just like I'll see Grandeeney one day." Wendy said, a smile on her face. Gray chuckled.

"Maybe, we can have a real fight when we both get stronger, after all we didn't finish our fight back at Hargeon, due to someone meddling." He said, glancing at Natsu who had finally passed out. Aiden chuckled, giving him a nod.

"Sure thing Gray. It will be a battle of maker mages, to see who's the strongest." he said, holding his hand out, Gray did the same accepting the handshake. It wasn't long until they reached Hargeon, after a few more minutes of talking, the Fairy Tail mages gave their farewell, heading toward the train station. Aiden and his team however were flying back to Clover Town.

Finally, after another day, Team Flaming Skies made it back to Cait Shelter, receiving a warm welcome from all their teammates. Aiden and Wendy were happy to be back home, and the Master was excited to hear about their previous mission. Aiden handed him the detailed report, and needless to say, Master Roubaul was indeed impressed with everything. Hearing about the demon of destruction as well as the events surrounding the island was impressive, and it solidified his previous decision to make him an S-class mage. After a small feast prepared by their friends, the team of two dragons and two exceed headed to their personal huts, keen on catching up on their sleep.

Aiden groaned as he stirred awake. He sat up in his bed, rubbing his eyes. He looked around his small hut, seeing his few things laying sprawled about. He yawned and stood up, popping a few joints.

"Man, I'm still feeling those battles." he muttered to himself. He grabbed a change of clothes and headed to the bath house.

A thing he realized about Cait Shelter the day he joined, was that there wasn't a specific bath for men or women. It was a shared bath, so if someone was using it, then it had to be shared. He had to share it with Alana at one point, and it was rather embarrassing, especially since she kept teasing him about the blush on his face.

Luckily, it was empty this morning, mostly because some of the members were hunting for food or for materials to sell. It worked better for him anyway. He walked over to one of the showers and set his clothes away from the spray, before he started undressing. He turned it on, and soon enough, steam started to rise up. He smiled as the warm water started soothing his aching muscles.

"Man, that mission was a bit rougher than I had intended it to be. I suppose I can thank the Fairy Tail mages for lending a hand. Maybe I should go visit their guild and thank them properly. I'm sure Wendy would love to visit a famous guild. Thankfully, Sherry didn't follow us, that would have sucked." he thought to himself. He grabbed his soap and wash cloth and started washing the grime off his body.

"Aiden, are you in here?" a voice called out. He looked toward the entrance, though it was a bit misty from the steam.

"Yeah, you can come in if you want Phoebe." he called out. He saw an orange blur flying into bath house. Phoebe tossed her clothes on top of his own and decided to use the spray of his own shower.

"So, are we going on a mission today?" she asked.

"I was thinking about it. I was actually thinking of heading to Magnolia Town to visit the Fairy Tail guild."

"Why?" she asked curiously.

"I wanted to thank Erza and the others personally for helping us. I was thinking it over and I realized that our little team couldn't have handled all of those mages alone. I may be an S-class mage, but I think that mission was a little too much for me. I don't think I'm strong enough to even be an S-class mage." he said.

"Well, Master Roubaul thinks so. You have to be confident in your abilities Aiden, they've gotten you this far right?" she asked.

"If you say so." he muttered under his breath. He finished washing his hair, and decided to help his exceed friend with the rest of her shower. It wasn't long before he was ready to tackle the day. He headed into the main building, waving to a few of his friends.

"Morning Aiden, good to see you have recovered from that mission." Roubaul said, taking a sip from his sake. Aiden took a seat next to him, a bright grin on his face.

"I was dead tired but thanks to a good nights rest, I was able to recover some strength." He replied.

"A new batch of requests came in, several of them are S-class quests, if you are feeling like taking another one." he said.

"Sorry Master, but I think I'll take a break before grabbing another one of those quests. I think I'll stick to B-class quests for now." he said with a chuckle.

"Thought so." he said, taking a drink of his sake. Aiden rolled his eyes and shook his head.

"So Aiden, what'll it be for breakfast?" Alana asked, a bright smile on her face.

"Some pancakes will be fine. And if you could set them on fire, that would be great." he said.

"I'll just have some fruits please." Phoebe said, taking a seat on the small bar. Alana nodded, heading back to the kitchen.

"Good Morning everyone."

Aiden looked toward the entrance, seeing his fellow teammate entering the guild. Wendy had decided to leave her hair down today, and was wearing a bright orange spaghetti strap shirt shirt, she was wearing a matching sea green skirt, which was ruffled around the edges and had a scaled design to it. She was also wearing a pair of brown sandals, the straps of which wrapped around her legs.

Carla was standing beside her, wearing a short sleeved green colored tee shirt shirt with a paw print on it, she also wore a thin black vest over it, she was also wearing a pair of skin tight black shorts, held up with a plain white belt. The area around the legs was a bit frayed and a bit of the pockets were sticking out. She was wearing a pair of black shoes. She ran a hand through her hair, flicking it over her shoulder, her tail was flicking around her, she was wearing a bright pink ribbon on it.

"Hey Wendy, hi Carla." he greeted, earning a nod from the white haired girl. Wendy took a seat next to her friends, she ignored the look the master was giving them, instead glancing at the request board.

"I was thinking of taking another quest, what do you say?"

"Sure, I don't mind taking another quest, considering we didn't make any money with the last one." he said.

"I still think you should have taken the reward." Phoebe said.

"I already told you, I wasn't going to take that reward, especially knowing the truth behind everything that was going on in Galuna Island." he snapped back.

"In any case, I suppose we can start Phoebe's training. She wanted to make her own human form in order to learn that Solar Divinity magic, so we have to make sure she gets the hang of complex transformation magic." Carla said.

"It's going to take some time to amass a good source of information for that Solar Divinity Magic, its a rare magic as it is so heading to the Magic Library is a priority." Aiden said.

"Would they even have any books on it?" Wendy asked.

"The magic library has books on all sorts of magic, even lost arts. Its the biggest collection of magic tomes in the entire country. Some people spend their entire lives figuring out the types of magic that are stored there. It was where I learned more about Fire Make Magic." Aiden replied. Alana returned with his flaming pancakes and Phoebe's salad. He thanked the young barmaid before inhaling his breakfast. Carla gave him a look of mild disgust before looking at her partner.

"We might even find some other types of Wind Magic for you to learn. We can't have you relying solely on your Sky Magic." She said.

"That is true. I want to become a better mage, so I'll learn all I can about Wind based magic." Wendy replied, a grin on her face.

"That's the spirit, we can head out soon." Phoebe said, giving her friends a wink. Aiden finished his food a few seconds later, wiping his mouth off with his napkin. He sighed, let out a bit of soot from his mouth.

"That was awesome...thanks for the food Alana, great job as always." he said. The barmaid gave him a smile, grabbing his plates and taking them to the sink.

"So Aiden, what's the plan?" Carla asked. He looked at the exceed turned human, a pensive look on his face.

"Well, I have a few ideas. I really do want to check out the magic library for some books on the subjects we need...but I also want to head to Magnolia. I wanted to meet up with Lucy and her friends, to give them a proper thanks for helping us back on Galuna Island." he said.

"We can push that off for later...the Magnolia Town Festival is happening in a few weeks, we can all just take a trip then. After all it will be our first time going there, it will make the journey more fun!" Phoebe said, earning a pat from her partner.

"You are absolutely right...we'll push off the trip until then. We can take up this extra time not only for missions, but for some training. Taking that mission opened my eyes a bit, Wendy...Carla while you two are adept fighters, you two need a bit of direction when you fight. You've got the magic, but you need more practice with hand to hand...so let's go outside and practice for a bit. We'll take a quick mission afterwards." Aiden said, standing from his seat.

"Okay...we'll give it all we've got!" Wendy said, a firm look on her face.

"Try not to destroy the courtyard kids, I know how you dragon slayers get when you fight." Master Roubaul said, earning a nod from the young mages.

"We'll be careful!" they said in unison. They quickly headed outside, making the old man smile warmly. His smile turned into a frown as he looked at his hand. With every passing day, he felt his magic waning. Alana looked at him curiously.

"Something wrong Master? You seem kinda down all of a sudden." she said. The man looked at her, his frown turning into a grin.

"Oh, there's nothing wrong with me lass...just give me another drink." he said. She frowned at him, but gave him a nod.

" _I'm not ready to tell you yet Alana. You, Aiden and Wendy are the only humans here...if you knew my secret..I'm not sure you would know how to react."_ he thought to himself. Time was running out, and the end of Cait Shelter was fast approaching. So for however long he had left, he would make sure his charges were well taken care of, and had the time of their lives.

Aiden cracked his knuckles, getting into a fighting stance. His first opponent for the day was Carla. She had taken off her vest, handing it to Wendy who had draped it over her shoulders. She got herself into a fighting stance, holding her arms in front of her face. Aiden shook his head.

"Carla, your stance is good, but it isn't a good one. Spread your legs a bit, lower yourself a little more, leading foot first and keep your strong arm behind your weaker one. That way you can throw a harder hit with the second punch." he said. She huffed a bit, but she followed his instructions.

"Oh and keep your shoulders as straight as you can. That helps too." Phoebe added. Carla blew some hair out of her eyes, which still remained locked on her target.

"Alright, I'm gonna come at you with no magic. I want to see how your hand to hand is..feel free to use yours if you'd like."

"Are you sure about that? What if you get hurt?" she asked.

"Wendy is here with us, this will be good practice for her as well. The more she forces herself to heal, the more stamina she'll gain, and she can heal people for longer periods of time. You ready?" he asked.

"Ready as I'll ever be, I guess." she said. He gave her a nod.

"Here I come!" he cried, springing forward with great speed. Carla was impressed that the teen was so fast, without even using his fire to boost his speed. She kept her arms up in a defensive stance, trying to block his right hook, only for him to fake her out. He punched her across the face, sending her back a few feet.

"Ow!" she cried. Aiden wasted no time and went in for a kick. Carla regained her stance and dodged the kick, throwing one of her own. Her glowing foot slammed into Aiden's back, forcing him to step back. She jumped at him, throwing a haymaker at him, which he easily caught. He pulled his fist back, delivering a fierce uppercut to her chin. She groaned in pain, spitting a bit of blood onto the ground.

"You haven't landed a solid hit Carla. Don't hold back, and don't let me hit you." he said firmly. The white haired girl grit her teeth in anger and jumped at the blue haired lad, throwing a strong left hook to his face. Aiden was stunned for a bit, but not enough for him to dodge her kick. Aiden took his chance and swept her off her feet, she landed on the ground with a thud, groaning in pain.

"Well...you hit me." he said, rubbing his jaw.

"Ah...what is your face made of? That hurt!" she said, rubbing her hand. He rolled his eyes.

"Dragon Slayers have stronger skeletons than regular humans. We are geared to fight dragons after all." he said, holding his hand out. She grabbed it, pulling herself up. She didn't even see his fist until it had already slammed into her gut, causing her to loose the air in her lungs. She dropped to her knees, clutching her stomach in pain.

"First rule of fighting, never be too trusting. Expect the unexpected, no one fights fair in a street fight, so you need to be ready for anything. And I mean anything...that goes for you too Wendy." he said, glancing at the Sky Maiden. Carla smirked, punching Aiden right in the jewels, causing him to scream in pain. The surrounding birds flew out of the trees from his high pitch scream. He dropped to the ground, clutching his precious area in pain.

"First rule of fighting Aiden...never be too trusting." Carla wheezed, wiping some blood from her lip.

"Okay...we'll call this one a tie." Wendy said, kneeling in front of her friends. Her hands glowed brightly as she used her magic to heal their injuries.

"You girls are going to kill my children before I have a chance to have them." Aiden moaned, feeling the pain lessen a bit.

"Hey, I was just trying to be a model student!" Carla said with a cheeky grin. After they were done being healed, Aiden once again got into a stance.

"Alright Carla, since you seem to be a little smart ass, this time I'm coming at you with magic, so do respond accordingly." he said.

"Will do...try not to get hurt this time." she said. He grit his teeth, slamming his fists together. His fists ignited with burning blue flames. He grinned and jumped forward, slamming his fists together.

"Fire Make Shuriken!" He cried, throwing his arms forward. Several glowing shurikens flew directly at Carla, who easily jumped over them. A bright magic circle appeared in front of her, bearing the insignia of a crescent moon. She pulled her arms back, channeling magic into them.

"Moon Blast!" she cried. From the circle burst a large blast of light that sailed straight at Aiden, who easily dodged it. The blast struck the ground, tearing up a bit of the cobblestone.

"Decent power and control, very good. But not good enough, Fire Make Explosion!" Aiden cried, throwing a large ball of fire right underneath Carla, it exploded right as she hovered over it, causing her some serious damage. She hit the ground, a bit of smoke coming off her body, a few minor burns littering her skin. Her eyes widened a bit when she saw Aiden's flaming leg, barreling right into her side. She flew back from the attack, slamming into a tree. She ducked, just in time for a flaming whip to wrap around the tree, sawing it right in half.

"Shit!" Aiden muttered, watching as the tree slammed into the ground.

"Well...we won't need fire wood for awhile!" Wendy said, an encouraging tone in her voice. Carla spat onto the ground, cracking her neck a bit.

"Alright, you aren't holding back, so neither will I. I'm gonna use some of the power I gained from Galuna Island, you best be ready Aiden." Carla said, her fists glowed a bright purple, the effects of the Moon drip flowing through her body. Aiden grinned, igniting his hands once more.

"Finally, some actual fighting. I'm hitting you hard Carla, so don't hold back." he said. The girl jumped into the air with the aid of her wings and rapidly flew at him, pulling her arms back.

"Moongiest Beam!" she shouted, throwing her arms forward. A large beam of purple moonlight burst from her hands, actually driving her back several feet. Aiden's eyes widened a bit and he knelt down a bit, pulling his arm back.

"Hellfire Dragon's Wing Attack!" he cried, swinging his arm as hard as he could. A large wing of glittering blue flames slammed into the beam, causing a large explosion in the middle of the courtyard. Aiden stood up, brushing his clothes off from the dirt that had gotten on them. Singe marks and cracks now littered the ground, making him cringe.

"Okay, that was a lot more power than I bargained for." he muttered. He glanced at Carla, seeing her sitting on the ground, drenched in sweat.

"I...think...I'm done...for now." she said.

"Alright, take a rest..you definitely earned it. You definitely need a lot more work with hand to hand, but you've got the magic to back you up, so we'll practice using it effectively. Hit the showers!" he said jokingly. She stood up, stumbling a bit.

"Do you want me to heal you Carla?" Wendy asked.

"No Wendy, save your magic, I doubt he'll hold back against you." she said. She grabbed her vest from her best friends arms and headed toward the showers, being followed by Phoebe.

"Okay...now that I've seen what Carla can do, it's time for me to see what you can do." Aiden said, looking directly at Wendy. She swallowed hard, looking at the floor.

"Um...I'm not sure...I don't want to hurt my friend." she said.

"It'll be alright...Wendy we are the only mages here equal in strength and magic power. We need to make sure to cover each others weaknesses, it will make us more effective in battle. And the better we get, the more difficult missions we can take. Let's work to raise your rank from C to B. So don't hold back, use everything you think will help you win this fight." he said, this time cloaking his arms with blue flames. Wendy took a deep breath, holding her hands in front of her. She snapped her arms to her sides, a large magic circle glowing under her feet.

"Arms, Armor, Vernier, enchant!" she cried. A swirling mass of green wind swirled around her body, making her glow brightly as it took effect. She sprung forward, quickly jumping into the air. She pulled her arms back, streams of wind bursting from her wrists.

"Sky Dragon's Wing Attack!" she cried, spinning her body around, slamming the wind crafted wings into the ground. Aiden was luckily able to dodge them in time. The flames from his arms moved toward his palms as he slammed them together, a smirk on his face.

"Fire Make: Gungnir!" he cried, forming a large flaming spear from his flames. With a flick of the wrist, the threw it down at the blue haired girl, who barely dodged it. The spear slammed into the ground, exploding on contact and melting the surrounding stones. Wendy appeared next to him, causing him to go wide eyed.

"Sky Dragon's Crushing Claw!" she chanted, swinging her leg at his face. He managed to block most of the spell, but the wind based magic still did a number on him. He slammed into the ground hard, a small cloud of dust bursting from the ground.

" _Damn, Vernier is really against me. She's twice as fast as I am right now...I have to slow her down!"_ Aiden thought to himself. He jumped onto his feet, landing in a small crouch.

"Fire Make Blooming Roses: Fire Machine Gun!" he cried, throwing several flaming seeds into the ground. Large flaming plants rose from the ground, the glowing rose blooms fired hundreds of small glowing balls at Wendy, who did her best to dodge as many of them as she could. He smirked and burst through the flames, slamming his palms together.

"Fire Make: Explosion!" he cried, throwing the large flaming ball at her. Her eyes widened a bit but she wasn't able to dodge it in time. She crossed her arms together, forming a barrier of wind between her and the flames. The ball burst, sending her flying back several meters. She had a few scratches on her arms, but didn't look any worse for wear. She panted a bit, feeling the effects of her enchantments decreasing a bit.

"You're really good Wendy, you have a lot of potential...let's continue." he said, getting into his stance. She swept some sweaty locks away from her eyes. She took a deep breath, sucking in the surrounding air, her belly growing a bit from the extra magic.

"Sky Dragon's Roar!" she cried, releasing a large swirling funnel of wind from her mouth. Aiden smirked, throwing his head back.

"Hellfire Dragon's Roar!" he shouted, releasing a massive plume of flames from his mouth. Both attacks came together in the middle and burst outward, sending flames and wind in all directions.

"Alright, now we're talking." Aiden said, running forward as fast as he could. He ignited his fist, pulling it back as far as he could.

"Hellfire Dragon's Iron Fist!" he cried. Wendy narrowed her eyes, focusing on the incoming attack. Using the wind to her advantage, she was able to swiftly dodge the attack, literally spinning around Aiden's body. She pulled her small fists back, enhancing them with a bit of her magic before throwing several quick punches at his back. He cried in pain, quickly spinning around. He caught one of her fists, slamming his own into hers. Wendy smirked, headbutting Aiden right in the face. He took a step back, clutching his nose.

"Ow, fuck! Did you just headbutt me?" he asked, looking at the girl. She cringed, a giggle escaping her lips.

"I guess I did...sorry."

"Don't be, that was bad ass." he said, holding his fist out. She looked at it oddly.

"Um..."

"Fist bump." he said simply. She made a small O with her mouth before bumping her fist into his own. He gave her a toothy grin, ignoring the fact that he was bleeding all over the place.

"Wanna continue?" he asked, wiping a bit of blood from his face.

"If you want...I'm having a lot of fun!" she said.

"Hey guys, we'll have to cut this short...Master Roubaul got an emergency request." Carla cried out, her hair was still wet from her shower. Wendy nodded and turned to Aiden, holding her hand over his injured nose.

"What's wrong Carls?" he asked curiously.

"Master said to come inside, he'll explain everything." she replied. Aiden shrugged and followed the girls back into the guild. Master Roubaul was sitting at the bar, a large communication lacrima next to him. A few of the remaining members were next to him as well, looks of concern on their faces.

"Aiden, Wendy...I've received a request, and some news." he said firmly. The seriousness in his tone was a bit off putting, but Aiden didn't say anything.

"What's wrong Master?" Wendy asked, sounding a bit innocent. The man gave her a warm smile.

"Well...I'll share the news with you first...it seems someone from Phantom Lord has attacked the Fairy Tail guild hall. No one was injured, but they are currently in a bind. They warned all of the nearby guilds to be careful. Oak Town isn't far from our current location, so we can't be too careful." the master said.

"That's horrible..who the hell just...attacks another guild, and for what reason?" Carla snapped angrily.

"I'm sure I know who it was that did it." Aiden said, balling his hands together.

"Anyway, the request was something from the magic council, they were amazed with your results during the Galuna mission and have requested you personally. It seems there's something wrong in a nearby town." Master Roubaul asked.

"What's happening in that town?" Aiden asked curiously.

"Well..the town in question is called Misty Creek. It's a small fishing town, around the size of Clover Town. It's population is around 2,000 or so residents. They have a cultural festival every year and people from all over Fiore, Bosco and beyond come to visit. But recently, there's been rumors of a dark guild working from that city. Worse yet, it seems there have been several kidnappings in the area. Everything from children to old folks. So far, 13 people have gone missing, the youngest is eight years old, and the oldest is sixty two." he said.

"Hmm...this is very serious. A dark guild kidnapping people could mean many things...maybe they have a slave ring, or they're asking for money." Phoebe said.

"Or...they are hiding something more sinister. I don't know what the old folks are being kidnapped for, but if they kidnapped children, then they can be running some sort of human trafficking ring. There was this one mission I read about in a city south east of here, four girls between the ages of ten and fifteen were kidnapped and sold off as sex slaves. They found two of them alive four years later, along with some kids...they were selling the children they birthed to the highest bidder. It was the most vile thing I've ever read about, and it honestly burns my fucking insides."

"That's horrible...why would people do that?" Wendy asked, fear creeping down her spine.

"Because Wendy, beautiful young girls like you are on the minds of sick individuals, they see you and only think one thing...if that's honestly what's going on here, then I want to make a personal request, if they are going, so am I." Alana said.

"Alana...are you sure you want to do this?" Roubaul asked.

"I may not be an active wizard anymore, but I've been in this guild since Wendy was nine...and you know I used to bring in the most income from my missions. I can handle it...so please Master, let me go with them." the ravenette said firmly. He sighed, giving her a nod.

"Fine Alana, but you aren't as young as you used to be, so don't bite off more than you can chew."

"Master, I'm twenty-three years old. I may not be an active wizard anymore but I'm not weak. Don't worry kids, I'm not gonna let you get hurt, trust your big sis." she said with a grin.

"Good to have you Alana...we'll work hard to bring those people home." Aiden said firmly.

"Now, the last thing you need to know is that there's a mage already working this request...she's a free lance mage that works for the guilds from time to time, but she's been called in by the council themselves. Her name is Yamato Sakatonaka. She's actually taken some missions for us in the past when we needed the extra funding, so she'll be familiar with your marks. She's waiting for you in a Saloon located near Misty Creek's town square. Until you meet her, hide your marks, and pretend to be tourists." Roubaul said firmly.

"Alright...so we'll cloak ourselves up...this sounds like fun already...I love these kinds of missions." Phoebe said.

"Take this seriously will you? We could get hurt or worse." Carla snapped.

"Calm down Carla...I know it's a pressing matter, but we need to stay calm, for now lets get packed. I still have a few jewels left from that last mission we took, so it'll be enough for the duration of the mission." he said.

"Actually, since this is a request from the magic council themselves, all expenses are paid." Alana said.

"Fuck yeah, free food!" Phoebe cried loudly, arms high in the air. Aiden groaned, shaking his head.

"Alright, tell the council we're on our way. Team, let's pack up...we did a bit of training today, and even though it isn't what I wanted, every little bit helps. So let's do our best and help those people." he said.

"Yeah!" his teammates cried out. They broke off, heading to their hurts to pack their things. Alana walked from around the bar, heading towards the doors.

"Master, I trust that you'll be fine here alone right?" she asked, glancing over her shoulder.

"I'll be fine dear, honest...so long as I got sake, I'll be fine!" he said, a hearty laugh escaping his lips. She rolled her eyes as turned to leave. It had been years since she had last gone out on a mission, and she was honestly feeling giddy about it. It would be tough, but she would give it her all.


	10. Misty Creek Arc: Misty Creek

**A/N: Hello the internet and welcome to Chapter 10 of the Hellfire Dragon Slayer! I have brought back a new chapter for you all after taking a bit of time to come up with a decent plot that will carry me throughout the first parts of this story. I have now figured out what will happen between now and the Fighting Festival Arc and of Course the Oracion Seis Arc. Since we are talking several episodes of the anime and manga chapters I will try to balance out the narrative and the pacing, most of it will be original filler crap before moving on to the arcs themselves. I'm not sure what I will do during the Edolas Arc, I'll have to wait and see.**

 **In this chapter, Aiden and Wendy will go on their first mission requested by the Magic Council. They will start going through the available information provided to them by the council. We also get to see a bit of Aiden's past...so I hope you all like it...**

 **Shoutout goes once again to my buddy G King, go read his story, it's getting to the final arcs of the story, so show him some love and support. Also, this chapter has been brought to you by Cookies, for when it's three in the morning and you need a snack while writing, cookies will always be there..**

Fairy Tail

Tales of the Hellfire Dragon

Chapter 10

Misty Creek

Thanks to Wendy and her Troia spell, Aiden was once again saved from being turned into a puking mess. He and his teammates were currently heading toward the town of Misty Creek, which was to the far north west of Fiore. It would still be awhile before they reached the small fishing town, so they had time to review everything that would be ahead of them.

Before leaving, Aiden and Wendy had decided to take a shower and change out of their sweaty clothes. Wendy had been wearing her favorite scaled green dress, keeping her brown sandals on her feet. She left her hair down, though she had a single braid running down the side side of her head, which was decorated with a few pink and red beads.

Aiden meanwhile was wearing his black sleeveless vest, over his toned body. He was wearing his necklace around his neck, the dragon fang glittering brightly in the light. He was also wearing a blue scarf which Wendy had knitted for him, and had his name and his guild mark on it. He thought it was a sweet gesture so he promised himself not to take it off for anything in the world. He was wearing a pair of light copper colored pants, which reached down to just past his knees. He was also wearing his favorite pair of shoes.

Alana had been the one that had dressed vastly different from them. Rather than wearing a simple dress, she instead went with something different. She was wearing a sleeveless black shirt, which was tucked into a pleated skirt. She was wearing a pair of long black socks that reached up to her thighs. Rather than wearing shoes, she was wearing a pair of bronze colored greaves. It had some black markings on the front which he didn't recognize. She was wearing a bronze colored chest plate, which was firmly secured around her chest. She wore a pair of bronze colored shoulder guards which also bore the same markings on it, which were in the shape of a thin cross. She was also wearing a pair of arm guards, which were polished to a shine. She looked like a knight, something that Aiden found a bit weird since she didn't seem like someone who would get into an upfront battle.

He cleared his throat, gaining everyones attention. He had a firm look on his face.

"So...about this mission...any ideas about what's truly happening?" he asked.

"Well...thinking about it, I can't shake the feeling that a dark guild is involved in all this. It would make sense with the kidnappings. But there haven't been any reports of any dark wizards around. I reviewed the file that the council sent us, but there isn't anything conclusive." Alana replied.

"So that means whoever is doing this is working from the shadows. It could be that someone is being manipulated into doing this...if that's the case we'll have to be careful, it could be anyone, even the Inn keeper. Thankfully, we'll be staying in a place where the magic council has guaranteed our safety." Carla added.

"Yes, we'll have to get some more detailed information from Yamato herself...until then, I say we gather information separate from each other. Alana, you'll keep an eye on Wendy and Carla...me and Phoebe will go into the city alone."

"What? Are you insane Aiden, what would we do if something happened to you?" Wendy snapped, looking at her friend with a shocked look.

"Wendy, I've survived alone in the wilderness for seven years of my life. I can take care of myself. More importantly, I can gather information easily and get into places where people wouldn't expect. I hate to say it, but you are in the most danger and I don't want you getting hurt or worse."

"I agree with Aiden, it may not be ideal, but he'll get the job done. We'll handle the patrolling, remember we're just going there for the cultural festival, but keep your eyes and ears peeled for anything that sounds odd. If you smell something odd, let me know." Alana said.

"I may not agree with it...but okay. Be careful alright Aiden?" Wendy said, a frown on her face. He gave her a grin.

"Always. Remember, you are a member of the Sun Village now, and Sun Villagers are always ready for any challenge, small or giant!" he said with pep in his voice.

"Miss Alana, I have a question for you...what's with the armor? Did you work for the Royal Guard?" Phoebe asked. The orange exceed had been keeping her eyes on the barmaid for awhile, analyzing every small detail about her armor. The black haired girl gave her a grin.

"I wasn't cut out for the Royal Guard, I did try for a position among the Royal Family though. I was supposed to be Princess Hisui's Retainer, but in the end, I got schooled by another person, a young man named Arcadios...he had been in the royal army for ten years, so he got priority. I was only fourteen at the time so that didn't help." she said.

"Really, how long back was this?" Wendy asked curiously.

"Woo...this was a long time ago, I would say around the year 775. Hisui was only two years old at the time...I was able to see her, right before her mother passed away. She was such a beautiful child, and her mother even let me hold her. Even after I wasn't selected for the job, I kept going back to visit, I'm held in high regard by the Royal Guard, apparently I was the only one who defeated the then General in a fair sword fight, however Arcadios still beat me." Alana replied.

"So...what magic do you used exactly?" Aiden asked curiously. She held her hand out.

"I'll show you. Requip, Katana!" she chanted. Her hand glowed a bright golden color, in her hand appeared a sharp looking sword, with a black colored blade, which was sharpened to a razor sharp edge. It looked rather plain looking, but Aiden could feel the magic power within it.

"Wow, you use the same magic as Erza." Wendy said, amazed at what she was seeing. Aiden took the Katana from her hand, looking it over.

"It's light...much lighter than I expected." he said, running his finger over the blade. He ended up cutting himself slightly, a single drop of blood falling down the side of the blade.

"My magic specialty is a sub-version of Requip, the Swordsman. I can use various swords and other weapons which I keep in small pocket dimensions. While Erza focuses on keeping full armors in her own, I focus on keeping swords within mine. I don't have many weapons in mine, but I can also use Sword Magic, which strengthens the blades significantly. I also have a few strong weapons in my arsenal, which I keep hidden." she said, giving them a wink.

"Huh...I wasn't expecting a simple barmaid to hold this much power...color me impressed." Carla said, flicking a strand of hair behind her shoulder.

"You shouldn't judge books by their cover Carls, you'll learn a thing or two if you give them a chance." Aiden said, giving Alana her Katana back, which she let disappear into her storage.

"I guess I'll be more thoughtful when it comes to things like this." she said, crossing her arms. He rolled his eyes.

" _Attention all Passengers, now arriving in Misty Creek. Remember to check for all your belongings. We will be pulling into the station shortly."_

"Well ladies, it's show time." Aiden said, a smirk on his face. He pulled a piece of cloth from his pocket and tied it around his arm, successfully covering his guild mark. Alana pulled out some foundation and started applying it onto Wendy's until it was completely gone. Once couldn't even tell she had a mark on her shoulder. They all waited patiently for the train to stop before gathering their things. Aiden grabbed his knapsack and slung it over his shoulders, pulling the straps tightly against himself.

"I'm so glad my bag is enchanted with endless space...it's rather useful you know." Aiden said.

"Yeah, too bad I wasn't able to find any...promise me we'll find some later?" Wendy asked, earning a nod from him.

"I'll get you one, count on it."

Misty Creek was a beautiful seaside village. The train station was at the top of the town, the hill that over looked the entire village. A long dirt path extended down from the station into the village, where the path changed to a stone street. The buildings were all small, and made out of bright red bricks, while most were made out of limestone blocks. The taller buildings seemed to be businesses. Large signs had been placed at the entrance gate, celebrating the 134th annual Misty Creek Cultural Festival. The main path extended all the way toward the docks, where several sail boats could be seen. There was even a large passenger ship, which was docked at the far end of the village, where a large Lighthouse stood proudly, the light slowly spinning around, even though it was day time.

A light mist was coming off the sea, carrying the scent of salt and fish, something that made Phoebe rather happy. Surrounding the village was a thick forest, which consisted mostly of bright evergreen trees, which stood tall and proud. Several needles could be seen on the ground, mixing between brown and green, along with a few dried leaves from the Oak trees that dotted the village. Overall, it looked like a peaceful place to live, but Aiden could tell something was very wrong here.

"You can sense it right?" Alana said, whispering in his ear. He gave her a nod.

"It's like a thick mist that surrounds this city...it's a veil of darkness." he replied.

"You guys are scaring me." Wendy said, shivering a bit.

"Let's head to the Saloon." Alana said, taking the lead. They slowly made their way down the hill, heading into the village.

The paths were wider than they seemed, enough to fit several horse drawn carriages at the same time. The houses were similar in design, but had various differences, some had window boxes, others had shutters, and some even had iron bars over the windows. That was something that Aiden found a bit odd, but it wasn't uncommon in places where burglary and petty theft were an issue.

There were several stands, selling various magical objects and other memorabilia. There was one man taking pictures of the tourists, and placing them in magical lacrimas which could be charged with magic, emitting a soft glow. Wendy had been looking at it with interest, but a tug from Carla made her catch up with her friends.

" _Maybe I'll get her one of those before we leave."_ Aiden thought to himself.

"We're here." Alana muttered softly. Right next to the large town square was a large building, a little bigger than the rest on the street they were on. It was a three story building made from limestone. It had an angled roof, decorated with bright red roof tiles, and had a chimney near the back of it. The sides of the walls were painted a deep maroon color, though the shape of the blocks could still be distinguished.

The front of the building was actually a wooden porch, which held up the rest of the building with wooden posts, reinforced with bricks. It had two wooden doors, which were painted a dark maroon color to match the rest of the building. Above the door was the name, Misty Saloon. With a nod, Alana lead them in, passing through the swinging doors.

The place on the inside was a bit dark, the only source of light being several lit candles. There was a glittering chandelier in the center of the room, also decorated with lit candles. Aiden wondered just how many candles the place actually went through, but he figured they were magic and never really melted throughout the day. There were several tables in the place, loaded with people, all of them talking about the festival. The bar in the very back was also occupied by a few patrons. The bartender was cleaning a glass mug, while watching over the patrons. Alana looked around for a few seconds, finally finding a table near the back of the saloon. They walked forward it, being stopped by another man.

"Pardon me madam...but children aren't allowed here." he said. Alana looked at him, brow raised.

"I'm aware that the drinking age in Fiore is actually thirteen, and both of these kids, my siblings are fourteen years of age. Besides, we aren't habitual drinkers." she said.

"Yes, but like I said, children aren't allowed here. You're just going to have to leave." the man said, a smirk on his face. Aiden sighed and reached into his pocket, pulling out a pouch filled with coins. He tossed it at the man, who swiftly caught it.

"Will that be enough to shut your mouth?" he asked. The man looked inside, giving the teen a grin.

"Go ahead, enjoy yourselves." he said, allowing them to pass. As Wendy walked past him, he reached down, grabbing her rump, causing her to jump forward. In an instant, Aiden turned around, slamming the man's face onto the table, holding his arm behind his back.

"Do that again, and I'll fucking kill you." he said angrily, flashing his sharp fangs.

"Alright, I'm sorry." he wheezed. Aiden let him go, glaring at the others who were looking at him. He didn't want to make a fuss, but it seemed the fuss made it to him. They finally sat down at the table, where another person was sitting, staring at a glass of Gin. They were wearing a brown cloak that hid their features. Aiden gave Wendy a soft pat on the leg, reassuring that everything would be fine. She however hugged his arm tightly, not wanting something like that to happen again. The hooded person took a hold of the glass, taking a single sip from it. The ice cubes clattered around for a bit as they set the glass down. They looked up, violet eyes meeting their own.

"Take what you can." they said, the voice sounding feminine. She held her hand out, balled into a fist. Alana followed the gesture, tapping it with her own.

"Give nothing back." she replied. The woman smirked and snapped her fingers, calling the bartender over.

"Some drinks for my friends, all on me." she said.

"Indeed, what will it be?" the man asked.

"I'll take some gin on the rocks." Alana said. The man jotted it down, looking at Carla.

"Water, I don't drink."

"Same here." Phoebe added.

"I'll take a Harvey Wallbanger, with an orange wedge, and a little umbrella." Aiden said. They all looked at him.

"What? I like to be fancy." he said with a shrug. The man chuckled, glancing at Wendy.

"I witnessed what happened to you young miss, so the first round is on the house...what will you have?"

"I'm...I've never drank before...um...I'll just have what Aiden is having...it sounds good." she said.

"Alright, two Harveys, Gin on the rocks, water and another refill for you correct?" the man asked, earning a nod from the hooded woman. He jotted it all down and left to go get the drinks. The woman lowered her hood, revealing her face for the first time.

She had a beautiful fair skinned complexion, with bright violet eyes. She had a small nose and bright pink lips, which were decorated with pale pink lipstick. She had long violet black hair that fell down to her mid back, and was pulled into her cloak. She had two long strands of hair framing her face. She was also wearing a white ribbon on her head, tied into a bow. She gave Alana a warm smile.

"Haven't seen you in forever Lana, how are you doing?" she asked.

"I'm doing fine..ever since I left my wizarding days, I've spent my time behind Cait Shelter's bar. I mostly handle finances now." she said.

"I see, even then I can tell your magic power hasn't decreased a single bit. Still swinging that Katana around?" she asked.

"Of course...Wendy, Aiden, Phoebe, Carla...let me formally introduce you to Yamato Sakatonaka. She and I grew up in the same village...while she became a free lance wizard, I decided to join Cait Shelter. She was the one that suggested I become the princess's retainer." she said.

"It's a pleasure to meet you all...Aiden Flame...you hail from the Sun Village correct?" Yamato asked.

"Uh yes...how do you know that?" he asked. He hadn't shown her his mark..which he had moved to his forearm as he didn't want any visible markings on his body while he was in Misty Creek.

"I've heard about you...the council said you handled the Galuna Island mission successfully with the aid of Fairy Tail's Erza Scarlet. I've also heard rumors of a young man, capable of wielding Blue Flames, I sense that power within you, Child of Atlas Flame. I can sense a lot in you as well, Child of Grandeeney." Yamato said.

"You know our parents?" Wendy asked.

"Please...tell me if you've seen my dad..he isn't hard to miss." Aiden said, a desperate look on his face.

"My apologies...I've never met either of your parents...I just know the information provides to me by your master."

Aiden sighed, looking down at the table with a frown on his face. His hair was covering his eyes, as he held back the tears. He swallowed the lump in his throat and looked up, a grin on his face.

"Oh well...I'll find that bastard someday. He can't hide his scaly ass from me." he said with a smile. The bartender returned, holding a tray with their drinks. He set them down before all of them, leaving with a bow. Aiden took his, taking a sip from it. While strong, he immediately loved the taste.

"This is great...old man Ash was right." he said. Wendy took a sip from his, cringing a bit.

"God...it's strong." she said, coughing a bit. Yamato broke into a fit of giggles, followed by Alana. She quickly composed herself, looking at the Cait Shelter wizards.

"Okay, it's great to catch up and all, but we're here for business. I've been handling this case for several months right now. And in those last few months, three more kidnappings have occurred, the youngest is a girl of eight and the oldest a girl of thirteen. I've got their pictures right here." she said, reaching into her cloak. She pulled out three pictures, placing them in front of the wizards.

The first was the eight year old girl. She had short pink hair, reaching down to her shoulders. It was a bit mattered and looked like it had been cut with a knife as opposed to a pair of scissors. She was wearing a torn tee shirt, which was covered in a bit of dirt. She was wearing a pair of blue jean shorts, and some black leggings which had several holes in them. She was barefoot in the picture, and had several dark spots on her skin, though it looked to be dirt and not bruising. She had bright blue eyes which were soaked in tears.

The second was a picture of a boy, who looked to be twelve years old. He had short blonde hair, dotted with brown tips. He was wearing a thin pair of glasses on his face, shielding his brown eyes. He was wearing a long sleeved shirt, along with a pair of slacks and formal shoes. Around his neck was a pin stripe black tie with blue stripes. He had a smug look on his face, and had a rich air about him.

The final person was the girl of thirteen. She had long orange-red hair that fell down to her mid back. She was wearing a dark purple sleeveless shirt, which was a bit low cut, revealing her cleavage. Underneath she was wearing a olive green dress, which was peeking slightly out of the shirt. She was wearing a matching skirt, which reached down to just below mid thigh. The edge of the olive colored dress could also be seen, peeking just past her violet skirt. She was wearing a pair of worn looking sandals, which were a dark brown color and fastened around the ankles. She had a scared look on her face, her bright orange eyes filled with fear. Two thin strands of hair framed her face. There was a dark orange marking on her left breast, barely peeking from her dress. Aiden choked a bit when he saw the picture. He set his glass down, coughing a bit.

"Maybe you shouldn't have ordered something with strong alcohol." Alana said. He ignored her and grabbed the picture of the orange haired girl, looking at it with widened eyes.

"Who took this picture, and when?" he asked.

"Is something wrong Aiden?" Wendy asked, looking worried.

"Yeah, do you know this girl?" Phoebe asked. Yamato set her glass down, keeping a stern look on her face.

"This picture was taken by a photographer here in town. Apparently, this girl was on a ship that docked here in Misty Creek. She was seen wondering around for weeks, stealing from stands. She was also seen sleeping under an oak tree in the park, but when the authorities came to get her, she had disappeared. She is presumed kidnapped and we've received confirmation from a few townspeople to have seen her with a strange hooded man." Yamato said. Aiden grit his teeth, clenching his fist tightly.

"Aiden." Wendy whispered, taking a firm hold of his hand. The young man felt a some hot tears running down the sides of his face. He set the picture down, a firm look on his face.

"This girl..her name is Flare Corona...she's from the Sun Village...she's my little sister." he said.

"Sister? You never mentioned a sister." Phoebe said. He wiped his tears away with his shirt.

"She isn't really my sister, but we were raised as siblings. My hut was near the Eternal Flame at the center of town...I remember the day I found her, almost like it was yesterday."

 _(Flashback) Sun Village Year x776_

A young Aiden Flame was walking around the Sun Village, greeting all of the lively giants, who all made sure not to step on the much smaller young man. After living with them for almost three years, they had grown accustomed to seeing him running around the city. He was rather small, and his hair was a mess of blue on his head. Sadly due to not having clothes in his size, he often times was left wondering around the village fully naked. However he had created a pair of shorts for himself from some spare cloth. Thanks to his father Atlas Flame, he had learned how to sow, read and write, and while it was bad, it was something.

He ran joyfully through the town, his feet already accustomed to the warm feeling of the cobblestone. The Eternal Flame was burning brightly as always, keeping the town warm. Due to his new fire Dragon Slayer magic, what would feel blistering hot to a normal human felt oddly warm to him. He had gotten in trouble with his father for snaking on the flames again, so he decided to do a bit of exploration at the edge of the forest.

At least that's what he had told his father. He was instead going to practice his magic. He wondered farther away from the village, still being able to see the giants who were going through their daily routines. Finally, after reaching a clearing in the forest, he stopped, taking a deep breath.

"Right...today is the day...I'll be able to use my dragon roar today. Okay, just like daddy taught me. Hellfire Dragon's Roar!" he cried, expelling the magic from his mouth. Rather than a full roar, all he got was a small spark of blue fire that whittled away until it was gone. He pouted, slamming his foot onto the ground.

"Damn it Aiden, stop being a sissy. Try harder!" he snapped at himself. He took another deep breath.

"Hellfire Dragon's ROAR!" he cried louder. A small stream of flame shot from his mouth, but it didn't form into a roar like he imagined. The grass in front of him was singed a bit. He sighed, dropping to the ground. He crossed his legs and closed his eyes.

" _Now remember son. Magic is easy to use if you know how to envision it...I've shown you my moves and taught you what they can do. Envision them and you'll be able to use your magic to your fullest potential."_

"Right...I have to imagine it better." he said. He jumped onto his feet, flicking his wrists until they were covered in fire.

"Hellfire Dragon's Wing Attack!" he cried out, jumping into the air. His flames grew to the shape of small wings that slammed into the ground, bursting into smoke as soon as it hit the ground. Some of the grass had burned away, leaving only some singed dirt. He landed on the ground and jumped into the air again, his leg bursting into flames.

"Hellfire Dragon's Crushing Claw!" he chanted, slamming his foot onto the ground, large glittering claws of fire burst as soon as they made contact. There was a bit of smoke in the area, but nothing had caught fire yet. He took a deep breath, feeling the magic swelling deep in his belly.

"Hellfire Dragon's Roar!" he chanted. But much like the last two times, nothing happened. He sighed, dropping onto his back. He was sweating a bit from the magic he had expelled and he was panting for air. He just looked at the sky, feeling the wind on his face.

"I'll never learn to roar like daddy." he said, grasping some of the burned blades of grass. They just turned to ash in his hands. He took a deep breath, catching a peculiar scent. It didn't smell like food, or like the flames he was used to eating with his fire. It smelled coppery..almost like...blood. He rapidly stood up and got into a defensive stance. He took another whiff of the air, catching the scent...it smelled like blood and sweat...and some tears. He started walking toward the edge of the clearing.

He grabbed a sharp stick, using his teeth to sharpen the end a bit. While he was confident in his magic, he was still young so taking down a monster was out of his league. He looked around the forest, holding the stick tightly in his hands.

"H-hello? W-who's out there? I got a spear." he said firmly, his grip tightening on the stick in his hands, as if that would make someone run away from him. He finally came across a dusty path, where he saw a small patch of blood. He knelt down and looked at it. It was fresh, as if it had happened recently. He took another whiff of the air and looked across the path, directly to the tree line. He saw some strands of red sticking from behind a tree and started walking that way.

"Hello...are you alright?" he called out. He heard a pained groan, finally seeing the person hiding behind the tree. It was a girl, who looked to be much younger than him, probably by a year or so. He saw the pained look on her face just as she passed out. Her hands were covered in blood and she had a nasty cut on her leg. He also noticed she was completely naked. He tossed his sharpened stick aside and knelt before her.

"Hey, what's wrong? Who attacked you?" he cried, shaking the girl a bit. He took notice of the cut, gritting his teeth. He lit his finger on fire and knelt beside her, running it along the cut's length. The girl groaned in pain, but didn't wake. His dad had taught him about cauterization and how the worked, while it stopped the bleeding, it also caused infections. He slipped his arms around her body and lifted her up. She was a bit heavy, but he had lifted heavier things in the past. He started walking back toward his village.

"Hey...if you can hear me, don't worry...everything will be alright." he said. The girl opened her eyes, looking directly at him. He could see the pain in her gaze.

"Who...are you?" she asked.

"Me...my name is Aiden Flame, son of Atlas Flame of the Sun Village. What's yours?"

"It's...Flare...Flare Corona." she said.

"Nice to meet you Flare, don't worry...I'll take care of you." he said, giving her a grin. She smiled, closing her eyes again.

 _(Flashback Ends)_

"That's how I ended up meeting her. The giants were able to heal her cut, and even said I was a hero for saving her life. Honestly I just did what I had to do." he said.

"And the fact that you were carrying a naked girl didn't bother you at all?" Carla asked, eyes narrowed.

"Not really...I mean in the Sun Village, either you make your clothes or you walk around in the buff. You could imagine how hard it is procuring cloth and sowing materials when the nearest town is somewhere between two and three thousand kilometers away. Most of my time, I just spent it walking around without a care in the world. Flare was the same, at least until I turned twelve and she turned eleven. You can obviously see why...so I took some extra cloth from one of the giants and made her some dresses, I also made my own pair of clothes with what was left, so we were finally decent." he said.

"How barbaric." the white haired girl said, finishing her water.

"Carla...they come from a remote village of giants, be more understanding of them." Wendy scolded. She had already finished her drink and had drank the half that Aiden had given her. Her speech was a bit slurred and she had a glassy look in her eyes. Her cheeks were also a bit red.

"Great, the kid is drunk, just what we need." Yamato muttered, finishing her drink.

"She'll be fine. Dragon Slayers get rid of alcohol faster than humans do..she'll be fine in around fifteen minutes. It will take some really strong shit to keep us drunk for awhile. Anyway, about Flare...and these other kids, when was the last time they were seen?"

"Flare was last seen around five days ago...the boy in the center, Thomas, was last seen around a week ago...the little girl, Chelia, I believe her name is, was last seen two days ago. According to some eye witness reports, she was in the care of a woman who ran an orphanage here in town, but she wasn't paying attention to her when the kids went to the park." Yamato said.

"Any leads?" Alana asked.

"Not solid leads...but there are rumors of an abandoned house being used as a meeting place. I'm 100 percent sure we're dealing with a dark guild, which one? Not sure...but that's the only lead I have." she said. Aiden sighed, pinching his eyes in thought. He pursed his lips...trying to come up with something.

"We really can't do anything...other than look around." Carla said.

"Yes..but according to the report, the most common thing about the kidnappers is the fact that they abduct girls...that means we'll need to bait them...but that's a little complicated...I'm not risking anyone for a gamble like that. For now, I'm gonna take a look throughout the town, see what I can hear." he said, standing up from his seat.

"Want company?" Alana asked.

"No, stay with Wendy, right now she needs to be protected. Let's go Phoebe." he said, earning a nod from his partner.

"Here, to keep in contact." Yamato said, handing him a small communication lacrima. It was in the shape of a pocket mirror, and had a long silver chain. He gave her his thanks and took the small object, placing it around his neck. Phoebe climbed onto his shoulder as he left the saloon.

"Do you think we'll find anything?" Alana asked, looking back at Yamato.

"Of course...we can't leave until this is handled. Take these with you as well...just in case something happens." she said, giving each of them a lacrima, similar to the one she had given to Aiden.

"For now, let's just let Aiden handle this. We should see what we can see too." Carla said.

"Right...I wanna help my friend." Wendy said firmly, the alcohol finally leaving her body.

"Alright, stay close to me." Alana said.

"Keep in touch...if you find anything, anything at all..let me know." Yamato said firmly.

"So Aiden...what do you think of all this?" Phoebe asked quietly, keeping her eyes peeled. They had been wondering around the central plaza for a bit, before turning down another street, with the excuse of wanting to see the sights.

"I'm not sure..if Yamato says it's a dark guild...then I'm willing to believe her. I just...wasn't expecting Flare to be here you know? She was such and awkward kid growing up...I thought she would never leave the village." he said.

"Is she as awkward as you say she is?" she asked curiously.

"Well...Flare wasn't the brightest tool in the shed, if you catch my drift. She was easy to please, hard to annoy, but she had moments where she got really pissed off for some reason or another. She had seen me practicing my fire magic a lot and wanted me to teach her, but Dragons can only bestow their magic seed onto one child, so instead, Atlas Flame gave her his blessing. That allowed her to gain Magical hair. It can extend to any length she wants and she can make it into whatever she wants. It also has a fire affinity, so it has the added burn of flames. She actually ended up burning my wrists during one of our mock fights." he said, showing Phoebe his scarred wrist. She had always wondered how he got that.

"Wow, so that explains that. Any scars on her body?" she asked.

"Hmm...well there was this time we were fighting with knives to test our hand to hand, and I ended up cutting her shoulder, really deep. She didn't mind it at all, but she quit after I accidentally cut her again, on the same shoulder. She has an X shaped scar now." he said.

"You are such a meanie Aiden." she said, causing him to giggle.

"Oi lad...are ya a tourist? Have some charms free of charge!" one man said, catching his attention. He walked over to the stand, seeing various charms and bracelets made out of seashells. The man was a few inches taller than Aiden, with short black hair and a bushy mustache. He had dark tan skin, most likely from working out in the sun on a daily basis. He was wearing a white shirt with a black vest over it, along with some white shorts and plain brown boots.

"See anything ya like?" he asked.

"I see a lot...I'll take this one." Aiden said, taking the blue seashell bracelet. He slipped it around his left wrist, a grin on his face.

"Aye, nice choice lad. Say, are you perhaps a Dragon Slayer?" he asked.

"I am...how'd ya guess?" Aiden asked.

"Well, it ain't hard to figure out when you have an exceed on your shoulder." the man said, releasing a loud laugh. Phoebe shrugged, summoning her wings.

"Can I have one too mister?" she asked.

"Course ya can lass...it's the cultural festival after all." he said. Phoebe smiled, taking hold of a small necklace which she instantly put around her neck. It was made with white shells, beads and some feathers, which really went well with her orange fur.

"Thanks a lot sir...we appreciate it." Aiden said.

"Not at all lad...this is what I'm here for. But..." the man stopped, looking both ways, before leaning forward.

"I got a bit of a request for ya...if you are willing to listen to an old man's rambles." he said.

"We don't work for free." Phoebe said.

"Phoebe, jeez show some respect. Sorry about her...we're not used to taking requests like this off the street." he said. The man laughed loudly.

"Not to worry lad, I'll pay ya for your troubles. Follow me into the shop." he said, pointing to the shop behind him. He nodded to the young man beside him, who ended up taking over the stand.

Aiden looked around, seeing all of the glass figurines that were in display inside the store. He spotted several kinds, he saw a Unicorn, standing on its hind legs, he saw one of two children playing with a soccer ball, he even saw one of a beautiful green humming bird, flying right above an orchid. He looked at it with a bit of wonder.

"I see you like my glass sculptures." the man said.

"Their beautiful...especially the humming bird. It's so detailed, and so is that Orchid...you've done a great job here sir." he said.

"Please, call me Sal."

"Aiden, this is my partner Phoebe...what seems to be the issue?" he asked, crossing his arms. The man sighed, glancing back toward a portrait that hung near the front counter. Aiden noticed it was a family picture, which was mounted on a glass picture frame, which was a sparkly green in color.

"My daughter has been kidnapped...I was running the store while she was outside handing out fliers with my son. He left to speak with my wife about something and when he returned she was gone. Another store owner mentioned seeing her leaving with a man." he said.

"Phoebe, guard the door." he said. She nodded and flew off toward the door, floating next to it. Aiden gestured for Sal to follow him, once they were away from the doors, he lowered the cloth covering his guild mark.

"I'm actually a mage, I'm part of Cait Shelter. My friends and I are researching the kidnappings. My sister was one of the victims." he said, fixing the cloth after he had showed him his mark.

"Oh dear, I'm sorry to hear that. My daughter Molly has been missing for six days now, along with a few other children...I've tried to search for her, but I'm not a mage, I barely have magic power as it is. She's a gifted child, having her own unique magic..she's the one that made half of the figurines here."

"She did? What's her magic specialty?" he asked curiously.

"Well, she uses Sand magic, but she can mold anything she wants from that sand, allowing me to make her figurines into glass with my torches. My son uses Fire magic, so he often times uses his magic to help her out. As you can see, they are the most popular things in this store." he said.

"Interesting...Sand Magic, while it isn't rare, is something barely seen on this side of Fiore. I can see why she was kidnapped...wait...that makes sense actually...the kidnappers could be taking kids not just for their looks but for their magic as well." he said.

"Their looks...you think those sick bastards are doing something with those kids?" Sal asked.

"I believe they are kidnapping young girls to sell into prostitution and slavery rings. Most of the children taken are girls, the youngest being eight and the oldest being seventeen."

"My god...my little girl is.."

"No, she isn't going to be forced into that, I won't allow it. Now what I need is information...what did this man look like, and where was he headed? Do you know?" Aiden asked.

"The shop owner next door...he told me that he was a tall man, around six or so feet, with short black hair. He has a scar across his face, bright purple eyes. He was wearing a brown cloak, but he did say he could see a pair of dark jeans and worn combat boots." he said.

"Alright, any visible markings or anything associated with this guild?" he asked.

"No, he didn't see any. As for where he was headed...the shop owner said he was headed toward an abandoned house at the edge of town."

"That's the second time I've heard that today...I've got a hunch that this place is where they do trades. This was during the day right?"

"Yes, my friend said my daughter Dilynn left with him willingly." Sal said.

"Okay...I'm gonna go look, I promise to find your daughter alright...I'll find her, for my own sake as well."

"Thank you. You will be well compensated if you do return her to me."

"Don't even worry about it, I'm taking this one free of charge." he said, turning for the door. With a final wave, Aiden left the store, heading for the old house.


	11. Misty Creek Finale: Misty Gators

**A/N: Hello One and all to the newest chapter of the Hellfire Dragon Slayer! In this chapter, we get to see the conclusion to the Misty Creek arc of the story. Fair warning, there is a bit of a graphic surprise near the middle of the chapter, which depicts childbirth. It isn't that graphic, but it might be a little disturbing. All of you are probably saying, Celestial, how is childbirth disturbing? Well Review section, you've never actually seen childbirth like I have, it can make you queasy, but it is a beautiful act that brings new life onto the planet, so I've grown used to it, though I do get faint when I see it. And before you ask, I've seen a lot of videos online.**

 **Well, the direction of this story is changing rapidly as we approach the later arcs of the story. After the next four chapters, we will be entering the time period for which the Tower of Heaven arc takes place, which will be an original arc from the point of view of the Cait Shelter members, I'm not sure what it will be yet, but I have a couple ideas involving Princess Hisui, who is eleven years old at this point in time. So look forward to that...**

 **As a regard to oc mages, I'm still taking them if you want to send them in, but I'm not sure when they will make an appearance, as I haven't decided how the later arcs will play out, including the Grand Magic Games Arc. Not sure if I'll add another guild team or keep everything the way it is, but that's something I will change and mold to fit my needs. Of course, I'm going to add the Ryuuzetsu Land ova, since it's my favorite one to date, no idea how many times I've watched it, but the water slide is my favorite part, especially when Juvia sees Gray and Lyon together, while Lucy is shaking her head at her delusions. I feel bad for Makarov and Mavis at the end since they have to pay for everything...but anyway, that's for another time.**

 **So for now, please enjoy this chapter, preferably with some chips ahoy cookies, pringles chips and some Crystal Pepsi, which is the king of soft drinks, and if you try to tell me otherwise, I will disagree with you until the end of time...**

 **This Chapter is brought to you by Jimmy, the Fire Make Dragon. Remember, don't piss Jimmy off, if you want to live past the end of the day that is.**

 **P.S. My cat Juvia was sleeping on my jacket and now her fucking fur is all over my face, and I think I have some on my tongue...curse you fluffy cats!**

Fairy Tail

Tales of the Hellfire Dragon

Chapter 11

Misty Gators

Aiden didn't know how much time had passed, but it was beginning to wind down a bit. The town was rather quiet in the afternoon, and the mist had started to roll in. But many of the townspeople were only preparing for the night time festivities as the Cultural Festival lasted an entire week. It was the perfect time for crimes to be committed, which was why he was hiding near the abandoned house. It was easy to find once he had asked around. It was an old wooden house, which had been beautiful at one point in its life, now sat abandoned.

All of the windows were broken, some of them being boarded up. The roof had a huge hole on the side, sharp wooden boards could be seen sticking out of it. The back porch had fallen entirely and lay in a heap of broken wood and roof tiles on the back steps. The wooden fence around the building had been ripped out in places, leaving the yard accessible to anyone who wished to enter it. The mailbox had been ripped out and tossed aside, the worn red flag sticking up with a few letters still sticking inside. The front porch had miraculously held together, though the posts were worn and splintered, the front windows were broken, the glass laying on the ground. It looked as if no one had lived within that house for years. It also made it the perfect place for anyone who wanted to keep the children they kidnapped. He was kneeling beside another building, hiding inside some bushes. He had been there for an hour now, just watching the building in case something happened, but so far he hadn't seen anything.

Phoebe was next to him, munching on some snacks that they had bought not long ago. She had a bored look on her face, but she didn't say anything since she knew the mission was serious. Aiden sighed, moving to a sitting position, making sure the bush didn't move much.

"This is getting annoying...nothing is happening." he muttered quietly.

"Well we can't expect them to just show up when they want." Phoebe mentioned, taking a sip of her drink.

"I better report in with Yamato." he said, grasping the communication lacrima around his neck. He flicked it open, pressing the small button on the center of it. It took them a few moments, but he was able to see her image shortly after.

" _Anything yet?"_ she asked.

"Nope, everything's slicker than the snot on a doorknob." he said.

" _Uh...alright then...everything is clear on my end. Alana just reported in from the east half of town, the festival is starting so there's nothing going on over there."_

"Copy that...I'll remain on standby." he said.

"Aiden, look." Phoebe said, pointing to the house. He peeked through the bushes, eyes widening.

"Gotta go Yamato, seems likes we've got a hit."

" _Got ya, I'll be there in a few minutes, don't do anything stupid."_

He closed the lacrima and returned his attention to the house. He saw a cloaked figure walking toward the house, followed by a young person. Looking closer, he noticed that it was a little girl, which looked younger than Chelia was. She had bright blue hair and was wearing torn clothes..she looked like a homeless kid. He frowned watching as the man knocked on the door. After a second, the door opened and they both stepped inside. Aiden grit his teeth.

"Come on Phoebe." he said, hopping out of the bush.

"But Aiden, shouldn't we wait for Yamato?"

"No time." he said, running toward the house. He slowed down a bit, hiding behind the picket fence. He took a deep breath, steeling his nerves a bit. He waited for a few seconds before passing through the gap in the fence. Thanks to the mist, he wasn't so easily seen. He pressed himself against the building, underneath one of the broken windows.

" _Are you sure this is the one?"_

" _Of course it is Drake. This little girl holds immense power within her, she's young, but she has potential."_ A second, gruffer voice replied. Aiden narrowed his eyes, clenching his hands in anger.

" _Yes but...she's just a child."_ the first voice, who Aiden assumed was Drake said.

" _It doesn't matter...once we get her and the others to headquarters, we'll raise them together...did you check on the other girls?"_

" _That redhead I grabbed a couple days ago keeps struggling. She's broken out of her chains twice now. The brunette won't stop crying and asking for her father...that older girl, the green haired one, she's almost full term."_

Aiden's eyes widened. One of the kidnapped girls was pregnant? He looked at Phoebe who had a pissed off look on her face. He stood up, cracking his neck. He was done listening to this bullshit. He walked toward the front of the house. He ignited his leg and rose it up, kicking the door in as hard as he could. He stormed into the house, aiming his fist at the nearest person.

"Hellfire Dragon's Iron Fist!" he shouted, sending the man flying through the house. He turned to his right, dodging the sword swipe the second man was throwing at him. He placed his hands together, pulling them back.

"Fire Make Shuriken!" he cried. The flaming blue shuriken took shape and with a firm throw, struck the man, who ended up flying through the broken window, taking out the plywood blocking it. He walked over to the other man who was slowly standing up. He barreled his flaming leg into his face, eliciting a cry of pain from him.

"What the hell are you doing?" he howled, trying to lift Aiden's flaming leg from his face, only he couldn't because of the blue fire surrounding it.

"Answer my questions and I won't let my flames burn you, but if you refuse, I'll turn up the heat until your face melts off."

"Okay...Okay I'll do as you ask!" the man cried.

"Good...where are you taking the children?" he asked.

"I don't know." he said. He screamed in pain, a bit of smoke rose from the man as his cloak started burning a bit.

"Wrong answer...where are you taking the children?" Aiden asked again.

"Like I said, I don't know..I just bring them here! Quinton is the one who takes them elsewhere." he cried.

"Phoebe, bring that piece of shit back in here...and be careful."

"Aye Sir!" she cried, flying out of the broken window.

"Alright, next question...how do you find these children? And why do they listen to you?" he asked.

"I hand them enchanted candy. When they eat it, they become hypnotized and follow my orders, I don't make it though." he said.

"How many kids have been kidnapped?" he asked.

"I dunno...twenty or so...two of them are Pregnant, the first girl is seventeen, and the second is twelve!" he said. That seemed to set off Aiden as he knelt down and grabbed the man by his cloak. It burst into flames with little effort. The man howled in pain.

"You piece of shit, I hope you burn in hell." Aiden said, slamming his fist into the mans face. He tossed his body aside, making sure to put out the fire. Phoebe brought in the other man who cried in fear as soon as she dropped him. Aiden grabbed a handful of his shirt, pulling him to his feet, the man was taller than him, but he could see just how scared he was.

"Where are the children?" he asked.

"I'm not telling you." he said. Aiden ignited his hand, placing it on the man's face. He screamed as the flames seared his skin, after a second, Aiden pulled his hand away.

"Answer me...where are the children?" he asked.

"They're...at...the guildhall." he said.

"Where?" he asked.

"The forest...it's in the forest...Misty Gators...that's our name..that's it. I know nothing else." he said.

"Oh, I think you do." a firm voice said. Aiden looked toward the door, seeing Yamato. She had taken her cloak off, revealing the beautiful violet ball gown she was wearing. It was a wedding style dress, with long violet sleeves that had white crosses running the entire length of the arm. The gown had many layers, making it look like an old style dress. The top layer was a smooth violet color, and had an apron like piece on the front, held up by thin white strings. The second layer was a creamy white color, barely being seen underneath the violet. The final later seemed to be a lavender color. Aiden noticed several glowing markings on the dress which pulsed deep purple. She was wearing a pair of black boots, with bright purple zippers which were glowing a bit. She walked into the room taking a hold of the man. She slammed him into the nearby wall, a smirk on her face.

"No...please anything but you...I'll do anything...just don't kill me." he said, bursting into tears.

"Hmm...It seems you are familiar with me...what's your guild name?" she asked.

"Misty Gators, I've never heard of them before." Aiden said. She turned back to the man, a smirk on her face.

"So, here's how it's going to work...you tell me everything you know, and I'll think about letting you live...sound fair?" she asked.

"I've already said everything to him...I know nothing else." he said. Yamato pulled her fist back, slamming it into the main. Aiden noticed a purplish black haze coming from it, it seemed to seep deep into the man's body. He groaned in pain, coughing a little bit.

"I didn't ask about what you told him, I want to know what you know." she said. The man wheezed loudly, telling her the same information he had said to Aiden. He passed out a second later, black sludge dripped from his mouth, pooling around his head. Yamato turned back to her friends.

"Let's go, Alana and the others are enroute, we'll make it to their guild hall first." she said.

"What about the little girl?" he asked, looking back at where the blue haired girl had been standing, only to see she had taken off. Yamato shook her head.

"Don't worry about her, she'll be fine." she said. Aiden looked back at the two men before heading for the door, Yamato behind him. She took the lead, heading into the forest. He held his hand out, using his flames as a torch.

"Sorry about what you saw back there...the reason why the council sent me is because my magic is the most effective for this sort of work." she said.

"Um...what sort of magic is it?" Aiden asked.

"Well...you know how there are Dragon Slayers?" she asked, earning a nod from him.

"My magic is above the magic of dragons. It's geared toward killing gods. I use God Slayer magic, my element being poison. My magic can't be eaten by lesser slayers, like a Poison Dragon Slayer perhaps, but it can be eaten by Demons. My magic is silent and effective, and before you ask, that poison I used isn't deadly, but it will scar him for life." Yamato said.

"How so?" Phoebe asked curiously.

"It was a neurotoxin...it stops him from moving, but it is extremely painful. When he regains consciousness, he'll be in massive amounts of pain, even after the poison leaves his body, his nerves will behave as if he were under its effects, for several months, years maybe." she replied. They brushed past a few low hanging branches, stepping over thousands of dead evergreen needles.

"That guy was scared of you...do you know why?" Aiden asked. Yamato gave him a nod, playing with a strand of her hair.

"That's also because of my magic, I'm known throughout Fiore as the Viper Princess. The woman with the lethal sting of a thousand poisonous snakes, the woman who faced off against a god and came out without a scratch...my reputation obviously precedes me. I've never fought a god, and I don't know where the moniker came from." she said.

"Wow...so are you like an S-class mage?" Phoebe asked, stars in her eyes.

"If I was in a guild, I supposed I would be. But since I'm a free lance mage, I'm not really classified under the normal ranking system. The council does keep my name on file in case they need someone to handle things like this." she said.

Aiden remained silent after that. He wasn't aware that Yamato was a famous and deadly wizard. He knew a little bit about God Slayer magic, but he hadn't ever put any research into it. To know that there were actual users out there was impressive. Yamato suddenly grabbed his arm, pulling him to a stop. She pointed to the light up ahead and he nodded, dousing his own flame. They continued walking through the dark, finally appearing before a large building.

It looked to be a large mansion, which was surrounded by tall evergreen trees. There was a large rusted fence surrounding the building, and at every post was a lantern, the flames burning brightly. The mansion seemed to have two floors, and looked like it had been abandoned for years, though not to the state of the abandoned house. The front yard was actually well kept, and a few bushes were trimmed. On the front entrance was the insignia of an Alligator, expelling an orange mist from its mouth. Aiden narrowed his eyes.

"So this is their guild hall." he muttered quietly.

"The kidnapped children must be here. Two of the girls are pregnant, the older one is full term, the second one is a twelve year old." Aiden said, looking back at Yamato.

"They make me sick, let's go bring them home, and get your sister too." she said.

"And Dilynn, we promised Sal." Phoebe reminded. They noticed two men walked out of the mansion, they stood next to the front gates, holding a couple swords in their hands. Aiden was about to strike when Yamato shook her head.

"I've got this, I want to show off for a bit." she said, giving him a wink. He nodded, letting the woman step up to the plate. She held her arm back, forming a glowing greenish black bubble in her palm.

"Poison God's Acid Spray!" she chanted, swinging her arm forward. The bubble burst, sending globs of acid at the two men. The howled in pain, the poison making contact with their skin. Aiden was quick to silence them, making sure to avoid the sizzling acid on the ground. He grabbed the nearby lantern and opened it, sucking the flames from within.

"It's show time." he said, a grin on his face.

"Don't start without us." Alana said, finally arriving, with Wendy at her side. They all shared a look, nodding to each other.

"Let's get this done." Yamato said, melting the lock on the gates with her acid. They slowly made their way toward the front door, taking out two more men that were guarding the doors.

"Let me boost our magic first. Arms, Armor, Vernier, enchant!" Wendy cried, her magic swirled around everyone, making them glow brightly in the darkness. Aiden smirked slamming his foot against the doors, sending them flying into the building with a loud slam. They quickly burst into the guild hall, the startled wizards unable to react fast enough.

"Sky Dragon's Roar!" Wendy cried, jumping high into the air. A large funnel of wind shot out of her mouth, slamming into several wizards. They were sent flying in all directions. Aiden ran straight to a group of men, a smirk on his face.

"Hiya fellas. It's time to shine! Hellfire Dragon's Wing Attack!" he shouted, spinning on his foot. Bright blue flames slammed into the men, sending them flying back with serious burns on their bodies.

"Quick you fools, get them!" the bartender cried out, grabbing a magic gun from under the counter. When he took aim, he pulled the trigger, only for the gun to be sliced in half. Alana grinned, pulling her Katana back, she took a swing at him, sending him sprawling into the shelves.

"Guys get down!" Yamato cried. Aiden and Wendy stepped aside as she jumped onto the counter. She took a deep breath, a small bubble of poison forming in her mouth.

"Poison God's Bellow!" she shouted, releasing a swirling mass of purplish black poison. She spread the poison throughout the main floor, everyone started coughing loudly as the poison begun seeping into their bodies.

"Forget these guys, they're foot soldiers, get to the guild master!" Yamato cried, slamming her fist into another man who tried swinging his sword at her.

"We'll hold them off, go on guys." Alana cried. Aiden and Wendy nodded, running toward the back of the house, heading into another hallway. Alana and Yamato stood back to back, grins on their faces.

"It's been awhile since we've fought together."

"That it has...let's hit them hard." Yamato replied. Alana nodded, holding her hand out.

"Requip: Mjolnir!" she chanted. A loud crack of thunder boomed through the building as a bright yellow hammer appeared in her hand. She grinned, spinning it in her hand.

"Hellfire Dragon's Iron Fist!" Aiden chanted, slamming his flaming fist into another man's face, sending him flying through a wall. One guy ran at him, sword raised high above him. Carla shot past him, kicking him in the ribs. Wendy took her chance, delivering a wind coated punch to his face, knocking him out cold.

"How many of these guys are there?" Carla asked, glancing around the empty hall.

"I don't know, hundreds maybe. Let's keep going." Aiden said, finally finding the stairs, they hastily made their way toward the second floor, seeing several more soldiers waiting for them. Wendy was about to run forward when Aiden held her back, a smirk on his face.

"So, you guys are the little shits who decided to attack us. You don't look like much." the leader said.

"We may not look like much but we'll kick your asses into the ground." he said. They all raced forward, causing him to shake his head. He took a deep breath, arching his neck back a bit.

"Hellfire Dragon's Roar!" he shouted, unleashing a vortex of blue flame at the men. Their eyes widened but it was too late for them to stop. The hallway literally exploded, the windows shattering outward. The flames died down, revealing the knocked out men, groaning in pain. They walked past them, heading deeper into the ruined hallway. They heard a loud crack of lightning followed by a hard slam that rocked the entire building.

"Man, those two are raising hell!" Phoebe said.

"I kinda want to see them fight." Wendy said.

"Must be interesting." Carla added. They reached the final room in the house, and with a firm kick, the door was sent flying. Four men were waiting for them inside, along with another man.

He was dressed in a firmly pressed black suit, with a white collard shirt and a bright red tie. He was wearing a pair of matching slacks and black leather boots. His legs were raised on top of the wooden desk in front of him, which had a few things on top of it. He was wearing a pin on his lapel, depicting the same symbol that had been on the outside of the guildhall, an Alligator releasing an orange mist from its mouth. He had a cigar in his mouth, his five o'clock shadow made him look like he hadn't seen the light of day in years, and he didn't know why, but Aiden hated the man's mustache...it just pissed him off.

"So, Cait Shelter I take it?" the man said. Wendy and Aiden shared a look, shrugging at each other. He took off his cloth, handing it to Wendy who wiped the foundation off her shoulder. It was no use hiding the marks from them.

"Where are the kidnapped children?" Aiden asked.

"Do you truly believe I'd share that information with mere kids? You are mistaken. Men...take care of them, and grab the girl...she'll make for some good profit." He said. The two men nodded, smirking at one another. Aiden and Wendy nodded, grasping each others hands tightly, raising them above their heads.

"Elements of Fire and Sky, grant us the strength to win this fight!" the chanted together. A swirling funnel of fire and wind formed around the two, stopping the men from advancing forward. The two dragon slayers smirked, bringing their hands down.

"Unison Raid! Flaming Skies!" they chanted together. The spell burst forward, setting ablaze the entire room. The men shouted in pain as the wind exploded, causing the entire room to explode outward from the sheer amount of magic power. When the smoke cleared, they noticed the master was gone. Aiden grit his teeth.

"Damn it." he said.

"What was that?" Carla asked, reentering the room with Phoebe in her arms. Wendy grinned looking back at their friends.

"That was our Unison Raid. Me and Aiden had been talking about it since leaving Galuna Island, but we never actually practiced it until now. Pretty cool huh?" she asked.

"Hell yeah, a funnel of fire and wind...it was cool. You two make excellent partners!" Phoebe exclaimed, making the girl blush a bit. One of the men coughed, groaning in pain. Aiden grabbed the man by his throat, slamming him into the wooden desk.

"Where is he?" he asked sternly, holding his ignited fist in the air.

"I...dunno...he..teleported." he said. Aiden grit his teeth, slamming his fist into the man's face, knocking him out cold.

"We lost our lead...now we won't be able to find those kids." he said, standing up.

"What the hell happened here?" Alana asked, walking into the room with a Katana in hand. Yamato walked in after her, holding a glowing green bottle in her hands.

"We took out these thugs with a Unison Raid, but the master teleported away and we don't know where he went." Wendy replied, a frown on his face.

"Don't worry about that...since I use Requip, I can track Spacial Magic, it won't be hard to detect where he went. Sadly, the kids aren't here, but we did find the old folks, the town sheriff already arrived." Alana said. Yamato uncorked the bottle, swirling the liquid inside before pressing it against her lips. Aiden's nose scrounged up a bit.

"Is that Acid?" he asked.

"Mhmm, I keep bottles of Poison and Acid on me to replenish my magic power. I also drink a lot of alcohol, seeing as you can get poisoned from drinking to much, I always have three or four bottles of hard liquor on me." she said, finishing her drink.

"Alright then...would you mind tracking that guy now?" Carla asked. Alana nodded holding her hand out. It glowed a bright gold color as her magic activated. They all noticed a spot that was glowing gold, along with a trail that lead out the window.

"There it is...teleportation magic might be useful, but if you know it's weaknesses then it can be a downfall as well. If he teleported directly to the place where the kids are, we can find him there."

"What are we waiting for? Phoebe, up up and away." Aiden cried, jumping out the window.

"Aye sir!" she cried, quickly grabbing his shirt, shooting into the air after the golden trail.

"Ugh...that idiot!"

"Carla, Wendy go with him, we'll catch up!" Alana said. The blue haired girl nodded, running out the window, just as Carla changed back into her exceed form, grabbing her partner before she hit the ground.

Aiden continued following the golden trail, flying straight through the mist that had come over the quiet forest. He could see the bright lights of Misty Creek along with the loud music of the Festival. The town wasn't even aware of what was happening behind the treeline. Pheobe stopped for a second, looking around.

"It's too misty Aiden, do you see anything?" she asked.

"I see a bit of light down there. Bring me down slowly." he said. She nodded and started flying forward toward the light, slowly bringing them down. Aiden landed on one of the high tree branches, looking around the forest. He felt his branch bend a bit and looked to his right, seeing his partner Wendy standing next to him.

"Aiden, don't take off like that, you could have gotten hurt." She snapped.

"I'm sorry...I just wanna see my sister...apparently she's broken out of her chains twice already and I don't want her to get hurt." he said, worry written on his face.

"We understand that child, but you can't just take off without backup. You could have gotten severely hurt or worse...at least wait for us. We're a team after all." Carla said. He sighed, giving her a nod.

"Sorry Carls...I just...let my emotions get the best of me. But now that we're here, what do you reckon we do?" he asked.

"Well...I see lights down there...it might be a stockade...we can infiltrate it. Seeing as we took out most of the members at the mansion, I think this place has less security." Wendy replied.

"I agree with that...let's go together." he said, jumping off the branch. Phoebe and Carla carried them right above the building. Aiden smirked, channeling fire to his fist.

"Girls, drop us..we'll hit the ground with all our magic, that should be enough to stun them." he said.

"Are you sure?"

"Of course, you can enchant us again right?" he asked. She nodded, holding her glowing hands above her head, the familiar aura of her enchantments washed over them.

"Okay Carla, drop me."

"If you are sure, we'll be right behind you." she said. The two exceeds dropped the dragon slayers who quickly channeled magic into their arms. They burst through the roof landing straight on the ground floor, slamming their fists into the ground. Fire and Wind magic ran through the ground, stunning all of the people standing on it. Aiden shot forward, leg glowing brightly.

"Hellfire Dragon's Leg Strike!" he chanted, roundhouse kicking the nearest man through a wooden beam, part of the roof fell onto the ground floor. The stockade wasn't that big, around the size of a single story house. He grabbed one of the chairs throwing it at a young man who was attempting to swing a sword at him. The chair burst into pieces, tripping the man, who ended up getting a sharp piece of wood stabbed through his shoulder. He cringed a bit and turned around, glaring at the other men who looked scared out of their wits.

"Where the fuck is your master?" he asked.

"We're...we're not telling." one man said, he was sweating bullets and looked like he was a second away from bursting into tears. Aiden pulled his arms back, his hands bursting into flames.

"Switch Style: Fire Make Dragon!" he chanted, slamming his hands together. A bright blue magic seal appeared behind him, and a long serpentine dragon flew out of it, glowing a bright sapphire blue. It had long scales running all across its back, along with two small claws on its chest. It flared its nostrils, a bit of sapphire colored flame shooting from its nose. The men screamed as it roared loudly, before flying right at them, it exploded on contact, knocking the men out entirely.

"These fucks are making me use my stronger spells...it's really fun actually." he said, a grin on his face.

"Wow...I've never seen a Sapphire dragon made of flames before." Wendy said, clearly amazed.

"I call him Jimmy." Aiden said with a shrug. Phoebe and Carla flew in right after, seeing the knocked out men and the singed floor boards. They also noticed all of the furniture had been turned to ash.

"You waste no time do you?" Carla asked, earning a grin from Aiden.

" _Help! Someone Help Us!"_

Aiden's head snapped to the right, looking directly at a metal door on the other side of the room. He ran toward it, looking around for a knob or a handle. He grit his teeth, placing his hand on the center of the door. His hand burst into flames as he channeled all of his power into the door. Sweat poured down his face from the intensity of the flames. The door was glowing a cherry color, the area where his hand was started to warp and bend. He pulled his hand back before delivering a solid punch, his hand going right through it. He grabbed several large chunks of the melted door, sticking them in his mouth.

"Is he eating the super heated metal?" Carla asked.

"Oh yeah, Aiden can eat metal so long as it's melted. His body will be able to turn its elements into magic for him to use. If he were to eat regular metal though, he would get sick." Phoebe replied. Aiden finally tore away the metal door, tossing it aside as it warped and bent in all sorts of different shapes. He didn't know how it wasn't melting through the wooden floor boards. He walked down the stairwell, ducking his head down as a mace was sent directly at him.

"Son of a bitch!" the man shouted. Aiden grabbed a firm hold of the mace, looking back at it's wielder.

"You wanna know something...I'm really pissed off tonight...not only did you swing this piece of shit at me, but I've also realized how fucked up the world is. Your buddies are all gone, so tell me where the master of this piece of shit guild is, and maybe I won't shove this mace up your ass." he said firmly. The man grit his teeth, drawing a knife from his pocket. Aiden quickly turned around, swinging his mace into the man's back, an audible crack filled his ears as the man screamed in agony. He tossed the weapon aside and walked into the room.

His eyes widened a bit as he looked around, seeing several cages placed around the room, and inside it were the girls that had been kidnapped. There was one large cage holding three young boys, including Thomas who he had seen in the picture Yamato had shown him. He also saw a green haired girl sitting on a chair, her arms and legs chained to it.

"Mister...please, Megan is in labor!" a short brunette cried. He raced over to the girl, looking her over for injury.

"Jeez, I was expecting someone from the council, not some fucking kid." one of the boys said.

"I may be a kid, but I'm part of a guild, so keep your mouth shut. Anyone know how long she's been in labor?" he asked, looking around the darkened room. The brunette grabbed the bars of her cage tightly, looking directly at him.

"She's been like this for three hours...you have to help her." she said. He looked at her, vaguely recognizing her.

"Dilynn?" he asked.

"Yeah...do you know me?" she asked. He gave her a nod.

"Your father sent me to get you, don't worry, I'll get you outta there." he said, melting the lock on the cage. He threw it open, and Dilynn quickly ran out of it, along with another girl who had been sitting next to her. He heard the sound of other locks breaking and looked over his shoulder seeing Wendy slicing the locks with her wind magic.

"Aiden, the second girl looks like she's in labor too." she said.

"Jesus Christ.." he muttered. He carefully pried the chains off the green haired girl's limbs. She opened her eyes, giving him a smile.

"Thank...you...please..my baby." she said.

"I'm not a doctor but I'll do what I can. Phoebe go and find Alana and Yamato, they need to be here, Carla I need hot water and some towels. Dilynn, bring me that foot rest." he said. The girls all split off to do their own tasks. Dilynn brought the foot rest over to him and he placed it under the girl's legs.

"Sweetheart, what's your name?" he asked, wiping some of the sweat from her face.

"It's...Megan...I'm from Bosco." she said.

"You are far from home Megan, I'm Aiden Flame, a Dragon Slayer with the Cait Shelter guild. I promise to help you through this until my friends get here." he said, going as far as to show her his mark.

"Do you know what you are doing?" Dilynn asked.

"I'm familiar with this, I have friends back home who gave birth to a couple children, and I was taught the proper steps to take if it ever happened to me. Wendy...I need you here." he said, looking back to his friend. She nodded, breaking the chains off the last girl.

"Don't worry, you are safe now...hey wait!" the blue haired girl cried as she was pushed away. Aiden looked back, seeing long strands of red disappearing up the stairs.

"Flare!" he cried, but she didn't even stopped. He grit his teeth, turning back to Megan, he had to take care of her first.

"I need you to spread your legs for me, Dilynn help me with her skirt." he said, earning a nod from the girl. Megan cried a bit in pain, most likely having a contraction. Once in a more comfortable position, she was able to follow his orders. Aiden shook off his nervousness and bit his bottom lip hard enough to draw blood. He couldn't have perverted thoughts now of all times.

"Did your water break?" he asked, looking at the green haired girl.

"Two...hours ago." she replied.

"Um...sadly I don't know how to check for cervical dilation..I can't just stick my finger in there either...Wendy...do you know how to deliver a baby?"

"Didn't you just say you knew how to do it?" Dilynn asked.

"I was taught how to deliver giant babies not human ones!" he cried, back.

"How are her contractions? Does she feel the urge to push? If she does then go for it!" Wendy called back. He looked back at Megan who took a deep breath.

"Alright, I'm gonna push." she said. Carla finally returned with the bucket of water and some towels she had found, thankfully clean ones. He stuck his hand in the water rapidly bring it to a boil.

"Help Wendy, the other girl is in labor too." he said. She nodded, flying over to her friend.

"Okay Megan, it'll be alright just take my hand and push." Dilynn said, taking the girls hand. The green haired girl screamed in agony as she started to push. Aiden kept an eye on her as she took another breath, tears falling down the sides of her face.

"You're doing good...one more big push..you can do it Megan!" he said.

"God! Why does this hurt so much?!" She shouted, pushing as hard as she could. Aiden almost fainted when he saw the top of the baby's head coming though. He wiped his forehead with his shirt, placing his hands on the girl's knees.

"Okay, one more and I should be able to pull it out." he said. She nodded, taking another deep breath. With one final push, the baby had fully come out. Aiden quickly wrapped it in the towel, wiping away all of the blood and fluid from around its body. He grabbed another towel and turned the baby over, tapping lightly on its back.

"Come on, breathe." he said softly. He finally heard a soft cough before the sound of crying filled his ears. He started laughing, wrapping the baby up in a towel. He grabbed one of the clamps that Carla had brought along and clamped the cord, using his fire to cut it. Megan started crying, finally breathing a sigh of relief. Aiden checked the baby over, a smile on his face.

"It's a girl." he said, handing it to the mother. She hugged her baby tightly as he and Dilynn started cleaning her up.

"Thank you...you have no idea how horrible it's been for us. We've been here for months." she said.

"It'll be over soon. Looks like the master fled from here, too bad, I wanted to break his face in." he said, wiping some of the blood from his hands. Another cry filled his ears as he looked to the other end of the room, seeing Wendy wrapping the other baby up with some more towels Carla had gotten.

"It's a boy." she said loudly, earning a few claps from the others who had been patiently waiting. The Sky Maiden handed the baby boy to his mother and started healing her up with her magic, once she was done she walked over to Megan and did the same for her. Aiden sat back, panting a bit and wiping the sweat from his brow, making sure not to get blood on his face.

"Aiden...we did it...we saved all of these kids and we helped deliver two new lives onto the world." she said, a bright smile on her face. She was crying, though they were tears of joy as opposed to ones of sadness. He wrapped his arms around her, hugging her tightly.

"We saved the day Wendy...and we did a good job...I just wish Flare didn't run off." he said, glancing back at the stairs. He shook it off and looked back at Megan, who had been rocking her baby, soothing it a bit.

"So...what are you going to name her?" he asked.

"I'm not sure...what's your name miss?" she asked, looking at Wendy.

"Me...my name is Wendy Marvel...I'm also part of Cait Shelter." Megan nodded and looked back at her daughter, a smile on her face.

"Wendy...that's a pretty name...I think I'll name my daughter after you, in honor of our rescuers." she said, making the blue haired girl gasp.

"I'll name my son after you Aiden." the young brunette said. She wasn't much younger than he was, twelve at most. Seeing her cradling her baby made his heart break.

"Your baby is premature Sally, we need to get you to a hospital right away." Wendy said. Aiden stood up, feeling a tug on his shirt, he looked down, catching the curious blue eyes of a pink haired little girl, which he recognized as Chelia, the missing eight year old from the orphanage.

"Can I see the baby Mister?" she asked. He nodded, picking her up from the floor. He stood next to Megan who was almost asleep.

"She's a little girl, just like you. Her name is Wendy." he said softly.

"She's so small." Chelia said, sounding a bit sad.

"But one day she'll be big and strong, just like you." he said, giving her a kiss on the cheek. She giggled, hugging him tightly. It wasn't much longer until the Rune Knights came in. Yamato and Alana came in seconds later, eyes widening at the sight of blood and babies. It didn't take long for the knights to start asking questions.

They were taken outside to deliver their report. One man from the Council had been sent along with the knights. Aiden vaguely recognized him. He stood at nearly six feet tall, with short blue hair that reached to the nape of his neck. He had bright colored eyes, along with a weird red marking on it. He was wearing the white robes that all high council members wore. His eyes widened a bit in shock.

"Siegrain of the Wizard Saints." he said.

"You must be Aiden Flame, I've heard quite a bit from your master." he said. Chelia hugged herself closer to Aiden, not wanting to be near the blue haired man, who just smiled and shook it off.

"Good things I hope." he said. The blue haired man looked him over, seeing the blood on his clothes.

"I hear you delivered a baby." he said.

"I did...it was an...experience." he said simply. The man chuckled looking at the kids that were being checked by the council medics.

"Well, you did a great job...thankfully Yamato and Alana were able to catch the master. We've rounded up the members and they'll be hauled off the the council headquarters for questioning. All of these children will be returned to their place of origin, and the two mothers will be taken to a hospital for further observation." he said.

"You hear that Chelia, you get to go home." Aiden said, giving the pink haired girl a grin. She shook her head, grabbing onto Aiden's shirt.

"No...I wanna stay with Mister Aiden." she cried.

"You can't come with us sweetheart, your parents must be worried." he said.

"My momma and papa are dead...please I wanna go with you, you are strong and awesome...I want to be like you." she said.

"Well...she is an orphaned child, with a lot of magical power...if you'd like you can take her back to Cait Shelter, give her a good home and train her to use magic...we need strong wizards in the world." Siegrain said.

"Are you sure...I mean..what about her orphanage?" he asked. He shook his head.

"As it turned out, the owner of that orphanage was also associated with these lowlifes, so all of the children in her care will be taken to other places throughout Fiore. If little Chelia wishes to join Cait Shelter, then she's received that all clear from me." he said.

"Thank you Siegrain, it means a lot that you'd let her come with us."

"Hey, even if I couldn't, I would bend the rules just for you...I mean you delivered a baby for god sakes. We'll collect the report from the rest of your team and you'll be free to go, and don't worry, you'll be very well compensated for this." he said, taking his leave. He sighed, shivering a bit.

"Are you okay Mister Aiden?" Chelia asked. He gave her a nod.

"Yeah, just a bit nervous...and relieved...I got you back safe and sound and all of those kids get to go home." he said.

"Before we go home...can we go to the festival?" she asked, giving him a cute look. He chuckled, giving her a nod.

"Sure Chelia, we can go to the festival."

xxx

"Thank you so much for bringing my daughter back safely. I can never repay you for this." Sal said, hugging his daughter tightly. Aiden smiled brightly, watching the warm reunion between Sal and his daughter. His wife had apparently come running back from her trip to Margaret Town where her parents lived just to see her daughter.

"It was no issue, Dilynn was a very brave girl. She even helped another girl deliver her baby girl." Yamato said, a proud look on her face.

"Aiden was so cool, he beat up that bad guy with his own mace! And he set the whole place ablaze when we left!" She exclaimed. Aiden chuckled.

"What can I say, I figured it would be good to start a little bon fire." he said.

"I think it was good of you to destroy that horrible place. The townspeople are going to bring down that abandoned house and close of the mansion as well...and we're gonna tighten security so this doesn't happen again." Sal's wife, Eleanor said.

"That's good, the more the town children are aware of what lies out there the better. They might be young, but this experience will be in their minds for years to come, it's best to ease them back into their normal lives and hope that something like this doesn't happen again." Alana said.

"Mr. Aiden, can I have this unicorn? Please?" Chelia cried out, holding a glass unicorn in her hands. He sighed shaking his head.

"I already bought you a lot of other toys and new clothes." he said.

"Don't worry about it lad, she can have it, free of charge." Sal said, a smile on his face.

"Yay! Thank you mister." she said, hugging the glass figurine close to herself.

"Daddy, do you think I could join a wizards guild? You know my Sand Magic is powerful, but those cages we were in sucked out magic out so I couldn't use it. I wanna get stronger!" Dilynn said, balling her hands up.

"I don't know...I just got you back sweetheart, I don't want you to leave me again." he said, hugging his daughter tightly.

"If I may, I think her joining a guild is a good idea. She has a lot of potential, she just needs to give her magic some form and train herself daily. She can learn a sense responsibility by taking quests. If you'd like, I could take her to my friends over in Blue Pegasus, they would happily accept her." Yamato said.

"I don't wanna join them, they sound boring! I wanna join Fairy Tail!" Dilynn cried happily. Her brother Jason chuckled, shaking his head.

"Fairy Tail? You are insane little sister, those guys are bad news...aren't they in a war with Phantom Lord right now?" he asked.

"No no no...that all got settled." Wendy said, waving her hands before her.

"I don't care what people say...I wanna meet Mirajane Strauss and Erza Scarlet! They're really strong and I know I can learn more from them, please daddy can I join Fairy Tail?" she asked, looking at her father. He sighed, placing his hands on her shoulders.

"Sweetheart...I'm not sure if you are ready to handle something like that. You might be able to use magic, but that doesn't mean you are wizard material."

"But daddy.."

"Let me finish...while I think you might not be ready, if it's what you want to do...then I'm not stopping you. Go ahead and join Fairy Tail, train hard and become a strong young woman...but don't forget to visit." he said. Dilynn grinned and she hugged her father tightly, tears running down the sides of her face.

"Thank you daddy...I love you so much!" she said. Jason sighed, shaking his head.

"Well Dilynn you are in luck, we'll be heading to Fairy Tail soon since they'll be having the Magnolia Festival soon, your welcome to stay with us in Cait Shelter until we head there, and I'll help you train too." Aiden said.

"Really...thanks Aiden, this means a lot to me." the brunette said, a grin on her face.

"Well, we'll give you some time to pack up...we've got a bastard of a report to write for the council. Apparently the higher ups want to keep it on file or whatever." Alana said, a sour look on her face.

"Okay, let's meet at the train station in an hour."

"Sure thing, see you there Dilynn."

Once outside, they continued walking around the city, enjoying some of the festivities. Aiden was able to win some prizes, handing them to some of the kids who weren't lucky enough to win anything themselves. He ended up going to a goldfish booth, seeing all of the small fish swimming around. He smiled, kneeling down before it. He handed the stand owner the money and got a paper net in return.

"You're gonna try your luck?" Wendy asked.

"Yeah, I remember when I was really little, I had a big bowl with several gold fish...I still remember when my mom got them for me." he said.

"Your mom...wait didn't you say you were raised in the Sun Village?" Carla asked. He sighed, looking away from the exceed.

"It's a bit complicated...I'll tell you another time." he said. He dipped the edge of the net into the water, focusing on a particularly fat goldfish that had been swimming around. With a flick of the wrist, he sent the little creature flying, landing in one of the bowls that had been placed behind the tank.

"Aye, proper job lad. You know what you are doing." the man said, earning a smile from Aiden.

"Thanks, you have no idea how many of these I tore through when I was younger." he said, accepting the bowl from the man. He handed the bowl to Wendy, who looked at it in wonder.

"Take care of it for me." he said.

"Oh...okay." she said softly, looking at the fish, who was swimming around the edge of the bowl.

"Are you alright Aiden? You seem a little down." Phoebe said, she had been resting on Chelia's head, not wanting the young girl to run off. She didn't seem to mind.

"I miss Flare...she was right there...but she just took off and...I don't think I'll see her again anytime soon." he said.

"Don't worry about that kiddo, I'll find her for you...it's the least I can do..besides I think it's about time I settle down with a guild, so when we get back, I'm joining Cait Shelter." Yamato said.

"Really? As a full time mage?" Wendy asked curiously.

"Of course, I'll be part of Team Flaming Skies, besides two S-class mages are better than one." She said, giving Aiden a wink.

"We'll be able to take tougher missions too...this is gonna be so much fun right Aiden?" Pheobe asked. Chelia giggled a bit, trying to catch the exceed's white tipped tail.

"Quite...but remember, we still have a lot of training to do before we start taking missions, and with Dilynn joining us, we'll need to make sure she's well taken care of, no slacking off." he said.

"Yes, Drill Sergeant!" Phoebe cried, giving her friend a salute. Carla sighed, she wasn't looking forward to anymore of Aiden's training regimens. Her hand still hurt from the last hit she took. She had to admit though, she had learned quite a lot on this mission, and she had grown for the better. She was sure her partner had grown quite a lot too.


	12. Crystal Cove Arc: A Quick Mission

**A/N: What's up Internet? Celestial here bringing you an all new chapter of the Hellfire Dragon Slayer. I hope you are all having a good night, It was snowing here in New Hampshire today, so it's currently a bit cold, but supposedly it's going to be 52 tomorrow, and I'm hoping its true so all of this troublesome snow melts away. Anyway, last chapter everyone got to meet several new people, as well as got to see how Aiden handled a mission given to him by the council. He didn't get to see his sister, but it won't be long until they meet again. This chapter is a bit filler, but it serves to set some future plot points as well as introduce a few new ideas I had swirling around in my head. You come up with a lot of cool things when you are eating cookies at 3 am.**

 **Team Flaming Skies is growing in size, and no longer is it just Aiden, Wendy, Carla and Phoebe. This little filler arc takes place during the end of the Phantom Lord arc and will set up for the beginning of the original arc, which I haven't named yet. I hope you all like it. This chapter in its entirety is a huge reference, and if you guess what that reference is, you'll get to be in the next chapters shoutout.**

 **Thanks to RedBurningDragon for being a loyal reader and for submitting your oc Yun, I promise I'll try to squeeze him into the story at some point, probably during that new arc. I would also like to thank Chance Green G King for also being a loyal reader. Check out his story, The Outcast which just received a new update. I would also like to thanks Sandshrew master 317 for submitting an idea which I'll use in the future.**

 **Well, I hope you all like this new chapter. Have a good night!**

 **This Chapter is brought to you by Crystal Golems, those bastards are hard to kill, which is why I gave up on Sword Art Online Hollow Fragment, true story.**

Fairy Tail

Tales of the Hellfire Dragon

Chapter 12

A Quick Mission

A couple days had passed since Aiden and his team returned from Misty Creek. They had received a warm welcome from everyone, who cheered for their safe return. They were also quite happy when meeting Dilynn and Chelia. Master Roubaul was quick to ask for details, so they all explained the situation. Chelia now sported a bright green Cait Shelter mark on her right leg. She had been ecstatic when she received it and wouldn't stop showing it off to everyone. It made Aiden smile warmly. Dilynn had also gotten one on the back of her hand, though hers was only temporary.

He was currently outside, in the middle of a training session with Wendy. Their clothes had become a bit torn from all of the attacks they had thrown at each other. They were tired and drenched in sweat, but neither were backing down. Dilynn and Chelia had been watching from the sidelines, along with Carla and Phoebe. Finally, Aiden fell to the ground, tapping his fist on the ground.

"I give...you win this one." he said.

"Alright! I told you I could win." Wendy said cheerfully. Her legs quivered and she fell down to her knees, her adrenaline wearing off a bit. Chelia quickly ran to her side, kneeling next to her. Her hands started glowing a bright blackish blue as she started using her magic. As it turned out, Chelia was also a God Slayer. She had apparently been learning her magic from a book that her parents had put away in their attic.

She had explained to them that her parents had been vacationing in Misty Creek for quite awhile, only for them to both get murdered by a mugger. They didn't have magic so they weren't able to defend themselves. Chelia was lucky enough to have been at home at the time, but she had only been five at the time. She spent her time learning her magic and strengthening herself so she could find the man that killed her parents and avenge them. She had been taken to an orphanage, the same one in Misty Creek. Apparently, she was supposed to be in the custody of her cousin but she had disappeared three years prior and hadn't tried to find her. That pissed Aiden off a lot, he wanted to find this person just to give them a piece of his mind, but Wendy had talked him out of it, seeing as they didn't know who she even was.

Phoebe hovered over him, holding a water bottle in her hands. He gave her a quiet thanks, taking the bottle from her, quickly draining it from its contents.

"Wow, you guys are something else. I didn't know Dragon Slayers were this strong." Dilynn said, standing up from the stool she was sitting on. Due to the heat, she had been wearing a sleeveless blue shirt, which had a few hearts drawn on it in bright red cloth. She was wearing a matching navy blue skirt and a pair of white flip flops. She had braided her brown hair, the braid resting on her shoulder. Wendy had given her some beads, which she used to decorate it.

"Our magic is made to combat dragons. Even though we are trained to deal with them, I've never actually fought a dragon...according to Atlas Flame, those who kill a dragon and bathe in its blood become true dragon slayers." Aiden said, wiping some sweat from his forehead. He stood up, stretching a bit. Chelia was already at his side, using her magic to heal his wounds. Wendy smiled, giving the girl a pat on the head.

"She's getting better with her control...it won't be long until she's healing big wounds like me." she said.

"Thanks big sis, all of this practice makes it easier" the girl said.

"Well, now that we have trained a bit, why do you girls say to a quick mission?" he said, gaining their attention.

"What for? We got 30 million Jewels from the council for that last mission. We don't need the money." Carla said.

"Yeah that's true, but that's all going to restoring and increasing the size of our guild hall. We'll have bigger huts than before, and something that I can really get behind, separate showers!" he said happily.

"I do agree with that...it was about time we got separate showers...it's a little embarrassing showering with guys." Wendy said, subconsciously covering herself up.

"Well I honestly think going on a mission is a great idea...I want to get used to this so when I join Fairy Tail, I can just start working." Dilynn said.

"Okay, we'll get ready while you go pick our mission. Chelia you'll have to stay here with Alana okay?" Aiden said.

"Aw...can't I go with you?" she asked, giving him a cute pout. He chuckled, ruffling her hair.

"Sorry sweetheart but that isn't going to work on me. We'll play all the games you want when we come back, okay?"

"Okay, come on Dil, let's play while they get ready." the pink haired girl said, grabbing the brunette's hands. Aiden and Wendy headed off to their huts to grab some clean clothes. They had already showered together a couple times and had grown a little used to it, thankfully there were shower stalls so they couldn't see anything.

After his shower, Aiden dried his hair off, got dressed and grabbed his scarf, wrapping it around his neck. He grabbed his knapsack and put a couple changes of clothes and his money pouch inside it, slinging it over his shoulder. He made his way back to the main hall, greeting a few of his friends and fellow members.

"Hey Aiden, how was training?" Alana asked curiously, she was once again dressed in her casual clothes. She handed him a lit torch, and he took a bite from the flames, a bit of smoke coming from his mouth.

"It was great! Wendy is getting better control of her magic and her hand to hand is getting better. I'll be working with Carla and Dilynn soon, but I want to take a mission. Do you think you could watch Chelia while we're out?"

"Sure thing, I'll keep an eye on her. The master is rather fond of her, he says she reminds him of Wendy when she was little. I can kinda see the resemblance." She said, glancing at one of the tables, where Master Roubaul and Chelia were, playing with some Plasticine. Aiden smiled brightly.

"So, what kind of mission were you looking to take?" Yamato asked, glancing away from her book. She had also decided to dress a bit more casual, forgoing her ballgown for a tribal dress. The top half was a solid black color, and had thick black halter straps, leaving her arms bare. Her violet Cait Shelter mark could be seen on her left bicep, the violet cat had a bright red eye, making it look almost venomous.

The skirt part of the dress changed into a more bright ensemble, having many colors. He spotted several hues of red, blue, orange and bright yellow, along with darker colors like violet and brown, looking at it made him think of a kaleidoscope. She was wearing a pair of black sandals, with bright violet straps which crossed back and forth over her legs and were decorated with many differently colored beads. She was also sported a few bead necklaces around her neck, in various colors, though purple was the most prominent one. She was wearing a brown armband on her bicep which had a scaled design to it.

"Oh hey Yamato...you're fitting in nicely, I could barely tell it was you...the look suits you." he said, admiring her tribal outfit. She blushed a bit, taking a swig from her bottle of poison.

"Anyway, to answer your question...I just want something that's mildly challenging. I want to see what Dilynn can do without overdoing it." he said. She pursed her lips, loosing herself in thought.

"That is a tough one. We're a small guild so we don't get that many requests, but our popularity has increased. Our guild was in the 56th place on the guild list, but the council raised us to 38th place. Apparently, a fourteen year old taking on two S-class quests and successfully completing them is enough to increase your popularity. Several people have asked to join Cait Shelter but the master turned them down. He said we're not accepting anymore members." Alana said, taking back Aiden's torch, since he had already finished his fire.

Aiden looked back at the master, a frown on his face. He wondered why he didn't want more people around. If more members joined, then Cait Shelter would grow in size and they would get more missions, it would feel like a family...but somehow he figured that wasn't what the old man wanted. He probably didn't want the guild getting so big that there wouldn't be enough Jewel to pay the bills. He shook his head, looking back at the board where Dilynn was still standing.

"Maybe an A-class quest will do...I think Wendy is B-class material now, seeing as she's grown in strength over the last few days." Aiden said.

"Yes, but Dilynn has never taken a quest before, so you can't just jump the gun, she might be A-class or she might be F-class. I think you should take a C-class, it's right in the middle so it will be fine." Yamato said firmly.

"Hmm...alright, any good quests Alana?" he asked, looking at the barmaid. She grabbed the log book, looking through it.

"Well, I got some new ones this morning but I didn't pin them up yet. There are three interesting quests, but from all of them this one is the most suitable one." she said, pulling the last C-class quest from the file. She handed it to him, and he instantly read it over.

 **Requesting Able Wizards:**

 **I am in need of a special gemstone located deep within the heart of Crystal Cave. It is rather imperative that I receive this crystal for my research. More details will be given upon arrival. Reward: 25,000 J. Location: Crystal Cove.**

"This does seem rather easy, and I have been to Crystal Cove before. It's a beautiful inlet city, near Hargeon Town. I've never been inside the Crystal Cave though, me and Phoebe were just passing through." he said, looking up from the paper.

"Well there you go, for 25 grand it isn't a bad mission, and all you have to do is grab a crystal. I think that should be easy enough for Dilynn to handle." Alana said.

"There are monsters within the cavern though, and they can vary in strength...I think I'll tag along with you guys, just to make sure you guys are safe." Yamato said, earning a nod from Aiden.

"Sure, the more the merrier." he said with a grin.

"Hi Aiden, did you pick a mission yet? I've been having a hard time debating." Dilynn said, giving him a sheepish smile. He showed her the paper Alana had given him.

"Yup, it's a simple fetch quest. Yamato is coming with us...so it will go by quicker."

"Awesome...I can't wait to show you two what I can truly do." she said, a firm look on her face.

"Good, then once Wendy is ready, we'll grab the first train to Hargeon. From there it's only two hours on foot...we can get to know each other a bit better." he said.

"Hi everyone!" Wendy cried in greeting. She was dressed and ready to go, her pink knapsack firmly placed on her shoulders. Carla was floating right next to her along with Pheobe who was helping her with her ribbon.

"Hiya Wendy, ready to go?" Aiden asked, earning a nod from her.

"Yup, what mission did you pick?" she asked curiously.

"It's one that came in from the council this morning. We're going to Crystal Cove." he said cheerfully.

"And I'll be tagging along to supervise. Aiden may be S-class, but I want to see him at his best. I also want to make sure Dilynn doesn't get hurt." Yamato said.

"Okay...we should leave before the next train leaves the station, it's a bit of a walk to Clover Town." Carla said, finally getting her ribbon on her tail.

"Ah, before you leave, there might be some delay with the trains, all the trains that run through Magnolia have been rerouted to Calysta Town, apparently Phantom Lord has broken the rails leading into the city in an attempt to keep Fairy Tail members away from the guild." Roubaul said.

"Are you serious? Is that conflict still going on?" Aiden asked, a hint of worry on his face.

"It is, they've sent the Element Four into action...they kidnapped one of their members but have asked all other guilds to not get involved, so don't even think of heading to Magnolia Town, I know you've got friends there, but it's dangerous right now." he warned.

"Don't worry Master, as reckless as Aiden is, he knows not to jump into something that doesn't concern him. Fairy Tail will handle it." Phoebe said, earning a nod from Aiden.

"Yeah, I would never get into a situation when I put myself or my friends in danger. They'll be fine, besides they got Natsu and Erza...those two can kick a whole lotta ass when they work together. Come on, let's head out." he said, heading toward the door. They bid their farewells to their friends and left the guildhall.

It took them around a half hour to reach the quiet Clover Town. Aiden greeted a few of his friends, and popped into Frank's shop for a few minutes to see what was up, he was also interested in seeing if anything new had arrived, but sadly the man had nothing on sale. He did buy something that would help Dilynn out but he bought in secret. They were now waiting for the train to arrive, since all of them had been rerouted, they would take a bit longer for them to arrive.

"So Dilynn, exactly what level of Sand Magic do you use? Your father said you can mold things out of sand, so is it a type of maker magic?" Aiden asked curiously. The brunette shrugged, playing with her braid.

"I wouldn't call it Sand Make, but I can make things out of them. However I have to keep the shape until my brother can harden it with his fire. I can make a lot of other things from sand, mostly pillars and sand storms though." she said.

"Hey, maybe we'll find some Sand Make books at the library. We'll have to take a connecting train from Calysta Town and the Magic Library isn't far from there. How about we go check it out?" Phoebe suggested. She summoned her wings, flying up to her partner's shoulder.

"We never did get to go, since we took up that mission from the council." Wendy added.

"Alright, we can head there once we reach Calysta Town." Aiden said. The train pulled into the station, and several passengers got off. Wendy placed her hand on Aiden's chest, channeling her magic into his system. Yamato looked at the spell, growing a bit curious.

"What was that?" she asked, as they entered the now empty train car.

"That was Wendy's Troia spell. It helps cure motion sickness on people that suffer from it, Dragon Slayers for some reason get sick on transportation, but this spell allows them to travel without much issue." Carla said.

"However, I can only use it twice on a person, or else they become used to it's effects. That's why Aiden also has motion sickness pills in case Troia looses it's effect." Wendy added, earning a nod from Yamato.

"I feel bad for Dragon Slayers that don't have access to that spell though...I mean they become motionless on trains and start puking everywhere." Dilynn said.

"Hey, I only know of one Dragon Slayer who doesn't have access to that spell, and it isn't Black Steel Gajeel." Aiden said, settling into his seat. Saying the name now made him quite angry, knowing he would most likely be one of the mages attracting Fairy Tail at that moment.

"Do God Slayers have weaknesses like that?" Dilynn asked, looking over to Yamato, who was reading a magazine she had brought. She looked up, shaking her head.

"I've never experienced excruciating sickness like the ones Dragon Slayers get on transportation. As far as I know, God Slayers don't have any weakness like that one." She said.

"Can you consume your own poison?"

"Sadly no. If I we're to eat my own poison, I would die within minutes of consuming it. It's the same for Dragon Slayers, they can't eat their own element if they created it, but they can eat all other sources of it. They however can't eat God Slayer magic, like say a Flame God Slayer attacked Aiden here, he wouldn't be able to consume his flame, due to it being of a higher power." she said.

"That shares some good insight, seeing as one day I might face someone like that." Wendy said, earning a nod from Aiden.

They remained rather silent after that, mostly watching the scenery just past the windows. Dilynn and Wendy were talking among themselves, mostly about their childhood and how they learned their magic. It was a bit heartwarming to see the two girls getting along, seeing as they were the same age. Phoebe and Carla were playing Tic-Tac-Toe, though it was a loosing battle for Carla since Phoebe just wouldn't go easy on her. Aiden rubbed his eyes, trying to keep himself awake.

"You okay there Aiden?" Yamato asked, looking a bit concerned. He gave her a nod.

"Just a bit tired...I was just hoping for a direct trip to Crystal Cove, but with all of this rerouting bullshit, I've grown a bit bored." he said simply.

"Well, why don't we follow the girl's example and get to know each other. You told me a bit about how you met your sister, so I guess I can tell you how I met Alana."

"Cool, I never got around to asking." he said, giving her his full attention. She rolled her eyes, holding back the urge to laugh.

"Well...Alana and I come from a city all the way near the southern edge of Fiore, Dawn City. Even though it's called a city, it isn't bigger than Clover Town, but we are pretty advanced for a town near the ocean. We grew up together, along with our friend Eterna...we were the only competent mages in the entire city."

"Sounds like you had a fun childhood." Aiden said.

"It was...always playing at the park, running around and climbing trees. Eterna was the girliest one out of all three of us. I was in the middle..and if I was the middle ground, then Alana was what separated us from the boys. She doesn't look it now, but she was a total tomboy. She rolled around in the dirt, played sports and loved nothing more than to prank people as a kid. Eterna had this porcelain doll collection, that she just absolutely loved, and one day, Alana ended up breaking her window playing baseball, the ball ended up breaking her most precious doll. So instead of telling her she just hid it from her."

"Really? I didn't think Alana would be one to do that." He said.

"She wasn't the smartest girl growing up. She ended up trying to glue it together, but that only made it worse. Instead, she talked me into going on a mission with her. That's where she discovered her magic specialty, Requip: The Swordsman." she said.

"Wait...how old we're you when you went on this mission?" Aiden asked curiously. Yamato looked at the ceiling, lost in thought.

"Uh...eight maybe?" she asked.

"Jeez, how reckless could you be?"

"Like you're one to talk." Carla snapped, having gotten sick of loosing, she decided pay attention to the story. He rolled his eyes, deciding to ignore her.

"Anyway...Eterna must have found out what we did and gone after us, by then we were too far from the city to go back, we had already taken the quest after all. She ended up getting hurt on the way, and Alana blamed herself for it. It was just a simple ankle sprain, but She took it too far. Eterna wasn't even mad about the doll, she just wanted to make sure we were safe. Alana stopped being reckless after that. However, it wasn't the only time we ended up going on missions. We were actually part of a small Treasure Hunting Guild, known as the Dawn Eagles."

"That guild disbanded years ago, or so I heard. I actually met some ex-members out on the road." Aiden said, surprised to hear his friend was from a once famous guild.

"Yeah, it was a bit of a shame really. But anyway, this is where the story ends up taking a turn for the worse. Alana and I we're practicing our magic with Eterna, who had decided to start training on her swordsmanship. While she couldn't use the same Requip as Alana, she could use Sword Magic, and had various spells for the swords she used. Alana ended up forging a sword for her, as a gift for her thirteen birthday. It was a beautiful long sword, with a spell chamber. If you channel magic into it, and insert a specially bullet, you can channel that magic through the blade for a different effect. Eterna was absolutely in love with the sword, so much so that she ended up taking a mission that was out of her league. She had to recover one of seven special emeralds located deep within a cavern." Yamato said, her tone was changing a bit, from being happy to a little bit sad. Dilynn and Wendy were now paying full attention to her.

"What happened?" Aiden asked, though it was an innocent question, he could tell that it was a painful thing for her to say. She took a deep breath, closing her eyes.

"Eterna...she ended up going alone into the cave, by the time we had found her, she was mortally wounded, she had taken a spell right to the heart, and she was bleeding out. We didn't have healers back home and she would die by the time we got her out of the cave. Alana saw the sword she had given her best friend and came up with an idea, to seal her friend's soul within the sword, until she found a way to save her life. Eterna agreed to it, but that only made the situation worse.

Once the spell was cast, she was bound to the sword. Alana tried to set her free, but found it impossible, so now, Eterna is trapped within that sword, for the rest of eternity. Alana doesn't like talking about her a lot, because she still feels responsible...but Eterna has forgiven her millions of times. Sometimes, if Alana allows it, Eterna comes out of the sword, but I'm not sure how long it's been since the last time they spoke." she said, ending her story.

"I'm sorry that happened...but if Eterna is happy that her friend saved her life, then Alana shouldn't keep holding her death over herself. Eterna can still come out of the blade, so she should just allow her to." Aiden said.

"Yeah, we talked about it back home, but she's still not happy about it. She doesn't want to face Eterna after what happened. She barely even uses Twilight, the sword that she made for her. I doubt that's what Eterna even wanted." Yamato said.

"Maybe we can convince her otherwise? I'm sure Eterna wants to see her friends again..it must be lonely being stuck in that sword all the time." Wendy said.

"Yeah, except in order for Eterna to be set free, at least for her to be out of the sword, she needs an external source of energy. You said the sword has a special chamber for magical bullets right?" Aiden asked.

"Yes, it has three of them, along with a trigger. If you use magical lacrima bullets, you can place special magic spells into it and channel them through the sword." Yamato said.

"Hmm...what if we take two of those chambers and put some lacrimas in them, so they absorb natural magic power. That way Eterna wouldn't need to use Alana as a source of magic." Aiden said.

"She would be able to leave the sword for as long as he wants! Aiden your a genius." Wendy said.

"Of course, he may be reckless but he has his moments." Phoebe added, earning a giggle from Carla.

"Hey, I resent that. Anyway, I can easily get those lacrimas from Frank in Clover Town, he uses Lacrima magic, so he'll be able to craft exactly what we need." He continued.

"You guys are so sweet you know, coming up with a solution to bring back someones friend." Dilynn said.

"Hey, we're all part of Cait Shelter right? And that includes Eterna...so I'll do everything I can to get her out into the mortal world and out of that sword...but for now, let's just focus on getting to Crystal Cove." he said.

"I can't wait to share this with Alana...it's going to make her so happy." Yamato said with a warm smile.

xxx

"Ugh finally, my freaking ass is sore." Phoebe cried as she and her friends left the train. They had finally arrived in Crystal Cove, after waiting for a train in Calysta Town. Thankfully, they had enough time to visit the library and get a few books for the road.

Crystal Cove wasn't that big of a city, resembling Clover Town a bit, with all of the small houses and family run businesses. There was a beautiful inlet, and the city was built around it, following the same crescent shape of the cove. The blue waters of the sea were lapping at the golden sand, where a few people were enjoying themselves. Aiden wasted no time in heading out, walking toward the biggest building in the city, the place where their client lived. They saw several large rock formations with glowing crystals of various colors sticking out. Wendy's eyes were glowing a bit as she stared at every crystal she saw.

"They're so pretty! Look at that red one, it's glowing almost like a fire!" she said, pointing to a particularly large red crystal.

"That's the beauty of Crystal Cove, all of these Crystals absorb small amounts of ethernano, making them glow brightly in a wide array of colors. The most rare crystals are the clear ones. If you hold them to the light, you can see a rainbow." he said.

"Do you think we'll be able to find one inside the cave, Aiden?" Dilynn asked.

"We might, we'll have to keep our eyes peeled though." Yamato added, eyeing a purple one that was embedded into a large stone.

"Whoa, even the street lamps are made of crystals. This place must look really pretty at night." Carla said, looking around at the small town.

"Trust me, it is. Hey Aiden, can we stay over night? I want to see the crystals glowing in the night!"

"Sure Phoebe, as long as everyone else is okay with it." he said with a nod.

"I'm okay with it, I just want to get myself some souvenirs. I promised Chelia I would bring her back some crystals." Dilynn said. Yamato remained silent, looking around the small town. All of the towns people were looking at them, eyeing the marks on their shoulders.

"Looks like we're the center of attention." Carla said, glaring at a few people who kept looking in her direction.

"Of course, they've never seen awesome powerful wizards like us." Aiden said, flexing his arm a bit. Wendy and Dilynn rolled their eyes, while Yamato just clapped his shoulder, giving him a grin.

"They are looking at us because Cait Shelter is growing in popularity, all thanks to you and me." she said, making him grin a bit wider.

At the top of the hill was a large house. It was a two story building, with a tan coat of paint on the outside and stained glass windows of various colors. There was an iron fence surrounding it, with large blue crystals that were glowing slightly, most likely the source of light at night. The inner courtyard had several small trees, all cut into various shapes, most being cut into animals. The gates were thankfully open, so they just walked in. Aiden rose his hand, giving three firm knocks on the door.

"Man, this place is nice...wonder how rich this guy is." Phoebe said curiously.

"Is money all you ever think about?" Carla asked, earning a grin from her.

"Money is what keeps me fed, I've always been passionate about not starving to death." the orange exceed replied.

"Phoebe, you never have and never will starve...there are much more important things in this world than money." Aiden said, crossing his arms. The large wooden doors opened, revealing an elderly man, most likely around his early to late fifties, dressed in a firmly pressed suit. He had short white hair, neatly combed, as well as a short white mustache. He had a monocle over his left eye. He cleared his throat, looking at all of them.

"How may I help you today?" he asked, his accented voice filling their ears. Aiden vaguely recognized the accent, from Pregrande perhaps?

"We're wizards from Cait Shelter, we accepted the request you sent out?" Yamato said, holding the paper out to him. He looked at all of them, noticing the marks on their bodies. He opened the door a bit, allowing them to enter.

"Follow me please, the master of the house would like to meet you." he said. The small team of wizards stepped into the house. Looking around, they found themselves in a rather lavish looking foyer. There was a grand staircase leading up stairs, heading into two separate directions, the East Wing and the West Wing of the house. The floors were made of marble and were polished to a shine, and above them was a small crystalline chandelier, made out of pale yellow crystals that seemed to make the room glow with golden light. The man, who they assumed was a butler, lead them to the left part of the house, taking them into another room.

"This is my master's study. He is waiting for you inside...would you like anything?" he asked politely.

"Um...I'm alright." Aiden said.

"So am I, we wouldn't want to impose." Wendy said. Phoebe was about to ask for something but Carla quickly clamped her mouth shut, holding the orange exceed tightly in her arms. Aiden was glad she had assumed human form before leaving the train station, or else Phoebe would have asked for every morsel in the house. Yamato also politely refused. The man nodded, gesturing for them to enter.

The study was a rather small sized room, with large shelves that were filled to the brim with books. There were two large stained glass windows, depicting angels on them, they seemed to also be made from crystals as they were glowing brightly in the sunlight. There was a large oak desk to the very back of the room, filled to the brim with hundreds of sheets of paper. In front of it was a plush looking furniture set, two small couches and a bright red love seat. There was a glass table in the center of the room, with an old looking rug underneath it.

Behind the desk sat the client, a young man who looked to be in his early thirties, with black hair, which was slicked with gel and neatly brushed. He was wearing a large white coat, over what looked like a tan sweater. Underneath he wore a collared shirt and a tie. How the man wasn't dying of heat was beyond anyones guess. He had a thin pair of glasses on his face. He looked up, a small smile on his face.

"Ah, you must be the mages from Cait Shelter. I received confirmation from your master that you were on your way. Welcome, please have a seat." he said, gesturing to the furniture in front of the desk.

"It's nice to meet you sir...my name's Aiden, this is my partner Phoebe."

"I'm Wendy, this is my partner Carla. And these are our friends, Yamato and Dilynn."

"It's a pleasure to meet you all, you may call me William. Once again, thank you for taking this quest, it means a lot to me that you have."

"So, what exactly do you want us to look for? We get that it's a special crystal, but we need more information than that." Aiden said.

"Quite right, well I should explain what I do first. As you might be aware, the crystals here in Crystal Cove are able to absorb natural ethernano and can store it for long periods of time, causing them to glow brightly in various colors. Lacrima crystals are harder to make and require practiced skill, so I'm studying the crystals from the Crystal Cave, to see if there is a cheaper alternative to the lacrima crystals. If they can hold magic spells in them better than lacrima crystals, we could easily mine them from the cave and use them for magical spells. These crystals grow at a fast rate, so we wouldn't be harming the environment by over mining them either." he said.

"Hmm...that's rather interesting. Lacrima crystals tend to break after being used repeatedly, without proper care and maintenance. If these crystals are stronger, then it will make magic all the more easier to store and sell." Aiden said.

"Precisely...but lately, the crystals from the forward part of the cave have been unable to be tested on. They aren't mature yet so they don't last through the experiments. I require a crystal from the deepest part of the Crystal Cave, the Crystal Triad. There's a section there with three big crystals, I believe the crystals from that part of the cave will be suitable for this experiment." William said.

"Alright, so our mission is to gather crystals from the Triad and get them back here, no problemo." Dilynn said, a grin on her face.

"Except there are monsters in that cave. We'll have to be careful...and we also have to extract the crystals without damaging them, or else they wouldn't be useful. We'll have to be ready for anything." Yamato said.

"Ah yes, I'll provide you with mining equipment. It's alright if the crystals are broken off at the base, so long as they aren't cracked in the center. They don't need to be big either, around the size of a baseball should be fine to work with. Three will do." he said, grabbing a brown knapsack from beside him, which was filled with various tools. Aiden took it from him, feeling its weight.

"Well ladies, we've got our mission. Get to the deepest part of the cave and mine the crystals." Aiden said firmly.

"Alright then, we'll get it done. If you excuse us William, we'll get on our way." Yamato said.

It only took them a few minutes to get down to the cove. Behind them was the gaping maw that made up the entrance to the crystal cave. The sounds of beach goers could be heard from where they stood, along with the sound of the lapping sea. They could see bright blue crystals glowing not far from the cavern entrance. They all stood there, staring for a few minutes. Aiden had thankfully placed his knapsack into his small requip pocket, as it would weigh him down during fights.

"Are we just gonna stand here or are we going in?" Dilynn said, sounding a bit impatient. Aiden let out a chuckle and took the lead, slowly walking into the cavern.

Their eyes grew wide as they entered the cave. The pale gray rocky walls were lined with tiny crystals that glowed brightly in the low lighting of the cave. Large crystals also grew out of the ground, glowing brighter than most of the others. Aiden looked around in amazement, wishing he had brought a camera with him. He shook it off and continued deeper into the cave.

"This is amazing isn't it?" Wendy asked, matching his pace. He gave her a nod, eyeing all of the crystals that hung above him.

"Yeah, it's like natures own nightlight. I wouldn't mind living in a place like this." he said.

"If you could find a chamber big enough and convert it into a house." Carla added.

"Look alive, we've got a Golem." Yamato said, just as they entered one of the big chambers within the gave. Within was a giant rock monster, encrusted with several glowing crystals. It stood almost as tall as the cave ceiling, and looked like it was made entirely out of boulders. It had sharpened crystal claws and thick crystal legs. It roared loudly, shaking the cave a bit.

"Alright, this looks like my time to shine! Sand Buster!" Dilynn cried, jumping in front of the monster. From the ground, three large streams of sand flew out, striking the golem in the center of the chest, sending it back a few feet. The creature took a step forward, ignoring the sand completely.

"Hellfire Dragon's Iron Fist!" Aiden cried, slamming his flaming fist into the golem's chest, sending it tumbling to the ground. He shook his hand, gritting his teeth a bit.

"Don't just jump at the chance to strike, it could be your downfall." Aiden said, glancing back at Dilynn. She gave him a nod.

"Guess I got carried away. It's getting up!" she said. Yamato rushed past them, jumping into the air, pulling her arms back behind her head.

"Poison God's Acid Spray!" she chanted, throwing a large green glob of acid at the golem that was starting to stand up. It splashed onto it's surface, the creature roared in pain, as it's body started sizzling from the effects. She landed on the ground next to the creature, sweeping her poison coated leg at it, slamming it into the far wall.

"Damn, that thing flew." Phoebe said, impressed with Yamato's strength. The girl let out a breath, sweeping some hair behind her head.

"Now Wendy, show it what you are made of." she said. Wendy nodded, taking a deep breath, cheeks puffing out a bit with air.

"Sky Dragon's Roar!" she shouted, expelling a large funnel of wind at the creature. It slammed into its chest, breaking off some of the crystals that had been melting from the acid. Aiden pulled his hands above his head, a large ball of fire forming at the center.

"Fire Make: Gungnir!" he chanted, throwing the swirling spear of fire at the creature. It passed right through the hole Wendy had created, exploding on contact. Large chunks of rock and crystals flew in all directions, though thankfully, Aiden crafted a shield of fire to stop them from being hurt. Once he brought it down, Dilynn approached the remains of the Golem, cringing a bit.

"Wow, you guys are something else." she said.

"The most important part of any team is working together. That's why I make sure to know my friends weaknesses so I can cover for them whenever we're in danger." Aiden said, earning a nod from the brunette. She knelt down before the dead golem, grabbing a small glowing crystal from the ground. She held it in her hand, looking at it the light red glowing light.

"That's a heart crystal. It's what makes Golem's come to life. Don't worry, once they are killed, the crystal can't revive them or create a new Golem." Yamato reassured. Dilynn nodded, shoving it in her pocket.

"Let's keep going, I can tell there's gonna be a lot more to face down the line." Carla said, gesturing to the path ahead of them.

They continued walking down the path, noticing a bit of a decline in the path, as if they were going deeper underground. They passed by three other large chambers, seeing larger crystals that reached from the ceiling all the way to the ground. They had thankfully not run into anything else while traveling deeper into the cave.

They found another empty chamber, that had three large crystals in the center. They looked around but didn't see a path to head forward, just three giant crystals that formed a triangle of sorts in the center of the cave. There was a bit of green moss in the center of the three crystals. They decided it was time for a break. Aiden brought out the mining bag he had gotten from William.

"We've come pretty deep, aside from that Golem, we've found nothing. I'm gonna grab some of the crystals, seeing as this is the deepest part of the cave." he said, grabbing a pick axe from the pack. He walked over to one of the large crystals, seeing a small deposit by it that had the size they required. He drove the pick into the ground, careful not to damage the crystals.

"What do you think these crystals do?" Dilynn asked, looking at one of the large crystals. One of them was a green color, the second one was a bright orange color, and the last one was glowing bright blue, almost crystalline. Yamato shrugged, taking a seat next to a smaller deposit. She used a bit of her acid to break off one of the purple crystals.

"I'm not sure, they are absorbing a lot of magic, I mean look at how bright they are glowing. But I doubt they do anything." she said. She looked across the cave, seeing Wendy and Carla high in the air, grabbing a few crystals from the ceiling. She heard a loud crack, as Aiden grabbed the first crystal.

"If my brother we're here, he would probably never leave. He loves crystals, and said he wanted to learn Crystal magic. Apparently there's a type of maker magic that centers around the use of Crystals. Of course, he might not succeed do to his natural affinity with fire." she said.

"I doubt that will be an issue. If he applies himself, he should be able to learn it. It took me four years to learn my Fire Make, and I only had two years of formal training from my master." Aiden said, breaking off the second crystal. He moved around the left side of the crystal, and started digging out the last one.

"You are right...you know...maybe he should join a guild like me...he would get more help that way. He hates to admit it, but he admires Lamia Scale a lot. Rock Iron Jura is part of that guild, and he's a wizard saint! Fairy Tail's master is also a wizard saint, but he's not as strong as Jura." Dilynn said.

"You know, Jura is a specialist in Earth magic, he would be able to help you with your magic, why not join Lamia Scale instead?" Yamato asked. She shook her head.

"I thought about it, but I want to join Fairy Tail..they seem much more fun than Lamia Scale does." she said. The final crystal snapped off, making Aiden sigh in relief. He grabbed the three crystals and placed them into a special bag he found within the knapsack. He put the axe away and stood up, placing his hand on the large crystal. It glowed brightly, changing from a bright green to a bright orange.

"Holy shit!" he cried, taking a step away from it.

"What happened?" Wendy cried, landing next to her friend.

"I touched the crystal...and it changed color." he said, pointing to the now orange crystal. Wendy looked at it curiously, tapping it with her finger, she gasped when it changed to a bright yellow.

"No way...these crystals do something..I knew it!" Dilynn said. She walked up to it and placed her hand on it, causing it to change into a purple color, she tapped it again and this time it turned red.

"This is so peculiar...why did William not tell us this?" Yamato asked, looking closely at the crystals.

"Maybe he never got this far, remember the Golem? Maybe it was a protector or something." Carla replied.

"True...what do you think would happen if we turn them all the same color?" Dilynn asked.

"We won't know until we find out. Phoebe, turn that one over there red, I'll get this one." Aiden said, earning a nod from his exceed. Several bright flashes later, all three crystals were red, but nothing happened.

"Aw...I was hoping something cool would happen."

"Like what? A magical cavern entrance that leads to some unexplored part of this cave?" Carla said, crossing her arms. Dilynn huffed, looking away from the exceed.

"Maybe that's all they do..change color. It's not like they are mythical crystals after all." Yamato said. Aiden frowned, leaning back on one of the crystals, which changed to a white blue color. He could almost see through it.

"Hey wait...what are we surrounded by?" He asked suddenly.

"Crystals, what kind of stupid question is that?" Phoebe asked. He ignored her looking at the other girls.

"So, what if we turn them all into a crystalline color? Like this one." he said, pointing to the now white crystal.

"I think you are onto something. Wendy go get that last crystal, I got this one." Yamato said, tapping the nearby crystal until it turned into a crystalline white. Wendy did the same, finally reaching the same color. All three crystals brightened up immensely, making everyone back away from them. The entire cave started to shake.

The crystals begun glowing brighter large bolts of magical power flew from the tops of the crystals, meeting together in the center until they exploded into a bright light. Everyone shielded their eyes, scared about what was going on, until the cave finally stopped shaking. When the light died down, they all looked in amazement. The crystals seemed to have joined into one, and now a large entrance could be seen, leading deeper into the cave.

"What was that Carla? These crystals don't lead into a deeper part of where?" Dilynn asked, giving the white haired girl a shit eating grin.

"Okay, I may have been wrong." she said.

"This is amazing, a whole new place that's never been seen before, and we discovered it!" Wendy cried, her eyes sparkling brightly.

"What are we waiting for? Let's check it out!" Aiden said.

"Wait..we can't just run in there, we don't know what's living in there...or if its safe." Yamato said.

"It clearly is, seeing as no one even knew about it. Come on Yamato, let's just go!" Aiden said, taking her hand in his own, he pulled her along, walking into the opening in the crystals.

"Hey wait...be careful!" she cried.

"Come on, before they get hurt." Carla said, following behind them. Wendy walked in next, followed by Dilynn and Phoebe, who were both excited to see what secrets the cave was hiding.


	13. Crystal Cove Finale: A New Discovery

**A/N: Hello from the Arctic. Celestial Sky Dragon here reporting live from Snowmagedon central! Holy Shit did it snow today, I wasn't expecting it to be deep but damn. Snow is literally coming through my window and it's freaking sealed shut, it's insane. Too bad I'm a Celestial Sky Dragon and not an Ice Dragon, or I would have eaten all this pesky snow.**

 **Setting that aside, today I bring you the conclusion to the Crystal Cove arc. You all get to see what lies at the end of the cave, though for those of you who get the reference, you'll know exactly what's at the end. I hope you like this one, I worked really hard and put in a lot of research into it. After this we'll go to a small cut off of Magnolia Town before diving into another mini arc. I think I'll be going into more mini arcs until I get to the Fighting Festival Arc, which reminds me, I need to watch that so I can write it. Still not sure what I will do, but I was thinking of having Aiden compete in the Fairy Tail events, like have a day or two where it's just him competing in events for Prizes, and some other contests, and then the day of the Fairy Tail beauty pageant happens and that's when shit gets real. I'm also not sure if I'll have Aiden be part of the fight against Laxus...I really want to add him into that fight, which would piss Laxus off a lot since Aiden isn't even part of Fairy Tail.**

 **After that, I think there will be a bit of a break between arcs, until I set up the beginning of the Oracion Seis arc. It will also give me time to develop the new characters I'll be adding in the coming arcs. So far, Team Flaming Skies consists of, Aiden, Wendy, Phoebe and Carla, the founders, Yamato and Chelia, with a few more people joining in soon. It might be a big team, but they won't always be together, the founders will most likely be the main part of the team you'll see. I'm also planning on having a cute little chapter for Chelia to go on her first mission. It's going to be a Valentine's day special, since the holiday is coming up.**

 **Shoutouts to RedBurningDragon for being helpful as usual, thanks to those suggestions, I have gotten a lot of movesets completed for a few characters and you've given me loads of ideas, so this chapter id dedicated to you friend.**

 **Shoutout also goes to my man G King, for being a loyal reader and for reviewing my stuff constantly, check out his story the Outcast, which is getting really good now that it's nearing its end.**

 **Now, without further adoo, let us tunnel through the snow and read this chapter together!**

 **This Chapter is brought to you by Taco Bells new Chicken Shell Taco. I would have tried one buy my lack of a vehicle is preventing me from doing so. Oh Blizzards, gotta love them...**

Fairy Tail

Tales of the Hellfire Dragon

Chapter 13

A New Discovery

The second they stepped into that passage was the second they realized the cavern was different. Drastically different. While the top part was a bit more rocky and had crystals growing out of the rocks and the ground, the underground part was entirely made of crystals. Every wall, every path, the ground and the ceiling, it was like being inside a giant crystal. The walls were glowing a bright blue, and the crystals growing out of the ground seemed to be different from the ones above. Aiden had already collected several crystal samples, knowing that William would love to study them.

Walking further into the cavern, they found the first empty chamber, seeing all of the large deposits of crystals. The glow was even more intense than before, almost making the room look like it was being shined down by sunlight. Aiden walked to the center of the cavern, looking around for any signs of monsters, but so far he didn't sense anything. He too a whiff of the air, shaking his head.

"All I smell is dust and crystals, nothing more nothing less." he said.

"So it really is safe down here. There's no creatures here because the crystals kept this place hidden." Wendy said.

"I still have a hard time believing this...do you think there's a treasure trove hidden here?" Carla asked.

"Treasure? That would be so cool, Pirates could have enchanted this place, or it could belong to some ancient tribe of wizards." Phoebe said.

"While I believe in an ancient tribe of Wizards, seeing our guild belongs to one, I don't really think they would have kept treasure here. But it doesn't hurt looking." Yamato said, taking the lead this time. Aiden's brow furrowed, and he purse his lips.

"Wait...our guild is part of an ancient tribe?" he asked.

"Seriously? You've been part of our guild for how long now and you don't know our history?" Carla asked.

"I never asked and no one told me, fuck!" he snapped back, earning a hiss from the white haired girl.

"It's alright, I'll tell you what master told us. Apparently, master and all of the members of Cait Shelter happen to be the descendants of an ancient tribe of mages known as the Nirvits. They were apparently the strongest tribe 400 years ago, and were known for various discoveries and magical advances. That's why we mostly wear tribal attire and live mostly off the nature around us, because that's how our ancestors did it." Wendy said.

"Even though we weren't born to the Nirvit, Master Roubaul welcomed us into his guild and considers us part of his tribe. It's quite an honor to be part of it, so make sure you learn more about our tribe when you have the time." Carla scolded.

"Yes mother, I'll learn everything I can later." he said. Carla grit her teeth in annoyance and looked away, flicking a strand of hair over her shoulder.

"This still so exciting...what do you think is at the end of this tunnel?" Dilynn asked.

"I dunno...more crystals I think...we've come really deep." Aiden said, running his hand along the crystalline walls. Reaching another chamber, they noticed the cavern opened up, turning into a large room. They all gasped, seeing all of the light blue crystals that were sticking out of the ground, and from the ceiling. It looked as if the stone floor had been over taken by the crystal, giving it a glossy look. They heard the sound of water lapping at the shore and ran ahead, seeing the crystal chamber was actually a large underground lake. The water was a cool blue, and several smaller crystals could be seen sticking out of the water. They all looked at it amazed.

"Who would have guessed there would be a large lake under the Crystal Cave?" Yamato asked.

"It's breathtaking. Aiden, we should grab some of these for Mister William." Wendy said. He nodded and headed to one of the large crystals, giving it a firm kick. It tumbled to the ground, splitting into three large chunks. He grabbed a medium sized one, placing it in the knapsack that had filled to the brim.

"What's that glow over there? Coming from the center of the lake?" Dilynn asked, pointing to an area past a few crystals.

"Let's check it out!" Aiden said, letting the bag disappear into his spacial pocket. They ran off, going around the edge of the lake toward another area, they noticed a path that lead almost toward the center of the lake. They stopped near the edge, seeing a large crystalline shelf sticking out of the water. The glow was coming from that shelf, there was a pedestal on it, and on top of that something had been placed.

"Undiscovered treasure, some magical jewel no one has ever seen, museum quality artifacts that will line our pockets with cash! This is so fucking awesome!" Phoebe cried, zooming forward, only for Carla to grab her tail.

"There she goes again, talking about money...I'll hold her here, go and check out that pedestal." she said. Aiden nodded and started walking forward, with Wendy by his side. As the approached the pedestal however, he felt an abnormal amount of magic near the area. He could sense the one in the crystals, but this one felt almost stronger than that, and near the same level as Yamato's. He looked to his left, eyes widening when he saw a pillar of water heading in his direction. He grabbed Wendy's arm and pulled her back, just in time to avoid the water.

"Jeez, what was that?" he asked.

"What are you doing here? Do you dare trespass on my domain?" a firm feminine voice cried out. The entire area rumbled a bit, causing a few large crystals to break off, hitting the ground before shattering into millions of pieces. A large pillar of water formed behind the pedestal, causing them all to go wide eyed. Before they could even react, the water slammed down on all of them, sweeping them back toward the back end of the cavern. Aiden grabbed onto one of the crystals, holding onto Wendy's hand so she wouldn't drift away. Sadly however, the others had been washed away by the water. The tidal wave finally died down, allowing the two dragon slayers to breathe, though now the felt a stinging sensation on their skin, as if it was burning away at them. They were soaking wet, and water dripped around them.

"What the hell was that?" Aiden cried out, panting a bit. He heard foot steps ahead of him and he looked up, seeing a girl around his age, standing at the center of the path.

She had long cornflower blue hair that reached down to her lower back, and was kept neat and straight. She was wearing a navy blue sailor outfit, which consisted of a sleeveless button down shirt, with two breasts pockets, the tops of which were white in color. She wore a blue ascot, with a white line on the edge of it. She had a red clip on tie attached to it, the tie was red in color, and bore a weird insignia on it. She wore detached sleeves, which were also blue in color, and covered most of her hands. She wore a pleated blue skirt, with a few bird designs on the hem. She also wore black biker shorts underneath the skirt, and were barely visible. She wore black knee socks, along with matching blue boots, with thick black laces. Her sea green eyes bore into his own blue ones, he could tell she was angry.

"I'll ask you again, why are you trespassing on my domain?" she asked firmly. Aiden stood up, ignoring the fact that he was soaking wet and that his skin was burning a bit. Wendy stood up beside him, wringing her hair out.

"We aren't trespassing, we're from Cait Shelter, a wizard guild. We came here to look for crystals." he explained, showing her his mark. She narrowed her eyes a bit, holding her hand high in the air.

"Wizard Guilds are not welcome here!" she said, forming a large whirlpool above her head. She sent it at the two with a firm shout. Aiden and Wendy ducked out of the way, in time to dodge the attack that broke apart as soon as it hit the ground. The area where they stood was sizzling a bit.

"Alright, you wanna fight, then we'll fight. Fire Make: Blooming Roses: Fire Machine Gun!" he chanted, throwing five flaming seeds into the ground. They sprouted from the ground forming large rose blooms above her. They started firing large blue fire balls at her, which she was easily able to dodge. She took a deep breath, a bubble of water forming in her mouth.

"Water Basilisk's Breath!" she chanted, willing the bubble to explode, a large torrent of greenish blue water came shooting at them. The roses sizzled out of existence, being taken out by the water magic. Aiden jumped above her, a smirk on his face.

"Now Wendy!" he cried.

"Right, Sky Dragon's Crushing Fang!" the girl cried, sending large blades of wind magic at the green eyed girl. At the same time, Aiden cast his own attack.

"Hellfire Dragon's Wing Attack!" he cried, sweeping his arms in a half circle, the fire melded with the wind magic, both exploded on contact with the girl. She howled in pain, flying back into the pedestal. She grit her teeth and stood up.

"You are making a grave mistake!" she said, taking a deep breath, large streams of water started flowing into her mouth, causing the two to grow slack jawed.

"She's a dragon slayer?" they both said in unison. The girl finished drinking the water, a smirk on her face.

"Please, I am nothing like those over sized lizards...I am someone who is far stronger than them. Right now you are trespassing on my Kingdom and my domain, so leave before it gets ugly." she said.

"She's bluffing Wendy, this chick isn't anything more than a treasure hunter like us, probably found an underground river that leads to this lake. We can't let her win." he said.

"Right, I'll give us a boost. Arms, Armor, Vernier, enchant!" she cried, the boosting effects instantly swirled around them, getting rid of the stinging sensation from before. The girl snapped her fingers, forming hundred upon hundreds of small glowing bubbles, she held her arms above her, closing her eyes.

"Water Basilisk's Bubble Beam!" she cried out, snapping her fingers, the bubbles shot off, bouncing in different directions. Aiden grabbed Wendy's hand, quickly spinning so they were back to back. He rose his hands above his head, channeling magic to his palms.

"Fire Make: Shield!" he chanted, forming a fiery dome around them. All of the bubbles that struck the dome instantly turned into stream. His quick thinking had saved them from a serious attack, as soon as he brought the dome came down, Wendy shot forward, her feet covered in a swirling funnel of wind.

"Sky Dragon's Crushing Claw!" she cried, swiping her leg at the girl, large tendrils of wind slammed into the girl, sending her flying back toward Aiden. She righted herself in mid air, a swirling mass of water covering her leg.

"Water Basilisk's Tsunami Strike!" she cried, slamming her water coated leg into Aiden. He cried in pain, slamming into the ground hard by the tidal wave of greenish blue water. He grit his teeth, gasping in pain as he clutched his chest.

"Aiden!" Wendy cried, worried about her friend. She looked back at the girl who had landed in a low crouch.

"You Dragons think you can just come into my domain, after so many of our own were killed by you. I will not allow you to steal my precious jewel. This is where you both end. Water Basilisk Secret Art!" she chanted, a bright blue magic circle appeared under her feet. Thousands of glowing bubbles formed around her body, larger in size than the previous one. Looking around, Wendy could see them surrounding every square inch of space, and more just kept popping up. The girl smirked, slamming her hands into the ground.

"Queen Basilisk's Primordial Seas!" she cried out. The spell for a second looked like it was actually going to take effect. Wendy jumped onto Aiden, using her body to shield him from the attack, only for it to completely disappear. The two of them looked at the girl, seeing the blank look on her face, just before she passed out, falling down onto the ground. They noticed a glowing purple stinger sticking out of her shoulder.

"Man, it's a good thing she was distracted." Yamato said, lowering her hand.

"You poisoned her?" Wendy asked, eyes wide. Yamato shook her head.

"It was a special kind of poison that puts people to sleep. She'll be fine in a few hours. I however wasn't expecting a Basilisk Slayer here of all places." she said.

"A what?" Aiden asked, sitting up, ignoring the fact that Wendy was now sitting on his lap. He was more focused on what Yamato was talking about.

"Yes, they are a rare bunch of lost magic users just like you two and myself. Basilisks were apparently sea dwelling creatures, that were preyed upon by dragons, but after the fall of the dragon race they became more abundant. Those who get lucky enough not to get eaten by one, will instead be granted the use of their magic, something tells me this girl was living here with her Basilisk parent...now would you get off his lap Wen? You are too young for that." she said, brushing past them. Wendy screamed, realizing what she meant and quickly stood up, pulling her soaked skirt down. Her face was glowing red.

"It isn't what it looks like." she said.

"Don't worry about it, you were trying to protect me, and I was the one who sat up. It's cool." he said, brushing it off. He walked over to the girl and knelt down before her, pulling the stinger from her shoulder. He frowned, looking back at Yamato.

"She said this was her domain...does that mean she was living here along all this time?" he asked.

"Possibly...this could be the first time she's seen humans." she replied.

"Hey Aiden look at the treasure...it's just another crystal." Phoebe said, holding the blue crystal in her paws. Aiden took it from her, looking it over. It felt a little odd, especially with all of the magic radiating from it. It was around the size of his fist, and was cut out almost into a diamond shape. And it looked to be filled with crystalline blue water.

"Don't...touch that."

Aiden looked at the girl, seeing she was already awake, though looking a bit weak. That spell must have taken a lot more out of her than they thought. He looked at the crystal in his hand, handing it back to Phoebe.

"Put it back. Wendy, can you heal her up?" he asked, earning a nod from her.

"I'll try, but I'm a bit tired." she said, hovering her hands over the girl, the warm glow of her magic seeped into the girl's body, easing her pain a bit.

"What's your name?" Aiden said, looking at the girl.

"I'm not telling you anything, Dragon." she snapped, looking away from her. He rolled his eyes.

"Listen, I'm not sure what the Dragons and Basilisks did when they were around, but I'm not a part of that. I'm just someone who uses their magic. I wanna know why you are here alone, deep beneath the Crystal Cave, after that we'll leave and never bother you again." he said. She sighed, closing her eyes.

"I was raised here by my mother. She was the Queen of the Basilisks. Her name is Illgardia...I don't know where exactly I was born, but I've always lived here, eating the fish that swim in the lake. My mother also made me this outfit from her magic and her scales, it's one that changes as I age so I don't need new clothes, it also never gets dirty. When I was seven, she decided to teach me her magic, seeing as I was the only human she had taken a liking too. She taught me everything she knew, and the one day, I woke up and she was gone." she said.

"Just like Atlas Flame." He said.

"And Grandeeny...why are all parents like this?" Wendy wondered, a frown on her face, earning a shrug from Aiden.

"You two...were left by your parents?" she asked, eyes widening a bit.

"Yeah, on July 7th 777, that's when our dragons disappeared." he said.

"What? That's when my mother disappeared...this can't be a coincidence!" the girl said, sitting up. She hissed a bit, clutching her shoulder. Wendy hovered her hand over that spot, seeing the purple spot from Yamato's stinger.

"That's really interesting...what reason would our parents have for leaving us on the same day? And why the 7th of July?" Aiden asked. He shook his head, standing up a bit.

"Well...I think we've done enough damage here. We'll be leaving now...we won't tell anyone about what we found."

"But Aiden, what about that crystal? Think of all the money?" Phoebe said.

"Phoebe, that artifact is special to this girl, we are not selling it for profit. We collected enough crystals from the cavern, they will do." Carla scolded, earning a huff from the orange exceed.

"Before we go, do you think we could get a name?" Yamato asked. The girl looked at her, a small frown on her face.

"My name...it's been so long since I even heard it. Regardless, my name is Princess Iona Illgardia...daughter of the Basilisk Queen." she said, giving them a formal bow.

"Wow, a princess...how cool." Wendy said, mimicking a certain blond magazine article writer.

"She isn't a real princess." Carla muttered dryly.

"Sorry about her, she's always snarky. My name is Aiden Flame, son of Atlas Flame. This is my partner Phoebe." he said, gesturing to the orange exceed.

"My name is Wendy Marvell, daughter of Grandeeny, this is Carla, my partner."

"I'm Yamato Sakatonaka, pleasure to meet you."

"Hi, I'm Dilynn."

"It's...nice to meet you all I guess. Sorry for attacking you, it's been so long since I saw a human that I thought you guys were enemies. I hope you'll forgive me." she said, sounding a bit remorseful. Aiden grinned, shaking his head.

"Water under the bridge now, as they say. And don't worry, we aren't telling anyone what happened here or about you..and we aren't talking about the crystal either. I swear it in the name of Cait Shelter." he said, holding his hand out.

"Oh right...that's your guild name right?" she asked, earning a nod from them.

"We should be going, it's gonna take us hours just to reach the exit of this cave." Yamato said.

"What will we tell William? We collected all of these crystals." Wendy said firmly.

"We'll just tell him that we found a secret cave, but that there was a really strong monster that we couldn't defeat. He won't be coming down here, besides there are Golems on the top part of the cave anyway." Aiden said.

"That's true I suppose...well, it was nice meeting you Iona...once again sorry for trespassing!" Dilynn said.

"It's alright...have a safe trip up." she said, giving them a shy wave. The wizards took off, leaving the young girl alone. She frowned, looking back at the glowing crystal.

"Mother...you told me one day this place would be found, and that I should leave if it was...should I follow them?" she said, looking to the crystal for an answer. It pulsed a bit, glowing a bit brighter than before. She smiled, taking it as an answer.

Around the time they got out of the cave, it had become dark, and the city was lit up by the beautiful crystals surrounding it. They continued walking toward the mansion on the hill, watching the amazing scenery. They reached the front door of the mansion and gave three firm knocks. It wasn't long before the butler from before opened, looking quite surprised.

"Master Aiden, I was expecting you all back hours ago." the man said.

"Uh...yeah, we have a reason for why we are so late...I'd rather explain it to you and William at once." he said, giving the man a sheepish grin. He nodded, letting them into the house once more. He lead them back toward the study, where William was still sitting, writing a few documents. He shared the same look the butler had on his face moments ago.

"Aiden, everyone...you took so long, I grew rather worried." he said.

"We took our time, but we have a reason why. You remember the three crystals you spoke of?" He asked, earning a nod form him.

"Yes, the three giant crystals at the final chamber of the Crystal Cave. I have never seen them in person, but a few mages did take some pictures for me. Did something happen there?" he asked curiously. Aiden pulled the knapsack from his Requip Pocket, setting down on the deck with a low thump. He gave the man a grin.

"Boy, do we have a story for you." he said.

Over the next hour, he and his friends explained everything that they had witnessed in the cave. They talked about the color changing crystals, the new part of the cavern that lead deep under ground, making sure to leave the meeting with Iona out of it. Aiden showed off all of the crystals they had grabbed, making the man gush over every single new specimen. When he asked if it was still accessible, Aiden shook his head, saying there was a cave in blocking the way down. The man frowned, but was still happy with the crystals.

"You guys had a simple request, and not only did you successfully complete it, but you have brought back so many crystals for me to examine. I'll have no issue proving my hypothesis correct. For this, I'm raising the reward from 25,000 Jewels to 300,000 Jewels, you all deserve it." the man said, his butler walked in holding a large briefcase, no doubt filled with cash.

"Oh wow, you didn't have to do that. We would have gladly accepted the previous reward, seeing that new cave and all of those crystals was more than enough for me." Wendy said.

"Same here, though I never got to find that clear crystal, I wanted to see the rainbow." Dilynn said.

"A clear crystal you say...why I have plenty of those..here, I found this one by the sea shore a while back, you are welcome to have it." William said, handing the girl the prism like crystal. Her eyes lit up as she held it in her hand, a grin breaking across her face.

"Thank you so much. It's too bad the sun went down already." she said, holding the crystal tightly in her hand.

"Well, we made arrangements in town to see the crystal light show by the pier, so we have to get going before we miss it. If you ever need anything, don't hesitate to call us, Cait Shelter will happily fulfill your requests." Aiden said, giving the man a grin.

"I'll definitely call you if I need your help. Thank you so much!" he said happily.

"If your thesis proves correct, please tell us, we really want to know if these crystals can substitute lacrimas." Wendy said.

"You'll be the first ones I contact. I hope you enjoy the show, the Crystal Light show is one of the best attractions Crystal Cove has." he said.

Team Flaming Skies finally left William's mansion, heading back down toward the beach to see the light show. The night was breezy and cool, and the sky was dark and filled with millions of brilliantly shining stars. They finally found a spot near some rocks, and away from the other patrons at the beach, they could see the people setting everything up for the show. Aiden leaned back against a boulder, his hands behind his head. Wendy was a few feet away from him, talking with Carla who was grabbing things out of the small cooler they had brought with them. Yamato was sitting with Dilynn who was looking at all of the crystals she had collected on her adventure.

"Well Phoebe, we completed another mission." he said, glancing at his partner who was busy making a sand castle.

"Yup...it's weird...we've been in Cait Shelter for a little over a month, but it already feels like we've been doing this forever." she said.

"I..honestly don't think I can see myself doing something other than this. I felt so alone while we were traveling Fiore...but now I feel like I'm finally part of something great. I honestly hope we can be in Cait Shelter forever." he said, looking up at the sky.

"Same here...so, I heard from Yamato earlier that Wendy was on your lap...what was that about?" She asked, looking at her partner. He coughed a bit, looking away from her.

"Uh...what are you talking about? That was an accident...Iona attacked us and she used her body to shield me from the attack." he replied.

"But that doesn't excuse the fact that _she_ was on _your_ lap...do you perhaps have feelings for her?" she asked in a teasing tone.

"What? Me like Wendy? That's preposterous!" he whisper yelled, making sure the girl didn't hear them. Dragons had acute hearing after all.

"Not it isn't...I find it so cute. Carla would probably kill you if she found out about that lap dance she gave you!"

"Christ, it wasn't a lap dance!" he snapped angrily, causing the others to look at him. He blushed brightly, though thanks to the darkness of the night, they didn't notice. He looked down at the sand, frowning a bit.

"Besides, what would a girl as pretty as her see in a reckless idiot like me? I mean, I'm a slum kid, I swear more than a sailor, I'm impulsive and all around not romantic." he said. Phoebe rolled her eyes, shaking her head in disdain.

"You are over thinking it you know...hey look they're starting!" She said, pointing to the pier. Several performers walked out, but due to the darkness the only thing that they could see were the brightly glowing crystals, moving around leaving long streaks of colored light as they started to dance, accompanied by loud drum music. All around them, several torches lit up, glowing a bright fiery orange, only the torches were actually bright glowing crystals. Oohs and ah's from the crowd could be heard drifting from all over the beach.

"Oh wow, look at those girls go!" Dilynn cheered, clapping her hands for the women who were dancing all over the place, adding new crystals to the ropes they were swinging around, with great practice and skill. Aiden glanced at Yamato, who had a peaceful expression on her face. She glanced back at him, giving him a warm sisterly smile. He smiled back at her, turning his eyes back to the performance.

"You know...Yamato reminds me a lot of someone else I used to know...someone that's been gone for awhile." he said sadly. Phoebe looked at him, giving him a curious look.

"Who does she remind you of?" she asked.

"My sister." he said simply.

"She reminds you of Flare? Didn't you say she was awkward around people?" she asked.

"No no, I didn't mean Flare...I meant my other sister, my blood sister."

"Hmm...didn't you say you grew up in the Sun Village?" she asked.

"Well...I did but I did have a family before reaching the village and meeting Atlas Flame. He's my step father, of sorts. You see, I had an older sister at one point in time, her name was Kurumi...and she loved nothing more than pampering me. Even though I didn't want it, she would always get me anything I wanted, whether it was a new toy or some candy...she would always buy it for me. When I was five, she was eleven, so we were several years apart...I remember her getting me this Yo-yo once, it was something I had been looking at forever...she ended up buying it with the last of her allowance. It was the best gift I had ever gotten from her...and the last one." he said softly. He reached into his pocket, pulling out a worn looking red Yo-yo, with a dragon etched into it in black ink.

"What happened to your sister?" she asked. He sighed, shaking his head.

"I don't wanna talk about it. It would ruin the show." he said, looking back at the performers, who had now started doing more intricate dances, while throwing larger crystals into the air, juggling them between each other. He glanced over at Wendy and Carla, seeing them completely entranced by the performance. The soft glow from the crystals seemed to make Wendy's hair glow in the low light. Her cute face and brown eyes were sparkling with amazement. He couldn't help but smile. Phoebe giggled, tugging on his shirt.

"You are totally in love with her!"

"I am not, shut the fuck up before I bury you headfirst!" he snapped, bearing his fangs.

"Is it possible for you to go one day without swearing?" Carla asked, clearly annoyed with Aiden and his use of language.

"I'm a slum kid, what do you want me to do?" he asked, giving her a shrug. She just sighed and looked away from him, keen on enjoying the rest of the performance.

Aiden felt someone poking his face, making him groan slightly. He batted the person's hand away, burying himself deeper into his bedsheets. He felt a sharp pinch his cheek, causing him to yelp in pain. He shot up from his bed, slamming into the wall before falling back onto the bed. He rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand, glaring at Yamato who just gave him a sheepish grin.

"Sorry sweetheart, I didn't mean to pinch you so hard." she said.

"Forget it. What time is it?" he asked.

"Just past seven, our train leaves in fifteen minutes. We're gonna have breakfast at the station cafe." she said. He nodded and stood up, grabbing his black boots and putting them on his feet. He grabbed his vest and his scarf, hastily putting them on.

"Ready, are the girls all set?" he asked.

"They went on ahead. Let's go, before we miss our train." she said, leading him out of the motel room. They paid off what they owned the owner and walked off, heading toward the station.

"You know...since we don't need that reward, I was thinking of giving it to Dilynn, so she could have a good start in Magnolia. Hell knows it would have been great to have money when I was traveling around. Being an independent mage is really hard sometimes."

"That's so sweet of you Aiden, you really do bring out the best in Cait Shelter." she said, making him blush.

"Please...I'm just doing what I know is right. While she didn't do much fighting, she did help us mine the crystals, and in the end it's getting the job done that matters." he said, earning a nod from her. They saw their friends and gave them a wave, hurrying up toward the station.

"Morning Team leader, did you enjoy sleeping alone with Yamato?" Dilynn asked, earning a groan from the boy.

"I see her as nothing more than a sister Dil..just because I'm in a team that consists of mostly girls doesn't mean I got a hard on for any of them." he said with a shrug. He brushed past her, ordering a small egg salad sandwich and a bottle of green tea.

"Anyway, when we get back home, we need to make sure everything with the construction is coming along fine. They were supposed to start building yesterday." Aiden said, taking a bite from his sandwich.

"That's right, we were supposed to get brick houses instead of huts...that last minute change was a good one, we'll be able to have personal bathrooms along with the guild hall shower rooms." Wendy said.

"Having our own little house is much better than a hut, although I have enjoyed ours, the heating in the winter is quite a pain." Carla added. All of them headed toward the platform. Aiden decided to take his motion sickness pills instead of having Wendy use her spell on him, that way he wouldn't develop an immunity for it.

"What do you say we make light fixtures from all of the crystals we still have? We collected hundreds of them, so we wouldn't need to spend extra money on light bulb lacrima." Aiden said.

"Not a bad idea Aiden, really smart actually." Yamato added. The train pulled into the station, releasing a loud shrill whistle calling to anyone who was about to leave Crystal Cove. They waited for a few passengers to leave before getting on themselves, not a lot of people got off, they noticed.

"Do you think that conflict Fairy Tail is in ended already?" Dilynn asked, a hint of worry in her tone. Aiden frowned, leaning into his seat.

"Phantom Lord is quite the strong opponent. Even with Fairy Tail's sheer numbers, they still have a lot to deal with. The Element Four, Black Steel Gajeel, and even Master Jose of the Wizard Saints...it'd be a tough battle, that's for sure." he said.

"Hey kid, didn't you hear the news? The Master of Fairy Tail totally destroyed Phantom Lord! It's all over the news!" one of the passengers said, earning surprised looks from the teens.

"Really?" Wendy asked.

"He used some special magic that only Fairy Tail mages can use and annihilated all of them in one fell swoop, though it was just the master and his shade magic, all of the wizards were taken out by Fairy Tail in a surprise attack. I heard they attacked and injured three members from the guild and wanted to kidnap some girl." he said.

"A girl...do you perhaps know her name?" Yamato asked curiously. The young man looked at the ceiling, humming to himself.

"She was blonde...and I think she used Celestial Spirit magic...what was her name...Lucy I think?"

"What? They wanted to kidnap Lucy? What for?" Carla asked, quite surprised at this turn of events.

"Well...Lucy is actually the daughter of a very rich, very powerful man. I bet he would stop at nothing to have his daughter back in his grasp, probably to sell her off to the highest bidder." Aiden said, sounding angry.

"Heartfilia, that's her last name. I remember getting a couple fliers during some of my missions with the council. He hired me to help him search, but I knew there was some ulterior motive behind it, so I declined...somehow, I think you are right Aiden." Yamato said, looking out the window. She focused on a few people at the station, seeing a familiar looking girl, but before she could look closer, the train pulled out of the station.

"Maybe we should...pay an earlier visit...to see how they are all doing you know?" Aiden said, glancing back at his friends.

"I could use my healing magic to help the injured...it would be good practice." Wendy said.

"I can go and get Chelia too, we'll need both of you there to help out." Yamato said.

"Dilynn, I was going to give you the reward from the mission last night, but I'm sure Fairy Tail needs it more, since it's going to be your guild soon, would you mind if I give it to them for the damages done to their guild?" Aiden asked.

"Of course! Even if you gave it to me, I would use it to help them. Let's do all we can to help." she said firmly.

"Alright, then at the next station, let's switch off and grab a train to Magnolia Town. I'm sure the rail line is fixed by now, so there shouldn't be an issue getting into town." he said.

"You know, you kittens sure are a nice bunch...think I could join your guild?" the guy from before asked.

"Sorry, our master isn't accepting people, our guild is under reconstruction at the moment." Yamato said firmly.

"Bummer." he said sadly.

With their plan set, Team Flaming Skies would head on to their next personal mission, all the while not noticing the gaze of a certain green eyed girl.


	14. Family Ties

**A/N: Hey everyone and welcome to a new chapter of The Hellfire Dragon slayer! Tonight I bring you chapter 14, which will begin the next mini arc of the story. You'll get to learn more about Aiden's past as well as meet a few new characters along the way. I think that after this arc, I'll be having a bit of a time skip, which will take us to the Fighting Festival Arc, which I have to watch before I continue. I hope you are all having a good night, though I am kinda pissed off.**

 **So, there's a really cool celestial event going on tonight, a Snow Moon, a partial Lunar Eclipse and a freaking Comet all at once, and guess who the fuck can't see it? This guy, all because of the clouds and the next goddamn storm that's blowing in tonight. I mean, Lunar Eclipses happen more often then not, but a Freaking Comet? those are a once in a life time event, I don't even know how long it will be until this particular comet flies by our solar system again. It fucking sucks.**

 **I think the last time I was this pissed was when I missed the Red Moon, I also missed the Blue Moon and last years Solar Eclipse. It just pisses me off so fucking much, all this cool stuff happening in our universe and those pesky clouds cover it all. What are you gonna do?**

 **This chapter is brought to you by my pissed off face. When you want to watch space but clouds forbid you, stuff your face with Nutella and Chips Ahoy cookies.**

Fairy Tail

Tales of the Hellfire Dragon

Chapter 14

Family Ties

The train slowly pulled into Magnolia Station, the trip being a bit rocky due to the new rails that had been put in place. Not a lot of people got out, due to what had happened within the city. Aiden stepped out of the train, followed by Wendy and Dilynn. Carla and Phoebe floated behind them, looking around at their new surroundings. Leaving the station, the members of Team Flaming Skies laid eyes on Magnolia Town for the first time ever. It was quite a large town, with traditional brick buildings, and cobble stone paths. All around them, men, women and children moved about, some peddling wares while others tried to hurry to other places. The city seemed to have several plazas, filled to the brim with people, the very center of the city was where Cardia Cathedral sat, the large building was probably the tallest and largest building in the entire city, it's beauty captivating everyone that saw it. They noticed a few stands being tended by vendors who were shouting their sales and showing off their wares to the townspeople and tourists that seemed to be passing through. Aiden shook off his initial feeling and continued down the marble steps, stepping onto the cobblestone streets of the city, which had been nicknamed, the Land of Fairies, by many people.

"Crystal Cove was so small, Magnolia Town doesn't compare to it one single bit. I think you can fit all of Crystal Cove and Clover Town here and still have enough room for more people." Dilynn said.

"I heard Magnolia Town used to be quite small several centuries back. Cardia Cathedral is actually one of three nationally recognized monuments within Fiore. The other two are the Zentopia Cathedral, and the Cathedral at Crocus. However, nothing compares in size and luxury to Mercurious, the castle where the royal family lives." Aiden said, looking around the city. Most people were walking around with a guarded appearance. Some places had been damaged while others seemed to look perfectly fine.

"They look a bit distraught." Phoebe said, looking around at everyone.

"No shit, they just saw everyone from the local guild get beat to shit. I mean hell the freaking building is gone." Aiden said, pointing at where the Fairy Tail guild once stood. Large iron poles and broken pieces of wood were sticking up in the air, looking both menacing and disappointing at the same time.

"All the more reason as to why we should hurry up...there might be seriously injured people there!" Wendy said, hurrying them along. Aiden found it sweet how she was worrying over people she had never even met before.

The city streets had gotten wider, and filled with more people. Several tents had been placed in the large plazas of the city, where some of the heavily injured had been taken, though he could see several doctors and potion brewers running all over the place. They finally arrived at the largest area of the town, the courtyard that once belonged to the Fairy Tail guild hall.

The destruction of the guild was even more prominent now, seeing all of the broken pieces of wood and large iron poles up close really upset Aiden, especially since he knew the bastard who did it. He saw hundreds of council members walking around, large white tents being placed all over the place, most likely areas where members would be questioned. He saw a few Phantom Lord mages being interrogated off to the side, some of them being in handcuffs. Aiden walked toward the guild, being stopped by a Rune Knight.

"Halt, you aren't allowed to pass." he said firmly.

"We're mages of Cait Shelter, we know a few of the people here...we've come to help." Aiden said firmly.

"Likely story, you haven't been cleared to enter so you can't pass." the man said firmly.

"But sir, I'm a healer, my magic can help the injured. Please let us pass." Wendy said, clutching her hands tightly.

"I said you are not allowed to pass. Either you leave or we'll place you under arrest!" the man snapped angrily.

"Now why the hell would you do that?" a familiar voice replied. The man stiffened a bit and looked back, seeing an injured Natsu standing behind him. He was covered up in scratches and bruises, his left arm was wrapped in white bandages, along with his chest and legs. Aiden grinned, holding his hand up in greeting.

"Natsu! Glad to see you're fine, we came as soon as we heard!" he said. Natsu gave the teen a fist bump, glaring at the Rune Knight.

"These guys are cool, that Lahar guy said we could let in anyone who was willing to help, so you are going to let them in, understood?" he said angrily.

"Yes Mr. Dragneel. Go right ahead in." he said, allowing Aiden and his teammates past the white tents. Now being within the guild courtyard, Aiden could see all of the injured members of Fairy Tail, being treated by some healers that the council had brought in.

"Man, I wished I could have been here...it would have been a hell of a fight." Aiden said, looking around with a frown on his face.

"It was...but we kicked their asses, especially that bastard Gajeel. He tried to kidnap Lucy, and beat the hell out of her." he said.

"He's lucky I wasn't here earlier, I would have ripped him a new one. The bastard owes me." Aiden said, his fist igniting. Natsu stared at the flames, clearly wanting to eat them, but he remembered what had happened the last time he tried too, so he refrained from it. Aiden shook his head.

"Anyway, where are the most injured people? Wendy here has volunteered to heal them. Our friend Yamato will be coming by soon with one of our junior members who also happens to be a healer." he said.

"Some of them are being questioned right now, I guess you can start with Erza, she finished earlier. The stripper was scolded by some council members for walking around naked, it was really funny!" he said, a chuckle escaping his lips. He brought them toward a large open tent, where a few members were gathered at. He saw Erza sitting at the edge of a cot, covered in more scratches and bruises then Natsu was. Aiden's eyes widened a bit at the sight.

" _Jesus, who the hell was she fighting?"_ he thought to himself. She looked up, a smile on her face.

"Aiden, Wendy...so nice to see you all again." she said.

"Hi Erza, we came to help you guys out." Aiden said, standing in front of the redhead.

"Thank you, we need all the help we can get. It will take us awhile to rebuild our home, but with friends like you guys, we'll be able to get it done quicker." she said.

"Um...ah...Miss Scarlet." Dilynn said, looking at the redhead. Erza looked at her, causing Dilynn to look away, a vibrant blush on her cheeks.

"Speak up child, or else she won't hear you!" Carla said, placing a paw on her shoulder. She nodded, looking back at the Requip mage.

"Um...My name is Dilynn Kiryuu and I'd like to join Fairy Tail." she said boldly. Natsu looked at her curiously, a grin on his face. Erza however, frowned, looking away from her.

"My apologies Dilynn...that isn't up to me. You'll have to speak with our guild master first, but as of now he is recovering and can't have visitors. Perhaps when he wakes up, he'll accept your request." she said.

"Oh...okay...I'm still going to help out though! I wanna prove myself to you all...I've admired Fairy Tail for years and I want to be a full fledged member. So bring on the hard work, because I won't give up!" she said firmly.

"Well, she certainly has the attitude." Gray said, appearing next to all of them.

"Bro, your clothes." Aiden said. The teenager looked at himself, seeing he was once again in his underwear. He sighed, shaking his head.

"No idea where it went. Hi, my name is Gray Fullbuster, pleasure to meet you." he said, holding his hand out to Dilynn who had a vibrant blush on her face.

"Honestly, you need to stop being so perverse, especially around young women!" Carla snapped angrily, causing Phoebe to break into a fit of laughter. Aiden sighed, shaking his head.

"Alright team, time to stop screwing around. We gotta start helping everyone out. Wendy, you handle the injured and I'll start with the clean up." He said.

"Roger that, would you like to help me Carla? It's best to have an assistant for this." she said.

"I suppose." the white exceed said, floating over to her partner.

"Okay, I guess I'll go with Aiden since I don't know healing magic. It won't be long until Chelia is here, so good luck Wendy." Dilynn said.

"Come on, I'll introduce you to some buddies from the guild." Natsu said, leading the two mages and one exceed away from the tent.

"So, who's this Chelia girl?" Gray asked curiously.

"She's one of our new members...she's an orphaned child that me and Aiden saved on a mission a few days back. She happens to be a Sky God Slayer, and she can use healing magic like me..though she is only eight years old." Wendy said, hovering her hand over Erza's more grievous wounds. The woman sighed, her body relaxed a bit as her injuries started healing.

"A mission you say? What kind of mission?" Erza asked curiously.

"Well..it was one given to our guild by the council. They were really impressed with how Aiden handled the Galuna Island mission, and they wanted him to personally do it. Of course our newest member, Yamato was there with us, so we had lots of help."

"Yamato? The Viper Princess?" Erza asked curiously.

"You know her?" Carla asked, earning a nod from the redhead.

"I've worked with her in the past, I wasn't expecting her to join a guild...that's rather impressive."

"She's really nice, like an older sister! Everyone around the guild seems so much happier now that we've gotten new members. For the longest time, it was just me as the only active mage, but now that Aiden joined, we've gotten to meet so many new people. I'm not so shy anymore either." the blue haired girl said.

"Trust me, she used to clam up when anyone asked her a simple question. He may be reckless, but Aiden brings out the best in people." Carla said firmly.

"Heh...he's quite the fighter too...he still owes me a fight." Gray said, grinning a bit. He felt a shiver go down his spine and looked behind him, glaring at an area behind one of the already removed iron poles. He felt as if someone had been watching him, but he didn't know who.

"Hey Aiden, I got a question for you." Natsu said, looking at the blue haired teen. He dropped some broken boards next to a rapidly growing garbage pile, trying not to hit the brunette who was drinking out of a flask. He turned to the salmon haired boy, hands on his hips.

"Sure, let me here it."

"What day did Atlas Flame disappear?" he asked. Aiden frowned, not expecting that to be the question. He sighed, looking at the sky.

"July 7th x777. I was about eight years old when he left me. He said he had taught me everything he could about dragon slayer magic and that it would be up to me to train myself with my new magic. Me being the stupid kid I was, just passed it off as nothing and went to sleep, but the next day when I went to visit the Eternal Flame, it just felt...empty. I went inside it, to where he was always sleeping, but he was just...gone. Wasn't long after that when I decided to leave the Sun Village in search of him." he said.

"Man...what's up with that stupid date? Igneel left me on that day too, and I heard from Gajeel that Metallicana, his dragon, left him on that day too." he said.

"Same with Wendy...there has to be some connection to this...something we're overlooking." Aiden said, tossing another broken piece of wood into the pile.

"Oi, watch where you throw that!"

"Sorry Cana, I'll try not to hit you next time, though with all of that booze, I'm sure you wouldn't even feel it." Aiden said, giving her a grin. The brown haired Card mage glared at him, only to loose interest a second later. She reached into her purse, pulling a bottle of whiskey from inside. She stood up, stumbling a bit.

"I'm gonna...take a walk." she said, breaking the seal from her bottle and pressing it to her lips. Aiden shook his head.

"Does she drink like that often?" he asked.

"For as long as I remember." Natsu said with a shrug. The two continued lifting up debris from around the destroyed guild hall, grabbing all of the broken pieces of wood and wrecked furniture from around the building.

Aiden's eyes widened when he saw the large mechanical guildhall that belonged to Phantom Lord, half sunken in the lake behind the guild. Natsu went on a tangent explaining how he destroyed the thing, including the Jupiter cannon that it had built in. at around noon time, the back and front courtyards had been cleared of debris, thankfully the more able members of Fairy Tail had been helping out, so it wasn't so bad.

"Man, I'm beat." Aiden said, leaning against the fence.

"Won't be long now...master said he had big plans for the guild...it's a shame to see it like this." Natsu said, leaning back against the metal fence.

"Yeah...I wanted to come here and see the number one guild in Fiore. So whenever this place is back to normal, give me a call and we can have another rematch!" he said.

"I'll hold you to that Aiden." Natsu said, bumping fists with the younger dragon slayer.

"Mr. Aiden!"

The young man looked up, barely in time to register the new weight on his body. He groaned a bit, seeing a familiar head of pink hair in his line of sight. Chelia gave him a bright smile, hugging him tightly.

"Hey kiddo, when did you get here?" he asked.

"A while ago, Wendy said to take a break, so I came to find you!" she said.

"This little squirt smells weird." Natsu said, rather bluntly. Chelia pursed her lips, looking away from him. Aiden shook his head and knelt down before her.

"Hey guess what? Last night we saw this really cool light show in Crystal Cove, and I was able to bring you back some really cool crystals." he said.

"Really?" she asked, her eyes lighting up a bit. He reached into his pocket, pulling out a glowing sky blue crystal.

"Here you go..it's a blue amethyst crystal. If you put your magic into it, it will glow really bright, so you can use it as a nightlight if you get scared." he said, placing it in her hand.

"Wow, thanks Mister Aiden, you are such an awesome person!" she said, wrapping her arms around his neck. He chuckled, hugging her tightly.

"Of course, you are my little sister now, so as a big brother I have to make sure she gets what she wants." he said firmly.

"I'm gonna go show this to my new friend Romeo, see you later Mister Aiden." she said, running off as quickly as she showed up. He chuckled, brushing some strands of hair from his eyes.

"Man, it's amazing how kids just come back, it wasn't that long ago that she was being held in some stockade by some kidnappers, now she acts like a kid without a care in the world." he said, a smile on his face.

"What was that weird magic I smelled on her? I don't think I've smelled something like that before." Natsu asked, scratching his head.

"It's God Slayer magic, a type of magic made to slay gods. She has the same element as Wendy, so she can heal people with it as well. I thought it would be good for her to be here." he said.

"It's a good call, we need all the help we can get. You know, we're having a festival soon, I'll talk to the master and invite you as honorary members of the guild. It's the least we can do for our friends right?" he asked.

"Thanks Natsu, I'd love to be an honorary member of your guild." he said with a grin.

Aiden decided to stay for the rest of the week, helping out as much as he could. He had to send Yamato and Wendy back a few times go grab some things from home, but they stuck around Magnolia until the council finally left. It was early Monday morning when they all finally returned home, after having met Master Makarov and earning an official thanks from him. They had also gotten an official invitation to the festival they were hosting. Dilynn also remained with them, having finally been accepted into the guild.

Aiden looked around the village once he had gotten home. The construction had finally finished, and now there were several brick buildings within the guild's grounds, along with bigger huts which were made out of a stronger material than the thin cloth they had used before.

"I've got to hand it to ya Aiden, you made a good choice with the brick buildings."

"Thanks Yamato..It just came to me you know. So, how are the living arrangements going to be made?" he asked, as they approached one of the brick houses.

It was a decent size, for being part of a guild. It was made with tan colored bricks, and had large single pane windows, with bright green storm shutters. It had a hay like roof, along with a a brick chimney near the top of the house. The outer walls were painted in a tribal style, with lots of bright colors, it made the house fit in more. It also gave them a good view of the faraway mountains.

They entered the house, quite impressed with the modest interior. The floors were made of wood and had a nice auburn finish on them. The front part of the house opened up into a hallway, with a single stairwell that lead upstairs, the other side of the hall lead to a couple bedrooms and the bathroom. To the left of the room was a small living area, with a wooden couch, that had some tan cushions. There was also a matching seat on the other side, with a small wooden table in front of it. There was also a small entertainment center with a television lacrima positioned on it. There was another shelf to the opposite side of the room, filled with a few books.

On the right side was a small kitchen area, the floors being tiled rather than wooden. The tiles were a polished white color and had a checkerboard design to it. There was a decent sized steel colored refrigerator as well as a brick style stove, with some metal burners next to it. The mages looked rather impressed.

"Um...well how about we all live together, I mean we are a team, it would make sense to live together. Right?" Wendy asked.

"Are you sure about that child?" Carla asked, giving her partner an incredulous look.

"Well...it makes sense...I'm sorry if my suggestion was a little bold. A bunch of girls living with a boy..it does seem weird." she said, blushing a bit.

"I want to share a room with big brother Aiden!" Chelia cried loudly. Ever since their visit to Magnolia, the little girl had taken a liking to seeing Aiden as a big brother, so she had been calling him that ever since. Aiden shook his head, patting her head.

"Sorry Chelia, but you need your own bedroom. You are a big girl, so you get to have your own room, so you can have all of your toys and other things." he said.

"Aw...okay." she replied, a cute pout on her face.

"I'll share with Chelia, I don't take up much room so I can keep an eye on her until she falls asleep." Pheobe said.

"Not a bad idea. I can take a room on the ground floor and I'll handle breakfast in the morning." Yamato said.

"I'm sure Alana would love to take a break from cooking so much...I'll follow Yamato's example and take a room on the ground floor. Wendy can have the last room upstairs with Carla." he said.

"Okay, that will work. Let's all work together to make this house our home!" Aiden said firmly.

They all split up to gather their things, it took Aiden a few minutes to pack all of his clothes up, since he only had one suitcase and only a few pairs of clothes on him. Most of it was things that he had saved from his many adventures. He and Phoebe looked back at the empty hut, a frown on their faces.

"Well..it was a good place, but now we got a better one." he said.

"You're right Aiden, this is just a hut, but it's the people that live inside it that make it home!" she said. He smiled, patting his friend on the head before leaving the hut. Once back inside their chosen house, he went down the hall, passing Yamato's chosen room and into the room across it. It was rather plane, having a full sized bed on one side of the room, along with an empty bookshelf, a work desk and a few shelves on the walls. He set his suitcase on top of his bed and opened his closet. It was rather small, but he didn't mind, since he only have a few changes of clothes. It took him around ten minutes to put everything away. He started placing some of his personal treasures on his empty shelves, giving a bit of color to the room. He finally took a framed picture from his knapsack, frowning a bit.

It was a picture of him and his family, the ones that had raised him. He was only four when the picture had been taken. His real father was standing behind him, holding his hands in a peace sign to the camera. Next to him stood his mother, who was smiling warmly into the camera, her black hair ran past her shoulders, all the way down to her mid back. She had her arms wrapped around three kids, Aiden, his older sister Kurumi and his older brother Tomoki. He had changed his name to Brandon however, saying his original name wasn't cool enough. That was something he would never understand.

He remembered it was the last picture they had taken together, before the accident that took them away from him. He set it down on the desk, next to his picture of Atlas Flame. He had begged him to take it, just so he had one of him. He also had one of Flare who had been playing with a rubber ball. She had a cute look on her face, not exactly expecting him to take the picture. He couldn't help but smile at the memory.

"Hey, how are you settling in?"

"I'm doing fine Yamato." Aiden said, looking up at the violet haired girl. She looked around his room, nodding to herself.

"We need to brighten this place up a bit...maybe we can go on more missions and buy some stuff to make it feel more like home." she said.

"I'd like that, we can go grab a mission from the board when the others are done." he said, giving her a smile. She noticed the pictures and decided to take a look at them. She looked back to him, a curious look on her face.

"Are these people your family? Before you met Atlas Flame?" she asked.

"Yeah...my mom Meredy, my father Lawrence, my old brother Brandon, my older sister Kurumi, and me." he said.

"Wow...so you knew your family, unlike everyone else...what happened to them?" she asked.

"They're...gone...I'm not ready to talk about it. Come on, the others must be done settling in by now." he said, leaving the room. Yamato frowned, but decided not to say anything. Instead she followed her leader back to the main guild hall. Alana gave them a wave, smiling brightly.

"He guys, how was Magnolia?" she asked.

"It was really big. Fairy Tail is recovering from the attack, and they were thankful for our assistance. Master Makarov made all of us honorary Fairy Tail members." Aiden said proudly, showing off the Fairy Tail patch he had sown onto his vest. It was a bright blue color, to match his Cait Shelter mark on his shoulder.

"That's great, we got word from Makarov on all of your good deeds, and we also received news from William, who was excited about the discoveries he had made thanks to the crystals you provided. You are doing great work Aiden, I'm proud of you." Roubaul said, giving him a smile.

"Thanks Master, I'm just doing my job." he said, a blush on his face. He wasn't used to being praised like that.

"Well, you are certainly putting Cait Shelter on the map. I also have wonderful news, the Weekly Sorcerer wants to do an interview. They are going to send one of their reporters next week for a full interview, and they want you and Wendy to be on the front cover, isn't that great?" Alana said, showing him the paper. He read it over, eyes widening.

"No way! I've never been on a magic magazine before, this is fucking sick!" he said, causing a few people to laugh. All of them were already aware of his language, and didn't mind him using it, so long as he didn't do it around Chelia.

"Alana, me and Aiden had something to talk to you about, it was about Eterna." Yamato said, taking her usual seat at the bar. Alana gave her a nod, taking the paper back.

"I see you told him about our childhood, what exactly do you want to know?" she asked.

"Well...I wanted to see if you were willing to let me try something. I know Eterna is linked to the sword and relies on your magic to stay outside of the sword, but I spent the last few days making some special bullets from the crystals I collected. Thanks to Natsu and Erza, we were able to carve these out of crystal." he said, placing two thick crystalline bullets on the counter top. She picked one up, looking at it closely.

"What's so special about these crystals?" she asked curiously.

"Well, our client William believes that they retain magic better than lacrima crystals, so he wants to see if they can be used as a cheaper alternative to lacrima crystals. Three of these absorbing natural magic will be enough for Eterna to use to be free from the sword. It also leaves two slots open for other magic bullets. So please, do you think we can try it, I really wanna meet her." Aiden said. Alana looked at Yamato who just gave her a shrug.

"I think we should...it's been awhile since we've both seen our best friend Lana. This will make her happy." she said. She sighed, holding her hand out. A vibrant golden light sparked from her hand, and a beautiful sword appeared.

It looked almost like a katana. It had a long thin hilt that was made from a smooth metal alloy. It was contained within a black and violet scabbard, which was also made from a metal alloy. The area above the hilt was a bit round in shape, and had a trigger guard, a thin trigger being in the center of the guard. He spotted a magic circle, etched into the scabbard. A small handle could be seen on the scabbard, meaning it could be used as a separate sword. Alana pulled the scabbard off and laid it on the counter top, flicking her wrist opened up the chamber.

"Well...are you sure this will work?" she asked, looking back at the teen.

"It should...listen, I'm not just doing this for her..I'm doing it for you. Yamato told me you blame yourself for her death, and I think that's also the reason why you quit being an active mage. This will be good for you, I want you to let go of the past, so you can reach for the future with your friend...so even if it doesn't work, I'll make it work. I'll put my own damn magic into it if it keeps Eterna out of it." he said.

"You know...you are right...I feel horrible, for ignoring Eterna for so long...for keeping her trapped here. The last time I went on a mission before Misty Creek was back when I was eighteen...that's five years that she's been trapped inside. She deserves to be out more." she said, slipping the crystal bullets into the sword. She closed it, waiting for something to happen. The blade suddenly started glowing a vibrant purple, as magic started glowing through it.

Beside Alana, another girl appeared her form looked a bit faded but then solidified. She didn't look much younger than Alana was.

She was slightly shorter than Alana, with lavender colored hair that reached down to the middle of her back. She had two violet ribbons attached to her hair on each side of her head. She was wearing a beautiful ruffled dress, which was a rich white color, with each ruffle being a dark violet or black. The dress reached down past her knees, ending in a black ruffled hem. She was wearing a matching half cloak around her waist that blended perfectly with the dress, barely being seen as it looked like it was part of the dress. It had purple cloth on the sides, which were ruffled in design, and had thin straps with a metal arrow head at the end. She had two detached sleeves that reached down to her forearms, and were white in color with a royal purple lining.

Over the dress, she was wearing a thick armor chest plate, which was secured onto her thin frame with thick leather belts which were purple in color. She was also wearing protective leg armor, which was a platinum color, much like the chest plate she was wearing. She had a blank look on her face, probably from being in the sword for too long.

She blinked her eyes a few times, looking around at all of the people looking at her. She suddenly looked at Alana, who had a teary look on her face.

"Eterna..I.."

The girl didn't even finish what she was going to say, as Eterna just hugged her tightly, a soft metallic thud filling their ears. Alana groaned a bit, rubbing her breasts.

"Ow...still hurts like hell." she said, earning a giggle from Yamato.

"Alana...you finally let me out...does that mean you are going to be an active wizard again?" Eterna asked. Her voice was smooth and collected, almost like that of a refined woman. Not from a woman who was clearly a knight. Alana shook her head.

"No...I'm not going to be an active wizard again...but there is someone who I want you to meet, the person who talked me into letting you out again so that we could rekindle our friendship. This is Aiden...one of our newest members." she said. Eterna looked directly at him, a smile on her face.

"Hello...Aiden Flame of the Sun Village correct?"

"Uh...you've heard of me?" he asked.

"I hear and feel everything, the Twilight Sword isn't just my home, a place for my soul to be safe, but it's also a medium. I can see out into the world, but have no magic of my own to be free from it. My physical body died years ago, so I'll be stuck looking like a sixteen year old." she said.

"You don't age?" he asked, earning a nod from the girl.

"An effect of the sword, I'll be forever sixteen. I guess my soul ages much slower than human beings. Then again, Dragon Slayers like you won't age much after becoming adults. So we'll be the same for a long time." she said.

"Eterna, it's been so long. I can't wait to talk to you again, there's much for us to talk about." Yamato said, hugging her friend tightly. Alana did the same, the three finally being together for the first time in years.

"Aw, this is so sweet."

"Whoa...when did you get here Wen?" Aiden asked, looking at his fellow dragon slayer, who was standing next to him, with Carla. Chelia was playing a game with Phoebe over by the request board, not paying attention to what was going on around them.

"I got here awhile ago, I just wanted to watch." she said with a smile. Alana cleared her throat, catching their attention.

"Aiden...I want to make a request of you and your team. I don't go out much anymore, so I barely use any of my weapons...I don't want Eterna to be locked in that sword for long periods of time, it's cruel of me to do that. I want you to take ownership of her sword, so that she can travel around and see the world. She deserves that." she said.

"What? You want me to take ownership of your sword?" Aiden asked.

"Of course. I forged this sword out of the purest material found in Dawn City, and the rarest metals. This blade is made out of pure diamonds, you never have to sharpen it and nothing will break it. And with Eterna's soul nestled inside, it will make it all the more powerful." she said.

"I myself can wield the Twilight Sword rather easily. When I use the sword, our power is doubled, but when I rest within the sword, it becomes three times powerful. This will surely aid you in battle, you may be a dragon slayer, but I think you are worthy of carrying my sword." Eterna said firmly. Aiden looked at Wendy, a firm look on his face.

"What do you think? She'd have to become part of the team." he said.

"I think we should...you are really good with a sword, and I see you practicing with the sword Erza gave you. With Eterna by your side, you'll have another means to fight, aside from your magic." she said. He gave her a nod and turned back to Eterna, giving her a smile.

"Alright, Wendy agreed, so welcome aboard. Do you think we can give her the mark?" He asked.

"Sure, she deserves to be part of the guild, seeing as she's your friend." Roubaul said, a smirk on his face. It wasn't a secret that he was staring at Eterna. Alana pulled out the stamper and pressed it against Eterna's bicep, leaving behind a crimson guild mark. Eterna looked at it, giving her a grin.

"It seems you still remember what my favorite color is." she said.

"Of course, we're best friends..and I remember you wanting to dye your hair that way...so far so that you took all of your crayons and melted them, only to pour them into your hair." she said.

"Oh jeez, I remember that. I was picking wax out of her hair for hours, a real pain in my ass." Yamato said, taking a swig from her bottle.

"By the way Wendy, Alana said the sorcerer wants us to be on the front cover of their magazine. They'll be sending a guy out sometime next week...isn't that exciting?" he asked.

"The sorcerer? Front cover?" she asked, a vibrant blush appearing on her face.

"Yup, and they want a full interview as well...we're going to be seen by wizards all over Fiore. Isn't this great? Cait Shelter is getting really popular." He said, a grin on his face.

"I don't think I'm ready for something like that Aiden...I'm not ready for a photo shoot...I mean I can't compete with people like Mirajane and Erza." she said.

"Hey, forget those two. You don't need to compare yourself to them, you are a cute dragon slayer who kicks wholesale ass better than most wizards these days, use that cuteness and sell the shit out of it. People will love it!" he said.

"The greatest motivational speaker of the century, ladies and gentlemen." Carla said, making the rest of the guild break into laughter. He rolled his eyes, grabbing a ribbon from his pocket. It had been one he had bought awhile back in Clover Town. It was a nice rose color, that went with her amber eyes nicely. He tugged on it a bit before putting it on the white haired girl's head.

"Hey, what the hell are you doing?" she snapped angrily.

"Sit still for a second!" he said, finishing up the bow.

"There, you look adorable." he said, allowing the others to see the ribbon that Carla now wore. She blushed a bit when she looked at her reflection in her pocket mirror.

"Um well...I do look rather cute...I think this interview will be okay." she said. They heard a knock no the door and looked back, seeing a Rune Knight holding a folder in his hands.

"Excuse me, I'm from the council, I came to deliver some new requests!"

"Yes, over here. I'll take them from you." Alana said, urging the man over. He handed the folder to her and gave a bow, leaving right after. They all shrugged.

"So, that's how guilds get new requests. I thought they mailed them." Aiden said.

"That would be to inconvenient. New things get posted, and new missions get written all the time, so it's best to deliver them to each guild daily. After all they need to be answered as soon as possible." Master Roubaul said.

"That makes sense I guess." he said with a shrug.

"Aiden, since we'll be partners now, I want you to take my sword. While Alana kept it in her requip, I wasn't able to be free, but now that I can generate my own magic thanks to those crystals, I'll need the sword to be outside as well, so it can absorb ethernano." Eterna said. He grabbed the sword from her hand and slipped it into its scabbard. He tied it to his belt, using a special loop he had bought when he had gotten Erza's crystal sword.

"What do you think?" he asked, earning a nod from his friends.

"It suits you." Yamato said, wrapping her arm around Eterna's shoulder, making the girl groan a bit. Alana cleared her throat, gaining their attention.

"Aiden...there's a request from Shirotsume, it's asking for you specifically." she said.

"Really? Wow, my first personal request!" he said excitedly, snatching the paper from her hand.

"Uh...you might want to let me explain." she said, but he was already reading it. His eyes widened a bit as he continued to read it. He placed the paper on the counter, looking at the black haired girl.

"I'm taking this mission, alone." he said firmly, his change of tone surprising everyone around him.

"What? You can't just go alone. We're a team!" Phoebe said firmly. She was holding Chelia in the air, as she had been giving the young girl a ride around the guild hall. He kept his face firm.

"Sorry, but I'm going alone, and that's final. Take care of Chelia while I'm gone, you are all free to take missions from the board if you want." he said. Alana pressed the water marker onto the paper and wrote the quest in the log, handing him the paper. He rolled it up and placed it in his pocket.

"Are you sure about this?" Wendy asked. He gave her a nod.

"I'll be fine. Let's go Eterna." he said. The lavender haired girl gave her friends a wave before disappearing into the sword. Aiden walked back to the house, grabbing his knapsack, he grabbed several pairs of clothes and shoved them inside. He looked back at the picture of Flare, a frown on his face. He shoved it into the pack and closed it up, placing it in his requip pocket.

" _Aiden, what's wrong? You were so happy moments ago."_

Aiden was a bit surprised to hear Eterna's voice within his mind, but he figured it was due to him holding the sword. He shook it off, looking at the bare wall.

"Sorry Eterna, I'll explain things on the train." he said simply. He quickly headed out of the house, heading toward Clover Town. He was getting a bit annoyed that he had to walk this far just to take a train, but it was the only thing he could do. It didn't take him long to reach the small town, fifteen minutes at most, he was really glad it wasn't so far away. It reminded him of that cold rainy night so long ago. That monsoon made Cait Shelter seem like it was miles away, when in reality it was much closer. He shouldn't have run into a storm like that, but he couldn't let Phoebe die of sickness either. He greeted a few townspeople as he walked, giving them bright smiles.

Once at the station, he bought his ticket and quickly headed into the train, thankful that it hadn't left yet. He groaned a bit, quickly popping some sickness pills into his mouth. He took a seat in the center of the car, crossing his arms. Twilight flashed brightly for a second as Eterna came back out, taking a seat across from him. She settled into the seat, looking at the ceiling.

"Been awhile since I've been on a train, almost forgot what it felt like." she said, leaning into the seat. Aiden didn't say anything, rather he just looked at the ground, not really interested in talking. The train pulled away from the station, leaving Clover Town behind. He took a deep breath, getting ready to explain to Eterna why he had a change in attitude, when he caught a familiar scent. He looked up, seeing Wendy in front of him.

"What are you doing here? I told you to stay back." he snapped.

"Aiden, I don't know why you are taking this mission alone, but the fact is that you aren't. Don't you remember this?" she said, lowering her shirt, showing him the Sun Village mark. He blushed a bit, though thankfully she had covered most of her breast, just leaving enough to see the mark. He sighed looking away.

"You just don't understand."

"Then let me understand, explain to me what's wrong." she said, sitting next to Eterna. He pinched his eyes, digging his hand into his pocket. He shoved the request paper into her hands. She quickly unrolled it, eyes widening.

"Wanted for Petty Theft, Flare Corona of the Sun Village. The Magic Council Requests Aiden Flame, Flare Corona's only relative to apprehend her. Are you serious?" Wendy snapped, looking back at Aiden.

"Apparently so. Since she's a key witness of that kidnapping ring, they most likely want her side of the story, but she's been stealing shit from people in Shirotsume. Most likely food since she's probably broke, but the fact of the matter is that she's wanted and I have to catch her. Because if I don't, they are going to throw her into a filthy prison. That's why I wanted to be alone, because I move faster alone." he said.

"You and I both know that isn't true. We moved pretty well when we took that mission from the council, and we moved pretty fast when we took down Lyon and his friends back on Galuna. I get it, she's family, but you have to trust your friends Aiden. Some things can't be handled alone." Wendy reassured, placing a hand on his own. He blushed a bit, looking out the window. He sighed, shaking his head.

"Well, it isn't like you can turn back now. Fine, we'll handle this together." he said.

"I'll help anyway I can, after all I am your sword." Eterna said, earning a nod from him. He sighed and looked out the window, focusing on the lush greenery that was rushing past them. He didn't know what would happen when he got to Shirotsume, but he did know that he wasn't going to give up. Not until he found his sister.


	15. The Ties That Bind Part I

**A/N: Hello everyone and welcome to the newest chapter of The Hellfire Dragon Slayer. Last Chapter, everyone got to see how Fairy Tail is holding up after the Phantom Lord incident. We also get to see a few other mages of Fairy Tail and see Aiden help with a bit of the clean up. We also got to see a bit of Aiden's past, which will soon be explained. In this chapter you all get to see a bit of Shirotsume, as well as meet an all new character, Submitted by RedBurningDragon. I hope you like how I portrayed Yun in this chapter, and if I didn't do it right, then please guide me a bit.**

 **This is going to be a really long chapter, with a lot of narrative, and there's even a fight in there, so I hope you like it. So without further ado, here's Chapter 15.**

 **Today's chapter is brought to you by Repede, the dog that kicks more ass than Clifford the Big Red Dog...**

Fairy Tail

Tales of the Hellfire Dragon

Chapter 15

The Ties That Bind

Shirotsume was always known as a quiet town. It wasn't as big as the other towns in Fiore, but it held lots of traditional and historical buildings. The biggest building within the city was the mansion of a man named Duke Everlue, which had been repossessed by the bank upon his arrest and eventually purchased by another family. Though the town was quiet, that didn't mean shady things didn't happen. The rolling hills behind the main town might have been one of the things that attracted people to the mountainous town, and that in turn brought criminals as well.

One of the local pubs was crawling with people on this day. It was a bit dimmed down, being lit up with a few candles. All around, were large round tables being occupied by tourists, gangsters, townspeople and more. It was boisterous and filled with the scent of alcohol and smoke. Large groups of drunken men were egging each other on, being part of arm wrestling contests, while others who were independent mages boasted about the scams they were pulling on unsuspecting clients. It was here that one young man watched, entranced by what was going on.

"So I told him I would lead him through the woods, but I would have to be paid upfront. The idiot bought it, and handed me all of his coin. When I had the chance I ditched him in the forest!" one bald man said, laughing at the end of his tale. His friend shook his head.

"Come on man, you have to finish the mission at least." he said.

"Eh, not really. I just blamed it on some random guild...Cait something...it doesn't matter to me." he said, taking a drink from his mug. The young watcher frowned, taking a sip from his own mug, shaking his head in disdain.

"These guys make me sick...blaming an innocent guild like that." he muttered, setting his mug down. He glanced to the floor, looking at his best friend, a small puppy, that had violet blue fur. His face and snout were covered creamy white fur, that extended down to his underside and paws. He had pointed ears with white inner fur, and had a brown healed over scar across his eye. There was a small tuft of icy blue fur growing on his head, extending down toward his neck. His tail was long, and resembled a scythe. In his mouth was a brown smoking pipe, with a golden bowl that glistened in the low lighting. The puppy opened a single eye, looking back at his friend and owner.

"Oh don't give me that look, you know as well as I do that what they are doing is wrong." the young man said. The puppy closed his eye and turned over, looking away from him. The boy sighed and shook it off, finishing his drink. He held his hand up, signaling one of the waitresses. His attention suddenly turned to the entrance of the pub, as a loud creek filled the entire building, silencing most of the men that were talking.

A young girl walked inside. She couldn't be any older than twelve, and had long crimson hair that reached down to the middle of her back, two thin strands framing her sunkissed skin. She had bright crimson eyes and a far off look on her face. She was wearing a sleeveless shirt, which was violet in color, and rather low cut for a girl her age. She was wearing a matching violet skirt, that reached just above her knees, underneath she was wearing an olive dress, which was barely peeking from underneath the violet one. She was wearing a pair of worn looking sandals, and had a knapsack on her shoulder. She paid no attention to the men that were staring at her and walked straight toward the bar, everyones eyes firmly on her.

"Um sir, you called me over?"

The young man tore his eyes away from the crimson haired girl, looking back at the young waitress he had called over. He shook his head, clearing his mind.

"Yeah, I'll have a refill..and if you have any meat bones, I'll take them off your hands." he said, giving her some golden coins. She jingled them in her hand and gave him a wink.

"You got, back in a flash." she said, taking his empty mug with her. The pub was slowly returning to its usual liveliness, though most of the other men were still looking at the young girl. The boy narrowed his eyes a bit, watching the bald man from before.

"What do you think of her?" his friend ask.

"Don't know, little young to be in a bar...maybe...maybe she came here looking for work." the bald man replied.

"Well if its work she wants, then I can give her some honest work." the man said, a grin on his face. The three stood up, walking toward the bar. The young man and his puppy were now paying full attention to the three, already guessing what their intentions were. The young girl finished her drink, looking over her shoulder at the three men. She tilted her head, giving them a blank look.

"May I...help you?" she asked.

"Actually you can, what are you doing here little lady? Interested in getting a job?" the bald man asked. The girl smiled a bit, giving them a nod.

"I am in need of money...I came here to become a waitress." she replied. The three men nodded, the shortest one stepping forward.

"Well we uh...got the perfect job for a girl your age...if you are willing to comply to our rules though." he said.

"Rules...what kind of rules?" she asked, oblivious to the message the three were conveying.

"Well...we'll explain them later, first we have to make sure you qualify..but not here." the bald man said. The girl shrugged, grabbing her pack from the counter, leaving behind three golden coins to pay for her drink. As they were leaving though, a sharpened sword slammed into the ground, almost hitting the bald man's leg. The man turned around, looking right at the young man and his dog.

"Have you lost your mind boy?" he snapped angrily, glaring at the teen.

"No, I think you have. Do you have any idea what you are doing?" he said.

"Of course, we're just offering her an olive branch. She needs a job after all." he said. The teen shook his head, grabbing the edge of his cloak.

"I don't think you understand." he said, ripping it off his body, revealing his face.

He was a young man of fifteen, with spiky black hair and black colored eyes. He had a scar across his left cheek, which was deep and discolored, giving him a menacing look. He was wearing a black hooded jacket, which he left unzipped. Underneath he wore a crimson shirt, with a few yellow markings along the edges. He was wearing a pair of dark cargo shorts, with two big pockets on the sides, which was being held up with a white belt. He wore a pair of worn looking boots. In his hand he was holding a sword, which was being held up by the straps. He had a firm look on his face.

"This kid thinks he's all that, throwing a sword at me...I'll show you!" the man said, grabbing a hold of the sword. He howled in pain as powerful lightning magic coursed through his body. He fell to the ground, his hand singed and body smoking. The girl backed away from the three, looking at the young man.

"You hurt him!" she said. The boy grabbed his sword from the ground, placing it back within his buster blade.

"Only because he was going to hurt you. Ever hear of the term rape? That's what this man was going to do to you, defile you, take your purity and then most likely kill you. Thugs like these don't deserve to lick my boot straps." he said, placing his boot on the man's hand, causing him to shout in pain. His lackeys took off, not wanting to get involved. The girl, finally understanding what the boy meant grew rather angry. Her hair started glowing a bright orange, as it slowly burst into flames.

"I see...so that's what he wanted." she said. Her hair grew in length, wrapping around the man's neck. He coughed a bit as it started to squeeze the life out of him.

"Stop, or you'll regret this for the rest of your life." the boy said. The girl however continued strangling the man, until he eventually passed out. She put out her flaming her, which returned to it's regular length. Before anyone could say anything, she took off, running out of the pub and disappearing from sight. The young boy sighed, shaking his head.

"Poor kid." he muttered.

"Um...do you still want your drink?" the waitress asked, holding a platter in her hands, which contained a refill of his root beer and a bowl filled with thick meat bones. The puppy barked loudly, wagging his tail happily. He rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, I'm sure Repede here would love to have those bones." he said.

The train slowly pulled into Shirotsume station, finally coming to a full stop. Many travelers young and old disembarked from the train, happy to finally be at their destination. Among them were the mages of Cait Shelter, Wendy, Aiden and their newest member Eterna, though she instantly returned to the sword, feeling a bit tired from the ride. The two dragon slayers looked around, finding the town oddly at peace.

"This is weird, doesn't that report say she's a wanted thief? Shouldn't there be Rune Knights here?" Wendy asked.

"I would assume so...but I guess they are having trouble finding her. She's a fast runner." he said. The two of them slowly descended the steps leaving the station and going into the town proper, following the main street that cut right through the town. They didn't get far though, as one man, who looked grievously injured. He was holding himself upright with a wooden crutch, he had a pissed off look on his face.

"You...are you Cait Shelter mages?" he asked angrily.

"Yes sir, is something wrong? You look really hurt." Wendy asked.

"Of course I look hurt, I bloody am hurt...thanks to you fucks! That bastard friend of yours, Francis, took my money and ditched me in the woods. Real smooth you fucking shits!" he said.

"What? We would never do that. Cait Shelter is an honorable guild, and just so you know, among the active mages there's only one male member and that's me." Aiden snapped angrily.

"We don't know anyone named Francis...but I'll use my magic to heal you, I can't stand seeing an injured person walking around." Wendy said, slowly approaching the man, only for him to hit her with his crutch, sending her falling to the ground. In the blink of an eye, Aiden grabbed the man by his neck, holding him high into the air.

"Don't you fucking dare touch her! I swear on Atlas Flame I will turn you into a pile of ash!" he said angrily.

"How...you're just a kid." the man wheezed. Aiden tossed him aside, causing him more pain from his injuries. He held out his hand, helping Wendy to her feet.

"Let's go, disgraceful men who hit young women deserve no assistance from us." he said, brushing past him. Wendy sniffled a bit, rubbing the bruise on her cheek. Aiden frowned, and wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

"He hit me...I just wanted to help." she said quietly.

"Hey, don't worry about it. You took that hit like a champion...he'll get his..but now we have more issues. Someone is going around blaming Cait Shelter for failed missions, on top of that we have to find my sister...what a pain in my ass." he muttered dryly. Wendy poked at her bruise, the stinging dying down a bit. She looked at Aiden who was busy looking around the town, he still had his arm wrapped around her. She blushed a bright red and looked down, her long hair covering her face. The teen finally let her go, quickening his step a bit, he saw a man on the ground, with burn marks all over his neck. He was having trouble breathing it seemed.

"Shit...Flare did this." he muttered.

"How can you tell?" Wendy asked. He took off his golden bracelet and showed her his wrist, her eyes widened when she saw the red burn mark on his skin.

"When she got her hair magic from dad, she wanted to practice it and ended up burning me in one of our sparring matches. I wasn't so good with my fire magic at that point, so my resistance hadn't developed."

"The marks are the same..but what could this man have done to upset her?" She asked, kneeling down before the man, holding her hands over his body. His painful expression lessened a bit as his pain started to vanish. Aiden looked around, eyes brightening a bit.

"I know this part of town, there's a pub around here that I used to visit whenever I was in town. The owner must know this guy." he said. Wendy finished healing the man and then followed Aiden down the street, spotting the pub he had been talking about. He walked through the doors, the loud creak echoing through the building, silencing the customers. He grinned, holding his hand up.

"Hey fellas, long time no see!" he said.

"Aiden, welcome back!" a few men cried.

"It's been awhile, want a drink? I'll pay for ya!"

"Thanks for the offer, but I don't drink on a job." he said, walking toward the bar, Wendy closely behind. The owner smirked, setting down the glass he was washing.

He was a man in his early forties, with dark maroon colored hair. He had a bit of stubble on his face, and a few wrinkles showing a bit of his age. He was wearing a pressed white shirt, with a black bow tie. He was wearing a white apron over it, to make sure his clothes didn't get dirty.

"So, that's the Blue Flare doing here of all places? I thought you were looking for that Dragon of yours?" the man asked.

"Yeah I was, but that report was a bust, and I almost died during that monsoon." he said, brushing it off like nothing. The man set down a small bottle of Fireball on the counter top, along with a lighter.

"On the house, I know how much you like this stuff." he said. Aiden shook his head, grabbing the bottle, twisting the cap off.

"You know I can't resist this shit." he said, pouring himself a shot. Grabbing the lighter, he ignited the drink, watching as the flames grew tall, before he downed the shot in one go, flipping the cup over.

"Sadly though, I can't down the whole thing, I'm on a job. This is my partner Wendy, we're both from Cait Shelter, Wendy this is Oscar, the owner of this pub and one of the guys who gave me work while I was traveling." he said.

"Um...hi." she said shyly, a blush on her cheeks. The man smirked, setting a mug of root beer in front of her.

"Go ahead little lady, on the house." he said. She took a hold of it, taking a sip of the frothy drink. Her face lit up a bit and she took and even bigger gulp from it, some of the liquid dribbling down her chin.

"Listen Oz, I need some help. You see a girl about our age, with crimson red hair and bright orange eyes pass by here?" he asked.

"About yea tall, wearing a purple get up...scar on her shoulder?" he asked.

"That's her...so you have seen her?" he asked. The man nodded and turned around, grabbing the wanted poster.

"Yup, saw her about half an hour ago. She came looking for work, but since she's a thief I couldn't hire her. I saw the look on her face, utter confusion, like she was winging it. Not sure where she got the money, but she was able to pay for her drink just fine. Heard in town that she's been stealing from the nearby shops." he said. He sighed, placing his face on the counter.

"Her name is Flare..she's Aiden's little sister." Wendy said, wiping her chin with her arm.

"Is she now? Well she's in big trouble, I'm sure the council asked you to take care of her, but if they find her first, you know where she's gonna end up." Oscar said, taking back Wendy's empty mug.

"I know...she's just so confused. I was the only human she grew up with in the Sun Village, and since I didn't know much about humans myself, I couldn't teach her right from wrong. We were never in a situation where we had to steal for food, since we were always fed. Christ, I should have brought her with me when I left, what was I thinking?" he said, slamming his fist onto the counter.

"Aiden, it's alright. We'll find her and bring her back home with us...it isn't her fault that she has no idea what's she's doing. You said it yourself right? The council can't arrest her because she doesn't know what's right from wrong." Wendy reassured, making her partner smile.

"Well, I agree with the lady. However if you wish to find her, that's going to be a tad difficult. The girl ran off to who knows where...on top of that, there are people in town that oppose Cait Shelter, some one has been blaming you guys for not completing missions." Oscar said.

"Like that man at the train station, he ended up hitting Wendy." Aiden said.

"Well...we can't help that now...we'll just have to set the record straight, we are a good guild and honorable people." the blue haired girl said, a grin on her face. Aiden stood up from his seat, grabbing the bottle of Fireball, Oscar had given him.

"Thanks for the information Oscar, and I'm glad Flare didn't steal from you, even if she did though, I would have paid off her tab. I just can't have my little sister stealing from my friends." he said.

"No problem boy, you've helped my business out enough. Never thought you would be partners with the Sky Maiden though, I'll have to commit that to memory." he said.

"Sky Maiden? Is that what they call me?" Wendy asked, a blush on her cheeks. Aiden grinned, ruffling her hair.

"Awesome, you got your own moniker now. The Blue Flare and the Sky Maiden, the perfect titles for the leaders of Team Flaming Skies. Let's go find my sister." he said, leading the girl out of the bar, a vibrant smile on his face. The boy from before, having heard everything he needed, stood up from his seat, leaving a nice tip for the waitress on the table.

Heading toward Market Street, Aiden and Wendy decided to start their search for Flare. However, everyone that was out just gave them a stink eye, glaring at the marks on their shoulders. They didn't mind it though, as they would be clearing their name in the process. They stopped in the middle of the street, looking around.

"First off, we need to figure out who's using our name. We need to put that bastard out of commission for tainting Cait Shelter's good name." Aiden said firmly, glaring at the townspeople that were looking at them.

"How will we do that?" Wendy asked, earning a shrug from Aiden. He walked over to a nearby stand, ignoring the glare from the owner.

"Hello, I'd like to ask you a question." he said.

"Why would I answer to a dirty cheat like you? Thief!" he snapped.

"Listen, I don't know what you have heard, but Cait Shelter isn't a bad guild. We just busted a kidnapping ring not that long ago, and we volunteered at Magnolia Town for an entire week to help Fairy Tail recover. Please just tell me what happened to you so we can solve this issue?" he said. The man looked at him, still quite weary.

"There was this man, he didn't give me a name but he kept boasting about being an S-class mage from Cait Shelter. He said he would help me with my merchandise and bring it back from the train station, but instead he just sold it to someone else and took the money for himself." he said.

"What? That's terrible...we would never do that!" Wendy replied.

"That same guy said he would help me put fliers around town for my business, but instead he just took down payments for magic items that didn't exist, I haven't had a good sale in weeks." a woman said. A chorus of complaints started echoing through the area, making the two teenagers frown.

"Hang on! Does anyone know where the bastard lives, what he looks like?" he asked.

"Yeah, he was a tall guy, bald and wearing a tank top with black shorts. He said something about buying Everlue's mansion, and I think he did, with all of the money he stole from us." the first man said.

"Duke Everlue's mansion huh...looks like we've got our heading Wendy. Come on." Aiden said, heading toward the mansion on the hill. Wendy gave a polite bow to the stand owners and ran off, following her partner.

"Um Aiden...are you sure it's a wise idea to head to this mansion? That guys sounds really scary."

"We've faced off against serial rapists and dark wizards Wen, one lone thief isn't an issue for us. We'll be fine." he said, giving her a bright toothy grin. She relaxed a bit, running her fingers through her hair, which she had taken out of her ponytails.

The mansion, which looked more like a castle, finally came into view. It was a large building, which had been rebuilt after it's destruction at the hands of Fairy Tail. Since it was a building owned by a politician, it was rebuilt and repossessed by the government. It was a three story building, standing proudly at the highest hill in Shirotsume. They stood outside the metal gates, noticing the stone wall that kept people from entering the property.

"So, how exactly are we going to do this?" Wendy asked.

"Let's knock and see what happens." he said simply, slamming his fist against the metal gate a few times. He backed away from it, crossing his arms. Seconds later, a man opened the door, the two dragon slayers grew wide eyed, seeing it was the man Wendy had healed not that long ago. He looked at them, holding an ice pack to his head.

"The hell do you want?" he asked angrily. Aiden narrowed his eyes, glaring at him.

"Are you the bastard responsible for putting mistrust against Cait Shelter in the towns people?" he asked. The man's brows furrowed, but when he took notice of the emblems on their shoulders, his face split into a grin.

"You gonna do something about it kid? You don't scare me. Now run off with your little girlfriend, fore I beat the living hell out of you!" the man said, slamming the gate shut. Aiden clenched his fist in anger.

"I can't believe it's the same guy I healed...what a jerk!" Wendy said. She felt something rubbing against her leg, and looked down, seeing a cute blue and white puppy, with a pipe sticking out of its mouth. She smiled and knelt down, scratching his ear.

"Hi there puppy...where did you come from?" she asked. Aiden looked at her curiously for a few seconds, noticing the spiky haired teenager walking toward them.

"Hey, thanks for keeping an eye on my dog, he likes to run off sometimes." he said.

"Do I know you? You smell familiar." Aiden said, his nose moving slightly as he took in the newcomer's scent.

"I was at the pub earlier. Man, Dragon Slayers really do have heightened senses." he said.

"Um...who are you?" Wendy asked, holding the puppy in her arms. He wagged his tail a bit, settling into her arms.

"Oh, my name is Yun, and that's my friend Repede. We're independent mages." he said.

"We? You and the dog?" Aiden asked. Repede glanced at him, pulling the pipe from his mouth.

"I ain't just a dog kid." he said.

"Kyaah! You talk?" Wendy cried out, clearly surprised. Repede rolled his eyes.

"You ever hear of magical talking cats? Well, I'm a magical talking dog." he said simply, putting his pipe back in his mouth.

"Well then...that's rather interesting." Aiden said, not expecting to hear the small canine talk. Yun chuckled, shaking his head. He turned his attention back to the gates.

"So, this bastard is the one that's been spreading bad rumors about Cait Shelter, figures it would be a fat ass like him." he said.

"Do you know this bastard?" the blue eyed boy asked, looking back at the older teen. He gave him a nod.

"Tch...that fat waste of space has been taking missions in your guild's name for two weeks now. We've actually been waiting to take him down, especially for what he did this morning." Repede said, looking back at Aiden.

"What did he do?" Wendy asked.

"Well, that girl that you are looking for...with the red hair. She came into the pub earlier looking for work. That bastard said he had a job offering for her, and that he would have to "check" to see if she qualified. She obliviously accepted without thinking about the consequences. Thankfully I was able to deal with him rather easily." Yun said, holding his sword up for emphasis.

"Thank you for that. My sister doesn't know right from wrong, so she wouldn't know when she's being swindled like that." Aiden said, a frown on his face.

"Ah...so she's your sister...that makes my mission even more important. I want to help you get revenge on this sick piece of shit. However, I hear his friends have taken residence here as well, turning it almost into a guild hall of sorts. It will be a tough battle." he said, giving them a smirk.

"Not a problem...we are dragon slayers after all...oh right, the name is Aiden Flame, this is my partner Wendy Marvel."

"Nice to meet you Blue Flare, Sky Maiden. Now, will you do the honors? Or will I?" Yun said, gesturing to the gate. Aiden smirked, igniting his fist.

"I'll take care of it." he said, grabbing the hilt of his sword with his still flaming hand. As he drew the blade, his magic was transferred into the empty bullet, filling it with magic. Aiden pulled the trigger, the blade glowing a bright orange as he sliced the gate clean in half.

"Magma Blade!" he shouted. Flames burst from the edge of the sword, melting the steel gate like nothing. The sword hissed a bit as the magic left it, a bit of smoke coming from it.

"Nice...a little unrefined, but still quite effective. Let's pay these guys a visit." Yun said, taking the lead. Aiden and Wendy followed along, Repede being held snugly in the blue haired girl's embrace. Rather than knocking on the door, Yun just kicked it open. A few guys who were standing at the foyer looked toward them, shocked looks on their faces.

"What the hell is this?" one man shouted. Yun smiled, flicking his sheath outward, sending his large buster sword high into the air. It split mid air, ejecting several swords, each of them stabbing into the ground around him forming a circle of sorts. He grabbed the falling Long sword in his hand, holding it out at the men.

"Okay then, where's Francis?" he asked, Aiden figured that was the name of the bald man. He was however more focused on all of the swords around Yun.

"You think you kids can just waltz in here like you own the damn place? I'll show you." one of the men said, forming a golden magic circle in front of him, several blasts of light flew out at them, making them jump back. Yun raced forward pulling his sword back.

"Sword Magic: Lightning Blade!" Yun cried, throwing an upward slash at the man, slicing through his light. The man howled in pain as the lightning coursed through his body, sending him flying into the banister. Yun raced toward one of his swords, a black long sword that was glowing with a bit of dark magic.

"Fusion Blade, Elucidator!" he chanted, the sword opened up and he slipped the dark blade into it, making his original blade glow a shadowy black in color.

"Oh shit, this is the kid, the on that took out that dark guild on his own. The Azure Fang, Yun Lowell!" one man said, glancing right at Yun, who gave him a grin.

"Good to know I'm famous. Fusion Skill, Dark Slash Version 1." he cried, pulling his glowing blade back. The man screamed as the twin slashes struck his body, bursting into a shadowy energy that literally burst from his body. He fell to the ground unconscious.

"Wow, this kid isn't messing around." Aiden said, impressed with Yun's magical prowess.

"That's because of his special magic. He created that sword himself, and called it the Fusion Blade. Each of the swords around us is a magical weapon, imbued with special magical properties, on their own they hold great power, but when combined with the Fusion Blade, the power increases. Combine all of them and you have a devastating attack!" Repede explained, earning nods from the two slayers. Yun took down another man, sending him flying through a wall with a blast of light. He wiped the sweat from his brow, glancing at the dragon slayers.

"Go on, I'll catch up!" he said. Aiden nodded and took off up the stairs, his fist glowing with blue flames. From the mezzanine on the second floor, a few onlookers had been watching the fight. They all got ready to fight.

"Alright, where's your friend you fucks?!" Aiden exclaimed, flames covering his fists and forearms.

"Like we would ever tell you! Shower of Light!" one man cried, sending out several balls of light at the young man. He punched through the orbs, breaking them apart with ease. He jumped onto the railing, jumping high into the air.

"Hellfire Dragon's Wing Attack!" he shouted, slamming his arms into the group of men, large wings of flame burst outward, sending them flying in all directions.

"Gun's Magic, Piercing Gale!" another cried, firing his magic shotgun at Aiden. The swirling torrent slammed into the teen, making him cry in pain. He wasn't in the air for long as the funnel of wind was quickly devoured by Wendy. Repede was by her feet, growling at the enemies.

"Fast wind that run the heaven, Vernier!" she cried out, placing her enchantment onto her friend. Before Aiden could attack the girl burst forward, hair whipping all over the place. She took a deep breath, cheeks puffing out a bit.

"Sky Dragon's Roar!" she shouted, sending out a large funnel of wind at the group of mages, sending them blasting through the walls. Aiden raced past her, almost becoming a blue streak of sapphire fire. He slammed his fist into a man's jaw, sending him into the air. He pulled him into a combo, his fists becoming a mere blur.

"Hellfire Dragon's Flurry of Dancing Flames!" he shouted, ending the combo with a massive flaming punch that exploded on the mans face, making the wall behind him burst into splinters of wood, ash and flame. He exhaled, cracking his knuckles.

"Thanks Wen, you came in clutch with that Vernier." he said.

"No problem, but how's Yun?" she asked, looking over the railing. The young man jumped into the air, holding an Ancient looking sword in his hands.

"Ancient Power!" he shouted, slamming the sword into the ground, massive pillars of rock shot from the floor, slamming into all of the remaining mages around him. The teen grinned as each pillar burst into sand, slowly dissolving around him. He put the ancient sword back within his Fusion blade, sheathing the entire sword.

"I'll stay down here, you search up there. Repede, help them if they need it!" Yun said, running through a set of double doors on the bottom floor. Aiden nodded to Wendy, disappearing through a set of doors.

Yun slowed his run, looking down the hall in case something happened. He kept his eyes peeled, waiting for an attack to happen. He felt the floor boards sink a bit and jumped back, a torrent of water gushed out of the floor, almost slamming into him. He drew his sword, grabbing his Vorpal Blade from within.

"Bummer, I was hoping to hit you!" a young woman said, appearing in front of him. She didn't look much older than him, around eighteen at most. She was wearing a skin tight school swimsuit, her bright pink hair tied into a ponytail.

"Stand down, I don't want to hurt you." Yun said. The girl shook her head, holding her hand out.

"White Water!" she chanted, sending a wall of swirling water at him. Yun pulled his blade back, channeling his magic into it.

"Vorpal Strike!" he cried, swiping the water in front of him, freezing it instantly. He grabbed his Flamberge sword, using it's fire to destroy the ice. The woman was gone, making him search frantically for her. She heard her giggle behind him and quickly turned around, crossing his swords in time to block a blast of water.

"My, what a strong young man...I think I'll make you my new toy." she said, licking her lips.

"Ugh...flat chested women aren't my cup of tea." he said simply. Her eyes widened in shock. She grit her teeth, a funnel of water swirling behind you.

"You little bastard!" she shouted, sending the water at him. He smirked, jumping into an empty room. He quickly grabbed his Dark Repulser, putting away his Vorpal Blade. The door behind him burst open, breaking into nothing but splinters.

"Not so slick now eh?" the woman asked.

"Nope, not at all. Lightning Blade!" he chanted, slamming the blunt side of Dark Repulser into her chest. She cried in pain, the effects of the magic doubled due to being soaked in water. She fell to the ground, her body twitching and smoking. Her bathing suit turned into ash, leaving her completely naked on the floor. Yun sucked his teeth.

"Huh...they're actually pretty big. Who knew?" he said with a shrug. He turned around and continued on his way, leaving a weeping water mage behind.

"Tell us where your master is!" Aiden said, grabbing a defeated wizard by his shirt. The man passed out before uttering a word, causing Aiden to just toss him aside. He sighed, rubbing his eyes. He looked around the empty library, seeing nothing but defeated wizards all over the place. If this place had been a legal guild, it would have accounted for most of the wizards belonging to it, thirty five guys in total. Just how many "Friends" did Francis have?

"Aiden look, a book on Solar Divinity Magic." Wendy exclaimed, holding the book over the railing on the floor above him. His eyes widened a bit.

"Toss it down." he said. She did so, the book falling through the air, landing in his grasp. He flipped to the first page, reading the material over. He grinned and grabbed his pack from his requip pocket.

"Phoebe is going to love this...we couldn't find one in the Magic Library, but what were the odds of finding one here?" he said, letting his pack disappear.

"We should move on, Yun will be down taking down the other mages soon." Repede said, urging the two slayers on.

"So uh...what are you exactly Repede? I've never seen a talking dog before." Wendy said.

"Wait...you didn't hatch from an egg did you?" Aiden asked, earning a chuckle from the puppy.

"No, I didn't hatch from an egg. To answer your question Wendy, I'm a Celestial Spirit, the spirit of the Canine Constellation. But thanks to Yun's magic, I am able to stay out on this side for as long as I want without any after effects." he said.

"Wow, that's so cool." Wendy said, a smile on her face.

"I knew it, I smelled something celestial on you...anyway, we need to focus on finding this dirt bag, before something bad happens." Aiden said, opening the door, only to be greeted by a flying fist. He flew back, slamming into Wendy, both of them going through a wooden desk.

"Heh heh heh. You kids think you are smart breaking into my house, ain't ya?" the bald man said. Aiden grit his teeth, his previous battles finally catching up to him. He stood up weakly, only for Francis to punch him again with a Lightning coated fist. He gasped in pain, being sent flying back into the library.

"Ha, dragon slayer my ass. You ain't shit...hello...look at this little cutie!" He said, grabbing Wendy by her leg, holding her upside down. The girl struggled to keep her dress from falling down. She aimed her leg at his face, only for him to dodge it.

"Let me go!" she cried.

"Struggle all you want girlie, but I'm not letting you get away, especially after what you did to my friends." he said.

"Kyaah!" the blue haired girl cried, lightning magic coursed through her body, causing massive damage. Francis slammed her into the floor, grabbing her by the neck. Repede barked loudly, gaining his attention.

"What's wrong puppy? You wanna play too?" he asked, kicking the dog across the room.

"Let her go!" Aiden screamed, clutching his bleeding shoulder. He pulled a piece of wood from his shoulder, tossing it aside. The man smirked.

"Oh sure, I'll let her go. Lightning Halberd." He shouted, driving his lightning coated fist into Wendy's body, sending her flying through the floor and into the bookshelves above. She groaned in pain, falling into a heap on a pile of books, lightning streaking across her body. Francis looked at Aiden who just looked at his partner, eyes widened in shock. A single tear ran down his face, mixing with the blood coming from his face.

"You are going to regret that!" he said, jumping at the man, his body coated in flames. He landed on the ground, the sheer force of his magic sending the man stumbling back.

"Hellfire Dragon's Scales." he said, as the spell solidified. His face was covered entirely by flames, his eyes were glowing a bright blue giving him an ominous look. Still Francis didn't back down, lightning coursing from his body.

"Come at me boy, I'll rock your world!" he said, running at him. He threw a lightning infused punch at Aiden, who blocked it with his arm, the fire absorbing the attack entirely. He pulled his fist back, uppercutting the man into the air.

"Hellfire Dragon's Twin Fang!" he shouted, sending two flaming tendrils at the man. They swirled into a giant whirlpool of flame which exploded on contact. Francis cried in pain, quickly righting himself mid air.

"You're good kid, but not good enough. Lightning Drill!" he cried, spinning his body as fast as he could, forming a drill of lightning magic. He slammed into Aiden, sending him into the air. Francis smirked and jumped up high slamming his foot into Aiden's back, sending him flying through the ceiling of the building. He groaned in pain, the flames surrounding his body dissipating. Francis grabbed him by his arm and spun around, sending him flying through the roof of the house, through the bookshelves and into the bottom floor. He landed on the banister, looking at the hole where the teen had gone through.

"Not so tough now, are ya?" he asked.

"Sky Dragon's Wing Attack!"

The man turned in time to avoid the attack Wendy had sent at him. Her body was littered in scratches and scorch marks from the lightning magic. Her favorite green dress was torn in places and she was bleeding from her shoulder. She stumbled a bit, feeling a shooting pain from her leg, the same one that Francis had channeled his magic through.

"When I'm done with you, they'll have to figure out how to put your body back together little girl!" Francis said, preparing another lightning blast. He felt a sharp stinging on his back and turned around, seeing a glowing blue and white dog standing behind him, a dagger clutched tightly in its mouth.

"You think you can attack kids and get away with it?" he growled angrily.

"How cute, you've got a puppy fighting your battles for you!" Francis said. He threw a lightning bolt at him, only for Repede to swiftly dodge it. He jumped high into the air, dagger glowing brightly.

"Shadow Fang!" he howled, his dagger burst with light, and he swung it back and forth, delivering a volley of quick slashes to the man's legs, making him drop to his knees.

"Now Aiden!" Wendy cried, looking into the hole. A tower of blue flame burst through the ground as Aiden jumped into the air, a smirk on his face.

"Metsuryu Ogi: Guren Bakuenjin!" he shouted, twisting his body slightly, he formed a giant sapphire phoenix of blue flame that struck Francis, sending him flying through the stairs. He slammed into the wall, unmoving. Aiden landed on the floor, panting a bit.

"Jesus...where did he get all that power from?" he asked, leaning against a broken shelf.

"Probably from a lacrima. Yun's body link magic saps the power of anyone who touches his sword. I remember this guy touched his sword at the pub." Repede said, sheathing his dagger.

"No...that isn't it. I healed him several hours ago, my magic doesn't just heal injuries, it restores stamina too. It jump starts ones magic container so they can restore their magic power." Wendy said. She fell to her knee, her leg finally giving out. Aiden moved toward her, placing a hand on her singed ankle. She grit her teeth, hissing in pain.

"Lightning magic that strong is enough to severely injure a person, especially since your magic doesn't conduct electrical magic well. You have a scar." he said, brushing some of the soot away, revealing a bit of the burn mark left behind by Francis's magic.

"It's okay...all part of the job right?" she said, giving him a smile.

"Oi, you guys alright?" Yun asked, making his way into the library. He had visible scratch marks all around his body, and his shirt was torn, but he didn't look so bad. Aiden stood up, giving him a thumbs up.

"I'm beat to shit, but I'll be fine." he said.

"I called the Rune Knights to grab these idiots, found out they were embezzling money from several shops, posing to be businesses experts." he said.

"Let's get out of here, I got an urge to burn this place down." Aiden said. Repede started glowing, his magic loosing its effect. He returned to his puppy form.

"Aiden...I'm not sure if I can walk yet." Wendy said, her eye was closed and she was breathing a bit hard. He nodded and wrapped his arms around her, helping her to her feet.

"Get on my back, I'll carry you out of here." he said.

"What? I can't do that, you're in worse shape than I am." she said.

"Nope, you are my partner and I have to take care of you." he said. She nodded in defeat, knowing she wouldn't win in an argument with him. She climbed onto his back, wrapping her arms around his shoulders. Once she was in a good position, he started walking down the opposite stairwell, since the other one had been destroyed.

"Boy!"

He stopped, glaring at Francis, who was covered in burn marks. He coughed a bit, giving him a smirk.

"What's your name?" he asked.

"Aiden Flame, son of Atlas Flame and a fellow tribesman from the Sun Village." he said firmly. He chuckled, closing his eyes.

"Good fight, Aiden Flame of the Sun Village."

They took their time leaving the mansion, seeing several defeated mages along the way. By the time they got past the gates, a horde of Rune Knights ran past, speaking briefly with Yun before they headed on their way. Wendy had fallen asleep on Aiden's back, the teenager not minding her at all.

"Well...we took care of clearing our name...but we didn't find my sister." Aiden said, a frown on his face.

"That will come soon...what you two need first is a good nights rest. You look like shit, thankfully I have some potions on me that will heal these injuries. Let's go back, I have a small apartment in town, you can stay with me." he said. Aiden nodded and followed the spiky haired teen back into Shirotsume. In the back of his mind, he hoped he could find his sister, he was sick of trailing behind her. He wanted to bring her home, but most of all he wanted to apologize for being a horrible big brother, maybe then his conscious would be clear.


	16. The Ties That Bind Part II

**A/N: Man, winter is pounding us hard. It's so windy up here, that it looks like it's still snowing, even though it isn't. Cuz you know, what's better than getting hit by two snowstorms right after each other? the fact that there's a third on the way. Joy!**

 **But my misery aside, it's time for you all to sample some of Aiden's misery in the new chapter of the Hellfire Dragon Slayer. last chapter, Aiden and Wendy faced off against Francis and the guys badmouthing their guild, and were able to take them out, even though they were heavily injured. Today you all get to see the aftermath of that, along with learning a bit more of Aiden's past. After this, we're heading straight into the Fighting Festival Arc, so clench your butts for that.**

 **As always, leave a review or a like...and if something is wrong then please send me a PM so I can quickly correct it. I really appreciate it, and Guest reviewers, please I implore you to get an account, I'm tired of getting reviews I can't reply to. I would much rather have an interactive conversation with someone as opposed to reading a question and not being able to answer. it's really freaking annoying, worse yet, some people like to insult others through guest reviews just because they know the author can't reply back. That's vile and unbecoming, though I'm not saying any of you have, it's happened to me in the past, it's the sole reason why I quit writing Sword Art Online fanfiction. So please, get an account, it's free so it isn't going to take up anything to make one.**

 **This chapter is brought to you by a Flaming Fist of Hair, maybe it's on fire or maybe it's Maybelline.**

Fairy Tail

Tales of the Hellfire Dragon

Chapter 16

The Ties That Bind

Part 2

It had only been a few hours since Wendy and Aiden had arrived in Shirotsume, but already they felt like crap. Rather than just rest, Aiden helped Yun with tending to Wendy's injuries. As much as Yun told him to rest, he didn't want to, and insisted on helping. She had wrapped her injured leg in magic gauze that had been slowly healing her burn, though Yun said she would have a scar from the after effects of lightning magic. After that, he cleaned all of her scratches and bandaged the deeper cuts, thankfully she had been sleeping so she didn't feel any added pain. When he was done, he finally allowed Yun to bandage him up. Repede was sleeping at the foot of the bed he was using, the pipe still sticking out of his mouth. Aiden looked back at Yun, who was busy stitching his shoulder.

"So...what's up with the pipe?" he asked. Yun stopped what he was doing for a second, realizing what he meant.

"That pipe belonged to his old master. He's a Celestial Spirit, so he has immortality. Apparently, his old master had his key nearly his entire life, so when he passed away, he took that pipe to remember him. That was over three hundred years ago, I don't know much else." he said. He drove the needle though Aiden's skin, earning a groan from the boy.

"That sucks...must be hard being a spirit." he said simply.

"Immortality isn't all it's cracked up to be. Dragon Slayers should know that, seeing as they have the life span of a dragon." Yun replied.

"Yeah, haven't gotten used to it yet...that sword you carry around, Repede told me how it works. Where did the idea come from?"

"Not sure really. My father used to be a knight in the royal army, and he was a good swordsman. I wanted to be a knight like him too, but I didn't qualify for the exams. Guess I just wanted to better myself, so I came up with my own sword. The premise is simple, it was built around the other swords in my possession, all of them are magic swords, some are legendary weapons...each of them separated is powerful, combined together, they're unstoppable. That was the basic premise of the Fusion Sword." he said, finishing the last stitch. He snipped the thread, standing up from his chair. Aiden looked at his shoulder, seeing the blue thread, just before Yun put a bandage over it.

"So, what's your story?" Yun asked, tossing him a clean shirt. Aiden put it on, rolling up the sleeves.

"I've been traveling around Fiore since I was young, trying to master my magic. I can use Fire Make and Hellfire Dragon Slayer magic. However I made a mistake, I left Flare behind and now she's running around, stealing shit from people." he said.

"Hey, things happen for a reason right? You left to get stronger, no doubt to protect your sister...and to search for your dragon I'm assuming, but now that she's here you can get her back." he said.

"That's true. People just don't understand what it's like...one day everything is normal, and the next, the one that you get used to seeing every day, egging you on, training you is just gone. It fucking hurts...I tried explaining it to her, but she didn't listen...so I just took off. I should have thought more about it."

"Well...some people may not understand it, but at least Wendy does...she's a slayer like you, so she of all people knows what it feels like to loose a parent." Yun said.

"Yes...but that isn't the only thing...there's more. I remember...my true family..the ones I lived with before I met Atlas Flame."

xxx _(Flashback)_ xxx

Aiden was only five years old. He was living in a city near the desert region of Fiore, growing up with his family. He was running around the small village, waving to everyone else around him. He turned the corner of a building, slamming into someone.

"Ow, jeez you need to be more careful!"

"I'm sowwy sis." he said cutely, looking at his older sister Kurumi. She was eleven years old, with bright red eyes. She had long raven black hair, tied into twin tails with golden hair ties. Her bangs were cut at an angle, covering her left eye. She was wearing a brown halter top, which was sleeveless, and had a few checkered designs on it. She was wearing a pair of black shorts and brown laced sandals. In her arms was a plastic bag, two loaves of fresh bread sticking from it. She gave him a smile, patting his head.

"It's alright sweetie, but you need to find something to do with that excess energy. Maybe all of that candy was a bad idea." she said.

"Noo...don't take my candy." Aiden whined, tugging on her shirt. She giggled, shaking her head.

"Come on, momma will be mad if I don't get this bread back home in time for lunch. You know dad likes to eat it while it's warm." she said, taking a hold of his hand. As they were walking back, they passed by the local toystore. Being the kid he is, Aiden quickly ran toward it, pressing his face against the glass. Kurumi shook her head and followed along, looking at all of the toys.

"Wow, look at that train set! Do you think daddy will buy it for me if I ask him nicely?" he asked, looking back at his sister.

"Didn't dad buy you some toys last week? Or did you break them already?" she asked.

"No, I didn't break them, Brandon stole them and I don't know where they are." he said matter of factly. She sighed, shaking her head.

"That idiot, he needs to stop taking everyone's damn things." she said, referring to their older brother Brandon, who was fifteen years old.

"Well...I've looked long enough, come on sissy." he said, pulling her along. Kurumi frowned noticing the toy he had been looking at was a bright red Yo-yo, with a dragon print on it. She smiled inwardly, pulling him to a stop.

"Here, take this home, I just remembered I got something to do." she said, spinning on her heel she took off up the street. He shrugged and continued home, trying his hardest not to snack on the bread. He finally arrived home, a small tan house near the lake that allowed the village to thrive.

He walked through the entrance, dodging his older brother Brandon who was making his way outside. He was really tall, at least for a boy his age. He stood at five foot eleven, and had black hair, which was spiked up at the top and kept long at the back. He was wearing a white sleeveless shirt and black trunks, along with brown boots. He had a scowl on his face.

"Outta my way squirt." he said, pushing Aiden out of the way. He pouted, but decided to ignore him, in favor of getting the bread into the house. He set the bread on the table, just as his mother had walked out holding a tray of food.

"Sweetheart, where's your sister?" she asked.

"She said she had to do something momma, so I brought the bread home." he said. His mother sighed.

"Honestly, what has gotten into Kurumi lately? She's been doing this quite a lot recently." Meredy said, crossing her arms.

The lady of the house, Meredy was the mother of Aiden, Kurumi and Brandon. She was a woman of thirty five, with long black hair which she kept tied up into a side ponytail. She had bright crimson eyes, a trait that she passed down to her only daughter Kurumi. She had a beauty mark near her eye, which made her a little alluring, one of the many features her husband had fallen in love with. She was wearing an orange sundress, which reached down to her shins, and had a flower print motif on it. Over it she wore a white apron, as she had been getting lunch ready.

"Anyway, you can start lunch early sweetie, I made your favorite." she said, ruffling his hair. He grinned grabbing his spoon and digging into his curry. His mother cut out a piece of bread, placing it on his plate.

"This is the best, thanks momma." he said, earning a kiss from the woman.

"You are very welcome." she said.

"Hey, there's my little man, digging in without your father? That's not fair Aiden!"

"Daddy!" Aiden cried, jumping out of his seat, his meal forgotten for a mere second. Lawrence hugged his youngest sun tightly, having come back from running his woodshop in town. He was a man of thirty six, with spiky blue hair and bright green eyes. He was taller than his wife by several inches. He was wearing a sleeveless black shirt, which was a bit covered with saw dust. He was also wearing a pair of cargo shorts and bright tan work boots. He let go of his son and gave his wife a kiss, which made Aiden stick his tongue out in disgust.

"How was work sweetheart?" Meredy asked.

"So far, it's been a pain...I got several orders to fill and the wood hasn't come in from Crocus, so I can't hand it out. I need to also call in another shipment of nails as all of the ones in stock have been sold out, and that's just the beginning. I'm happy to be back home, even if its for lunch." he said, sitting at the head of the table, grabbing the large plate of rice and curry his wife handed him.

"Well, I hope you enjoy it. It's made with lots of love." she said, giving him a wink.

"Of course I'll love it, even if it was nothing more than a lump of coal, if it was made by you I would eat it." he said.

"Daddy, why would you eat coal? Can't you get mesothelioma from eating that?" Aiden asked curiously. Lawrence looked at his son, wondering how he even learned a word like that.

"Um...no son...you get that from breathing Asbestos." he replied, taking a bite from the warm bread. Aiden nodded and continued to eat in silence.

"A-anyway, did you see our daughter on the way back? She took off again." Meredy asked.

"I did not..honestly Mere, that girl is your spitting image. Won't be long until she starts that goth phase you went through."

"Ha, in this weather? I doubt she could handle it." the black haired woman said, shaking off his statement.

"Sorry I'm late...I just had to get something real quick." Kurumi cried, bursting through the door. She was panting and covered in sweat, holding a paper bag in her hands.

"Sweetie, you are all sweaty and dirty, go take a bath before you eat your lunch." Meredy said, earning a groan from the girl.

"Why do I have to take a bath? I don't need one." she said.

"Sure you do, if you don't take a bath you'll grow stinky and dirty and then you won't be my beautiful daughter. You'll be a muck monster from the desert ruins." Lawrence said, earning a laugh from Aiden. Kurumi pouted, crossing her arms.

"I won't turn into a monster, taking baths is stupid. From now on I vow not to take a bath for the rest of my life!" she said.

"But sis, if you don't take a bath, then that boy Randy Mitchell won't fall in love with you, and then you can't make out with him like you want to." Aiden said, making her go wide eyed.

"You little twerp! You read my diary again didn't you?" she snapped angrily.

"No...Brandon read it to me...you know I can't read cursive." he said, giving her a cute pout.

"That rat bastard, I'm going to glue his shoes to the ground." she said, taking off up the stairs.

"Well...looks like she inherited something from you after all." Meredy said, looking at her husband who had sauce smeared all over his face.

"What?" he asked, mouth half full. She rolled her eyes, heading back into the kitchen.

"Maybe I can convince Mimi to take a bath, I'll have to strip her first and then chain her to the tub!" Aiden said.

"Uh son, maybe you shouldn't do that. Besides you are a little too old to be taking baths with your sister." his father said.

"Oh right...it's because of her boobies growing in, I get it." he said, the sound of shattering glass filled the dining room a second later.

It wasn't long after he finished his lunch that Aiden was back in his room, playing with his toys. He grabbed one of his lacrima planes and channeled some of his magic power into it, giving it a good throw before setting it off. The small toy started flying around the room, making him clap.

"Go faster Plane, break the sound barrier!" he cried, willing the toy to move faster. Just as his door open, his plane crashed into the door frame, right next to Kurumi's face.

"Jeez, what did I tell you about flying this thing inside the house?" she cried, pulling the toy from the wall.

"Sorry Mimi, it won't happen again." he said, he had a genuine look on his face, but his fingers were crossed behind his back. She shook her head and walked into the room, closing the door behind her. She gestured to the bed, both of them sitting down at the edge.

"Do you remember that toy you were looking at in town?" she asked.

"Yeah, that super awesome Yo-yo. The toy maker told me once, that it glows every time you play with it." he said, a grin on his face.

"Well...guess what I brought with me?" she said, holding the paper bag in her hands. He gasped, quickly snatching the bag from her hands. He dug his hand inside, pulling the red dragon yo-yo from within.

"This is so cool, thank you so much Mimi. I love you!" he said, slipping the string around his finger. He flicked his wrist, sending the toy downward with a bright crimson glow, the dragon looked menacing as it glowed a bright purple. He caught the toy in his hand and turned around, hugging his sister tightly.

"Oh...not so tight little brother, you know my chest hurts." she said.

"I know...but I want to hug you forever, you are my favorite sister in the world Mimi. Just like daddy and momma are my favorite parents in the world. I want you to be my wife when we grow up!" he exclaimed.

"Uh...Aiden you know sisters can't marry their brothers right?" Kurumi asked. He gave her a grin.

"I don't care, my big sister is going to be my wife and that's that!" he said. She giggled, ruffling his hair.

"Okay, we'll get married and eat all the cake in the world, and then we'll play until the sun rises!" she said.

"Yeah...but first, you need to take a bath. My wife has to smell like flowers, not like dirt." he said. She blushed a bit, looking at the ceiling.

"Alright, I'll take a bath...you can come if you want, I can tell you a story, but no peeking!" she said, giving him a wink. He nodded feverishly, following his sister to her room to grab some clothes.

That night, Aiden was having trouble sleeping. He didn't know why, but he just couldn't sleep at all. He sat up in his bed and looked around, grabbing his yo-yo. He jumped out of bed, making sure to stay quiet. He crept around the hallway, making sure not to wake his parents, before opening Kurumi's door. She usually stayed up past bed time reading books, but today she decided to sleep early. He crept up to her bed, tugging on her night gown. She groaned, opening a single eye.

"Can't sleep?" she asked.

"Yeah, I don't want to have that nightmare again." he said. She nodded and lifted up her sheets, patting the bed.

"Come here, I'll make sure you don't have bad dreams." she said softly. He nodded and climbed into the bed, she wrapped the sheets around them, and wrapped her arms tightly around his body.

"Big sis, I love you...good night." he said quietly.

"Good night little brother...sweet dreams." she said, kissing his forehead. The boy fell asleep shortly after.

While she didn't mind helping her brother, Kurumi did have trouble sleeping once she was awake. She sighed, making sure not to move too much. She swept some locks away from Aiden's face, watching his peaceful expression as he clutched his new favorite toy. She didn't know why, but her little brother had been overly affectionate toward her, practically since birth. He would always follow her around and ask to play with her, even when she practiced her magic. It wasn't hard to see that he idolized her, and that made her proud to be his sister. She yawned silently, feeling her eyes grow heavy. She smiled, slowly closing her eyes, hoping the morning would take its time so that she could enjoy her precious sleep.

That however changed when she started smelling smoke. She groaned, the fowl smell hitting her nose. She sat up, rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand. She looked around, noticing her brother was missing.

"Aiden...Aiden?" she called out, tiredness still in her voice.

"Over here, big sis...the town is on fire." he said. Her eyes widened and she threw the covers off herself. She raced to the window, seeing the tower of flame that was burning the town. She grabbed his hand, tugging him along.

"Come on, we have to wake up mom and dad." she said, earning a nod from him. They raced into their parents room, only to stop in their tracks. All around the room was a bright red liquid, something that neither of them had seen before. Aiden reached for the light switch, throwing the room into light. He regretted doing that, as he saw a grisly scene before him.

Both of his parents had been murdered. Their bodies lay prone on the bed, several stab wounds on their bodies. The once white sheets had been tinged crimson with their blood, which had pooled around the floor. They had pained expressions on their faces, both of them still holding hands. Each of them had a knife plunged into their hearts.

"Mommy...Daddy..." Aiden cried.

"Don't look sweetheart, just don't look!" Kurumi said, urging him away from the room. They shut the door behind them. Kurumi was panting hard, eyes still wide. She couldn't believe what she had seen. Her parents were dead, lying in their own blood. Mere hours ago they had all sat down to play a game, and now they were dead. She clutched her stomach, vomiting its contents all over the floor. She wiped her mouth with her sleeve, turning to her brother.

"We have to find Brandon and get out of here, or the fire will kill us." she said. He nodded and ran back to his room, turning the light on. He grabbed a small backpack and grabbed some clothes, shoving them inside.

"What are you doing?" Kurumi asked.

"Packing clothes, we'll need them later." he said simply. She smiled sadly. She saw so much of their father in him. She turned back to her own room, grabbing a few spare changes of clothes for herself. She put on her sandals, hastily tying them on before running out of the room. She took Aiden's hand, quickly descending the stairs. She saw the front door was open, meaning Brandon had most likely left. Once outside, they saw their older brother, just standing there.

"Brandon, we need to go now! Mom and Dad are dead!" Kurumi said.

"I know...it was me that did them in." he said, turning back to his siblings, holding a bloody knife in his hand. Aiden let out a cry and hid behind Kurumi, who could only stare at her sibling.

"What...you...kill them?" she asked.

"Yes, they are going to help us. I've heard so much about it, don't worry...there's going to be a tower and it will bring them back to life in a new world...but first there need to be sacrifices." he said, walking toward them. Kurumi held her hand in front of her, a white magic circle appearing before her.

"Ark of Space: Graviton Compression!" She chanted. Brandon cried in pain as a blast of Gravity magic started squeezing him in place. He clutched the bloody knife in his hand, which broke into a million pieces a second later.

"You...think...this...will...stop...me?" he asked. He snapped his fingers, a brown magic circle appearing before him.

"Stone Edge!"

Several sharpened stones slammed into Kurumi's body, making her scream in pain as the sharpened stones cut her skin. She fell to her knees, clutching her arm in pain.

"Where did you learn magic?" she asked, glaring at her brother.

"Same place as you did, the local library. You'll be surprised what you can find...ah, little Aiden...look at you. I understand, what you are thinking, mom and dad are gone, but we don't need them. We can live on our own now. Come with me, I'll take you to the tower, and we'll be able to see them in the new world." he said, holding his hand out to him.

"Screw you! You big meanie...momma and daddy...they...they loved us...and you killed them!" he screamed.

"Insolent brat!" Brandon cried, launching sharpened stones at him. Kurumi pushed him out of the way, taking the hit. She groaned in pain, looking at her brother.

"Aiden...run...run as far away as you can, and don't turn back."

"Big sis...I can't leave you...we're gonna get married." he said, tears running down his face. Kurumi smiled, tears running down her cheeks.

"I love you Aiden...but you have to live...for our parents." she said. Aiden nodded and stood up, keeping an eye on his brother. He smirked, cracking his neck.

"Boo!" he cried, making Aiden scream in fright. He ran off, not looking back. Kurumi stood up, shaking her head.

"I can't believe you would do this...I knew you hated them, hated us...but this wasn't the way." she said.

"Shut up sister, you know you are a funny girl, promising to marry our little brother, you disgust me."

"You know it's just a little kid thing, he doesn't mean it. But that doesn't matter, I'm going to make sure you never hurt him again!" she said, holding her hand high above her, a large magic circle appearing above her.

"Ark of Space: Space Distortion!" she cried, sending a pink and purple blast at Brandon, who grit his teeth in pain, seeing his body start to move in odd angles.

"What did you do to me bitch?" he shouted.

"I distorted space around you, so you can't have a solid form. That should give us enough time to get away...I hope you burn in hell." she said, grabbing her pack and running off after her brother.

"That fool." Brandon said, a smirk on his face. He held his hand out, taking aim at his sister.

"This is the end, Earth Breaker." he chanted, sending a sharpened spear of rock right at his sister.

"Aiden, come on!" Kurumi said, finally catching up to her brother.

"Big sis..you made it."

"Not for long...we'll have too.." she stopped mid sentence feeling a sharp pain erupt from her back. She looked down, seeing a sharpened spear, covered in blood, her blood. She looked down seeing it was actually stabbed straight through her body. She suddenly felt weak, and dropped to her knees.

"Kurumi!" Aiden cried, looking at his sister. She coughed, blood spilling from her mouth.

"Go." she choked out.

"No...not without you!" he cried, his eyes glistening with tears.

"Little brother...you have to go...before he finds and kills you...live...for me...for our parents." she said. She cried out, feeling two more spears stabbing into her back, almost hitting Aiden, two more stabbed through her legs, pinning her in place.

"GO!"

"I love you sis...I love you!" he cried, breaking into sprint. He raced through the darkness and flames finally disappearing from sight. Kurumi smiled, her breathing slowing down a bit.

"I'm glad...I got to meet you...my sweet brother." she whispered, finally loosing consciousness.

Aiden kept running, never looking back. The crackling of the fire only got louder as he ran into the burning forest. He felt immense heat, and had a hard time breathing, but he had to get away from his brother, the one that killed his parents, the one that took his sister from him. He kept running and running, finally making out of the forest. He burst into tears, falling to his knees.

"Kurumi...momma...daddy...why?" he asked, looking at the sky, seeing a plume of smoke towering high above him. He screamed, screamed his sorrows, as he kept remembering his sister and his parents. All of the blood...it would be etched into his mind for all eternity. He slammed his fist into the ground, grabbing at the dirt.

"Brandon...I promise...I will find you again when I'm stronger...and I'm going to kill you."

xxx _(Flashback ends)_ xxx

"Your brother...killed your family?" Yun asked, earning a nod from Aiden, who clenched his fist.

"The bastard, I don't know what possessed him to do that, but he destroyed it all. My house, my life, my future...my parents, and the most important person in my life. Kurumi wasn't just my sister, she was the person that was there for me, more than my own parents. She was my best friend. I knew I couldn't marry her, but for that moment in time, that moment in childhood, I could pretend and live blissfully unaware of the darkness of the world. But that wasn't possible." he said firmly.

"I'm sorry I...just..don't know what to say." Yun said. Aiden chuckled, shaking his head.

"No one ever knows what to say...it's alright man...none of it is your fault...but now do you understand why I have to get Flare back?"

"Yes...I understand entirely. I'm going into town, I'll see if I can find some information on her whereabouts." he said, grabbing his sword. He left the room shortly after. The house grew silent after that. Aiden decided to lie down, staring at the ceiling with a deep frown on his face. He heard a sniffle next to him and looked at his partner, noticing she was awake.

"Did you hear all of that?" he said, earning a nod from her.

"I didn't know...I didn't know you had lost your parents like that. Aiden I'm so sorry." she said, holding back her tears.

"It's alright...I learned to live with the pain a long time ago. I turn it into power, I motivate myself to grow stronger. That's why I came here, so that I could save Flare from the fate of being imprisoned. I'll tear the earth apart if I have to in order to find her." he said.

"I'll be there every step of the way...I may look a bit broken right now, but I promise to lend you my power Aiden...you are my best friend." she admitted, earning a smile from him.

"Aye...you are my best friend too. Let's work together to not only bring her home, but to make Cait Shelter the best guild in this fucking country." he said, holding his arm out, hand balled into a fist. She nodded, bumping her small fist against his.

"Yeah...let's do it." she replied.

"Good, I'm gonna take a nap alright?" he asked, she nodded, yawning a bit.

"Me too." she said. It wasn't long before the two of them had fallen asleep.

Aiden didn't know how long it had been when he woke up, but he felt a bit of weight on his chest, and looked down, seeing nothing but blue. He realized Wendy had snuck into his bed at some point. His eyes widened a bit and he started freaking out. Wendy groaned a bit and sat up, rubbing her eyes.

"Oh...morning Aiden...how do you feel?" she asked.

"Fine...better than fine , actually." he said, flexing his muscles a bit. She smiled, clapping her hands.

"Great, my new spell worked out like a charm." she said, standing up from the bed. She grit her teeth in pain, her leg still hurting. He looked at her in confusion.

"I couldn't sleep after you basically passed out yesterday, so I thought of a new spell, but I had to test it to see if it would work." she said. Her entire body started glowing a bright green as her healing power spread all throughout it, from her hands to her feet, she was a glowing healing rod.

"I get it, channeling your healing magic throughout your body makes it easier to heal more areas at once, even if it means getting a little physical. You are a genius Wendy."

"T-thank you..but I wouldn't have thought of this without you." she said, blushing a bit. The door opened, and Yun walked in, holding a tray loaded with food.

"Hey guys, man you made a full recovery. You've been sleeping for a whole day." He said, placing the tray on the night table.

"Well...it's thanks to Wendy here, or else I would have been sleeping longer." he admitted, grabbing the sandwich the young man had made. He devoured it in a few seconds, surprising Yun and Repede who just watched in amusement. He sighed happily, patting his stomach. He grabbed the zippo lighter Oscar had given him, along with the Fireball and poured it into his mouth, lighting on Fire.

"Jesus Christ, are you insane?" Yun exclaimed, watching as the young man swallowed the alcohol.

"Ah...nothing beats good old Fireball, especially when it's on fire!" he exclaimed. Wendy sweatdropped, looking away from him.

"Yeah, he's back to normal." she said. Yun shook his head, remembering the second thing he brought.

"Oh yeah, I bought you some clothes Wendy. I didn't know your size so I bought a little bit of everything. I couldn't find a dress like the one you are wearing now, but I hope you like what I found! The bathroom is down the hall, first door to your left." he said. The girl blushed accepting the plastic bag.

"Thank you Yun, I appreciate it." she said, hastily leaving the room. Aiden set the Fireball aside, looking back at the teen.

"You didn't buy her anything lacy right? I think Carla would kill you if you did." he said.

"Who?" he asked.

"Oh right, Carla is Wendy's exceed partner. She doesn't take kindly to guys being near Wendy. She's grown used to me already, though I can tell most of our interactions are forced." he admitted. Yun rolled his eyes and walked to his closet, digging through his clothes. He grabbed an extra pair of Cargo shorts, along with a blue tee shirt.

"Well, I'm gonna take a shower real quick. Thankfully there are two bathrooms in this house, I knew it was a good investment. Repede will tell you what I found out in town." he said.

"Okay." Aiden said, finishing his breakfast. He would have to make sure to repay Yun after this mission was over. Repede jumped onto the bed, taking the pipe out of his mouth.

"Well, Yun spent all of yesterday looking around and asking about your sister, sadly we didn't get anything other than complaints. However this morning he got three possible locations on her whereabouts. She's been sighted a lot in the slums of the city, usually after stealing food from the townspeople. Some others saw her in the East end, passing out fliers to people for a few jewels, and the last place she was seen heading to was an abandoned shed near the local dump." he said.

"Damn...I hate abandoned places, especially after the last time I went to one." he said.

"Our best bet of finding her is to search the slums of the city. She's been here for a few weeks now and made a prominent name for herself, it's the most likely place she'll be." Repede finished, popping the pipe back in his mouth.

"Then that's where we'll search." he said firmly. He grabbed his knapsack, digging through it for the picture of Flare, the one that had been taken in Misty Creek. He smiled a bit, seeing how much she had grown.

"This time, I'll find you." he muttered to himself.

"Hi Aiden...what do you think?" Wendy asked, gaining his attention.

She was wearing a low cut tank top, which had blue and white stripes on it. She was wearing a matching orange skirt that reached down to her knees and had bright flowers embroidered into it. She had her brown sandals on, wrapped around her tiny feet, though her right leg was still heavily bandaged. She had her hair tied up into a high ponytail with a white ribbon, which was tied into a bow. Aiden smiled, giving her a thumbs up.

"You look wonderful, really adorable. Like I told you, sell that shit and we'll be in Sorcerer Magazine way more than our upcoming shoot!" he said with a grin. She blushed a bit, a small smile tugging her lips. Aiden stood up, setting his pack on the bed.

"Would you mind telling Wendy what you told me while I go get ready?" he said.

"Of course...I'll catch her up." Repede replied. Aiden headed off toward the bathroom, almost racing to it. The urge to pee had been driving him nuts but thankfully he had kept in control and kept cool about it. Once he had relieved himself, he continued on with his shower. He felt a bit sore, after taking so many magical attacks, he didn't blame his body for being sore. He noticed a new burn scar across his forearm, an after effect of fighting Francis. He smirked, looking at the wall.

"That guy was something else...but it was fun fighting him. I wish he didn't hurt my Wendy though." he muttered to himself, grabbing some shampoo. He lathered up his hair, eyes widening a bit.

" _My Wendy?"_ he thought. Since when was she his? He shook it off, a frown on his face.

After he was done, he shoved his torn clothing into his pack, instead dressing into a white shirt, some olive green cargo pants and his boots. He tied his scarf around his neck, making sure his necklace was in place. After making sure his hair was at maximum spikiness, he left the bathroom. When he re-entered the room, he saw Wendy and Repede, talking calmly with Eterna. His eyes widened a bit, and he slapped his forehead.

"Damn it, I forgot I had your sword with me. I could have used that in my fight."

"Yeah, I was honestly waiting for you to use me, which is why I didn't come out of the sword myself. I'm sorry Aiden." Eterna said, looking a bit sheepish.

" _You don't look sorry."_ he thought to himself. He sighed shaking his head.

"It's alright, why don't you just stay out of the sword from now on? You can be your own mage again." he said. She nodded, grabbing the sword from the bed.

"That would be for the best. I absorbed quite a lot of magic these past few days...so I'll be good." she said, slipping the sword though a special holder on her waist. Yun came into the room, brow furrowing at the sight of Eterna.

"Uh...who's she?" he asked.

"Oh, this is Eterna, a friend of ours. Her soul has been living inside the Twilight Sword, Aiden was carrying for the last few years." Wendy explained.

"Your soul...lives inside the sword?"

"It's a long story, but I'll gladly explain it later. For now, let's just go look for Flare okay?" she asked, earning a nod from everyone.

They decided to start by walking around the town. They didn't see any sign of Flare at all, not even the townspeople noticed her. She was abnormally quiet. Aiden frowned as they passed by Oscar's pub for the second time since leaving Yun's house.

"Well, I guess we should move on to those three places. Let's start with the abandoned shed, just to get it out of the way." Aiden suggested.

"Are you sure? Maybe we should split up. I think it would be better, since Flare seems to be shy around others." Wendy said.

"That's a good idea..me and Eterna can check out the shop she was seen working at. We'll join you near the slums of the city." Yun said, earning a nod from Eterna, who was holding Repede in her arms.

"Okay, we'll follow that plan...see ya soon." Aiden said, giving the two a wave as he headed off toward the abandoned house. Wendy followed after him, limping a bit. Noticing this, Aiden decided to slow down a bit. He looked at her leg, frowning.

"Is your ankle okay?" He asked.

"Hmm? Oh it's fine. It hurts a little bit but it will heal soon enough...does anything hurt?" she asked, looking him over.

"Nothing hurts thanks to you. I'm just sad that you can't heal yourself." he said, poking at his healed over burn mark, noticing the deep red marking extended down to his elbow. He cringed a bit.

"Lighting magic is pretty powerful stuff." he muttered.

"Yeah...it goes to show just how powerful someone can become. Do you think we'll be powerful?" Wendy asked, playing with a strand of her hair. He chuckled, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"We're powerful enough already, but we can get even stronger. So let's train hard, work hard and kick ass even harder!" he said, making her smile brightly. He blushed, looking away from her pretending to be searching for his sister.

" _Goddamn it Phoebe, I can already hear you laughing."_ he thought angrily to himself. He was still mad at his partner for putting those stupid thoughts in his mind. Though he couldn't help but look at Wendy, keeping his gazing subtle. He bumped into someone, knocking himself out of his own thoughts. He bid a hasty apology and kept going on his way.

"You seem distracted, worried about Flare?" Wendy asked, getting his attention.

"Oh uh...yeah...among other things." he said, rubbing his neck.

"I have a question and I hope I'm not offending you or anything...it's about your sister Kurumi." she said.

"I won't get offended, I was going to tell you eventually. What do you wanna know?" he replied.

"It's about Arc of Space, what kind of magic is it exactly?"

"Hmm...that's a little hard to explain. I guess I can tell you what my sister told me when I was four. She said it's a special magic that allows you to bend space to your will. You can create your own space and create its rules. Like you can make a big room where gravity doesn't exist, or you can make a room where magic is only available to a few people. Or you can do what she did to my brother, and make it so the space that makes up his molecular structure becomes intangible." he said.

"So you can do anything with space, including teleportation?" she asked.

"I assume so. I think Requip also falls into that category, you could basically make it so it doesn't work, making it impossible for mages like Erza to change between armors. It would also make Celestial Spirit magic useless since spirits have to pass through space into our world. It would put both her and Lucy at a major disadvantage. She said it was a lost magic." he said.

"Wow...I kinda want to see it in action."

"Yeah me too. Kurumi would be twenty-one if Brandon hadn't killed her, she would be really strong by now, maybe strong enough to create an entire galaxy out of her magic...guess I'll never know." he said, looking at the ground.

"Hey...Kurumi sounded like a great person, and an amazing older sister. I'm sorry that your brother did that to her, but she didn't die in vain, she was able to get you away from him. That means something right?" Wendy asked, earning a nod from him.

"Yeah, it means that I'm the one that gets to kill him, and put my sister to rest." he replied, clenching his fist. Wendy didn't know how to respond to that, so she just remained silent.

Finally arriving at the dump, they looked around, seeing nothing but piles of old trash. They saw a few workers shoveling some stuff into magic incinerators that destroyed the trash, leaving no trace of it behind. The smell of rotting food was driving the two dragon slayers nuts, especially Wendy who felt like she was going to puke.

"This air is gross." she said, nose pinched tightly. Aiden broke into laughter, causing her to slap his arm.

"It isn't funny!"

"Yes it is, you sound like a kid with a stuffy nose." he cried back. She sighed, rolling her eyes. After searching for a few minutes and finding some rather questionable things in the piles of trash, they concluded that Flare wasn't near the dump. Among the smell of trash, Aiden did catch her scent but it had been days since she had last been there. They quickly left the area, finally taking a deep breath of fresh air.

"Hopefully that stink doesn't stick to us, I would rather smell like mountain fresh than garbage." Aiden said, hands behind his head.

"So, I heard a few rumors in town about the Magnolia Festival, apparently this year they are going to have a few contests where they give out cash prizes." Wendy said.

"Really? What the hell do we need money for? We still got plenty left over from the guild renovations."

"I know, but it's still fun. We can work together, there's going to be a cooking contest and it's the perfect time to practice my cooking skills."

"You cook?" he asked curiously. She puffed her chest out, a proud smile on her face.

"Of course, being an honorable Cait Shelter mage and tribeswoman, I picked up cooking at a young age!" she said.

"How many times did you burn the eggs before successfully scrambling them?" he asked, brow raised. She deflated a bit, looking at the ground.

"42, and the ones I made tasted like steel plating." she said. He ruffled her hair, a grin on his face.

"You'll get better, besides I'm assuming this was years ago. I'll whip you into a proper cook, only if you cook for me whenever you have the time." he said, making the blush.

"Sure, I'd love to cook for my friends!"

"Yo, any luck?" Yun asked, racing up to the two. Eterna trailed behind them, holding a foam cup in her hand with a pink straw sticking out of it.

"Sadly no, we did find some broken microwaves though." Aiden said, a sarcastic chuckle escaping his lips. Yun rolled his eyes.

"Well, I say we go check out the slums. It's the last place in the city that we haven't gone too." Repede said from his spot on Yun's shoulder. They all nodded and followed the black haired teen to the other side of the city. The difference in scenery was apparent, while the east half of the city was well kept and alluring, the west half was mostly dilapidated and dirty. There were a few people sitting outside, their clothes looking a bit worn, some of the children didn't even have footwear in some instances. Most of the adults were glaring at them as they passed by, clearly jealous that they had more then they did.

"This particular area is filled with people that can't use magic, even the kids. As a result, most of them can't afford to live in better places and are stuck here." Yun said.

"But what about the mayor? Doesn't he have control over this?" Aiden asked firmly. The teen shook his head.

"In the past, there was a man here that was named Duke Everlue. He was a high ranking politician, and would abuse his power to get his way. That also meant the mayor had no control over anything as everything would go directly to him before going off to the kingdom. As fucked up as it sounds, I'm sure the man was embezzling the money the kingdom sent to the mayor." he replied.

"But thankfully, Fairy Tail took care of him and he's currently rotting away in the council's magic prison. However, his influence is still present, and the mayor hasn't been able to correct the problems." Repede said, finishing Yun's explanation. Aiden grit his teeth in anger.

"That just pisses me off. If there's something I hate more than senseless death, it's when assholes take money from children. Remind me when we get home to write a check for the mayor of this town, so these people can get better places to live." he said, looking at Wendy.

"Okay...I guess we have a reason to enter those contests now!" she said with a smile.

"How much money are we talking about?" Yun asked curiously, ignoring the loud slurping from Eterna's cup.

"Well...it took ten million to build all of the new houses for our guild, and that included appliances and amenities. It took 2 million to increase the size of the guildhall and replace all of the old stuff...um..18 million, roughly?" he said, earning a nod from Wendy.

"Wait...you guys want to donate 18 million jewel to the mayor of this town? To people that you don't even know?" Yun asked.

"Yeah, and I'm sad that it isn't any more than that."

"Why would you do something like that?" Eterna asked curiously, chewing on a bit of ice from her exhausted drink. He shrugged.

"I dunno...growing up, I had everything I ever wanted, toys, food, new clothes, a good house...some of these kids don't even have that. I know 18 million won't buy them a lot, considering its for everyone that lives in these slums, but it will go a long way to helping them get out of poverty. And I hope that the mayor can create new jobs for them, and if not, then they can come to Cait Shelter and help around the guild, we may not be a prominent mage guild, but we still do leather craft and clothes making, and it sells really well." Aiden said.

"That's right, our friend Mona made some amazing dresses and coats not long ago, from Wyvern scales. And our friend Nobal uses the pelts from his hunts to make winter clothes for the people in the far north!" Wendy added. Yun smiled, shoving his hands in his pockets.

"You guys...I wish more people followed your example." he said, earning a grin from the two dragon slayers.

"Is your guild accepting new members?" Yun asked curiously, a brow raised.

"Maybe...thinking about joining? The kittens could use a strong swordsman like you." Eterna said.

"I agree...I'll have to talk to your master to see if he would let me, but let's focus on reaching Flare."

They all nodded, and continued their walk through the slums, the people still glaring at them. The sun was starting to set as they reached the other end of the town. They asked around, and Aiden even showed a few willing people Flare's picture, but none of them had seen her recently. Some pointed to a house they had seen her at, but when they checked they were just greeted with an elderly lady that kept shouting obscenities at them. They frowned and started heading back, just as the sun dipped under the horizon.

"She's gone...if they said they hadn't seen her, then she's already left. I don't smell her scent anywhere."

"I'm sorry we couldn't find her Aiden." Wendy said, a frown on her face. He sighed, shaking his head.

"Don't worry about it. I think we should go back home, the others must be wondering where we are."

"You're giving up?" Eterna asked firmly.

"As much as it pains me, I can't keep looking for her here. We have other things to do back at the guild, and Wendy is still injured. I want Chelia to finish healing her injuries so she can rest." he replied.

"You guys can go...I'll keep looking around, if I find her, I'll let you know." Yun said. Aiden nodded, holding his fist out.

"Count on it, I'll put in a good word for you at the guild." he said. Yun nodded, bumping fists with the teen.

"See ya soon, it was a pleasure to meet you guys. We'll have way more adventures when I head over, I still haven't seen you guys in action!" Yun said, turning around.

"Same here, so don't tired yourself out so soon, because we're taking an S-class quest as soon as you arrive!" he said. Yun took off into the city, giving them a wave. Repede barked loudly a few times before following his friends. Aiden and Wendy turned around, heading toward the train station. As they were headed there though, Aiden caught a familiar scent, making him stop. He looked to the nearby alley, seeing a long strand of orange just out of the corner of his eye.

"Flare?" he muttered. Wendy looked at him curiously, but before she could say anything he took off. He entered the alley, taking a whiff of the air, confirming the scent. He kept walking around, seeing her shadow on the wall.

"Wait...Flare! Come back!" he cried out, reaching for the shadow, only for it to disappear. He broke into a sprint, following after the young woman. He made it to another street, almost bumping into a cart. The horse whinnied loudly as he bid a hasty apology, running around the cart.

Ducking into another street, he saw a bright flash of orange and he ducked to the right, avoiding a flaming fist of hair that had been tossed his way. He ignited his hand and punched the hair, tearing some if it apart. The wisps burned out, showing him a pissed off Flare, who was glaring at him with orange eyes, soaked in tears.

"Why are you following me?" she snapped angrily.

"Flare, please just listen to me."

"I have nothing to say to you! Hair Shower: Giant's Fist!" she shouted, her hair shot at him, taking the shape of a giant fist that was covered in flame. He ignited his fist and punched the hair away, eating a bit of the wisps that had come loose.

"Don't make me fight you Flare, please I want my sister back." he said.

"I am not your sister! I never was and never will be! Hair Shower: Wolf Fang!" she chanted, her hair this time took the shape of a giant wolf, bearing its sharp flaming fangs. Aiden jumped high into the air, using the nearby walls as spring boards. He pulled his fist back, fire bursting at his palms.

"Fire Make: Explosion!" he chanted, tossing a large ball of flame at the young girl. She jumped back, crossing her arms in time to block most of the fire from hitting her. Aiden landed in front of her, springing forward with a flaming fist.

"Hellfire Dragon's Iron Fist!"

"Hair Shower: Flaming Shield!" Flare countered, willing her hair into a large shield of flame. Aiden's flames were absorbed into her hair, a trait that she had gained from the Eternal Flame. He smirked and wrapped his arm in her hair, giving it a firm tug. He spun on his heel, slamming the girl into the nearby wall, causing it to crack from the force he used. Flare gave a pained cry, falling to the ground in a heap.

"You've gotten better." she said, forcing herself up to her feet. Aiden smirked, his fist still on fire.

"So have you. And you still never listen." he said.

"Like I would listen to the likes of you! Take this!" she shouted, launching her hair at him once more. He swung his fist at it, but the hair overpowered him, and sent him flying back. He slammed into the ground, flying through a few barrels.

"Damn it, I still ache a bit from that last fight." Aiden muttered, wiping his lip. He stood up, dodging a flaming hair fist from Flare. He ran forward, arms glowing bright blue with fire.

"Fire Make: Whip!" he chanted, flicking his wrist forward, a lengthy whip of blue fire wrapped around Flare's body, trapping her in place. She struggled to move, only for it to get tighter. Her hair glowed a bright orange as it was trying to absorb the fire, but it wasn't having much of an effect.

"Flare listen to me! I don't want to hurt you!"

"Well you hurt me! You betrayed me and the Sun Village, you ditched us for this world!" she cried.

"I didn't ditch you...I just...wanted to find dad." he said.

"That's bullshit and you know it. Atlas Flame leaving is one thing, but you left because you wanted power, well was it worth it? Was it worth leaving Guren and everyone else behind? Even your sister?" she shouted angrily. Aiden fell to his knees, slamming his fists against the ground.

"I'm sorry...I didn't mean to leave you! I don't know what I was thinking, I was consumed by the hatred for my brother, by the guilt of not saving Kurumi and by the sadness of Atlas Flame leaving. I left everything behind and cut ties with everyone because I thought it would be the best, but it wasn't. I don't deserve to be your brother or your forgiveness!" he shouted, tears running down his cheeks. The flaming whip around Flare finally disappeared, freeing her from her imprisonment. Her hair returned to its normal length, though she did have slight burn marks on her arms.

"You are right...you don't deserve my forgiveness. You left me alone Aiden, for so many years. I was confused, alone and sad. When I wanted my brother there to help me, you weren't there...you weren't there." she said, glaring at her brother. She sighed and knelt down in front of him, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"But...you leaving gave me a self awareness I didn't have before. I felt alone, but it wasn't for long...I too decided to leave..and I've seen so many wonderful things, so many weird things...and so many bad things..I guess I just wasn't ready to see this world of humans. Spending six months in a tiny little shithole with no sunlight was probably the worse part of it."

"I'm sorry...this wouldn't have happened if I had brought you with me." he said, wrapping his arms around her. She felt a little awkward. The last hug she had gotten had been eight years ago, when they were still children. It had felt much different, mostly because they had been naked, but this one felt more...loving than that one. She rose her hands, wrapping them around his body.

"Aiden...I'm sorry...I shouldn't have run from Misty Creek...I shouldn't have run from you. I'll be honest, this isn't the first time I've seen you...I saw you months ago in Hargeon, before I got captured, you and that little exceed of yours. I saw you in Magnolia too a few days ago..but I was too scared to approach you. You have friends, and looked happy." she said.

"And you never thought that maybe I would have wanted to see you? And that my friends would have loved to meet you?" he asked, looking directly into her eyes. She frowned, tilting her head.

"I...you know how I am."

"Yes, you are awkward, a bit of a sadist and have a knack for giving people really bad nicknames...but you are sweet, kind, misunderstood, and a lovely little sister. Which is why I'm inviting you back with us, to our home, to our guild." he said.

"Me...a guild mage?" she asked curiously. He nodded, showing her his Cait Shelter mark.

"This is the symbol of our guild. Cait Shelter isn't a mage guild, it's home, friendship, adventure...and so much more. Please...come home with me, let me make it up to your for failing you all those years ago." he said, taking her hands in his own. She gave him a firm nod.

"Okay...I'll go with you...and become a Cait Shelter mage." she said. He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into another hug.

"Great, you'll love it. It's almost like the Sun Village, we're all a big tribal family." he said. He looked to his left, giving his friends a grin.

"Right Wendy?" he asked. Flare looked as well, suddenly hugging his arm. She tried hiding behind him, not wanting to be seen by the two unknown girls.

"Yup, don't worry Flare...we'll welcome you with open arms." Wendy said, giving her a warm smile.

"Um...okay." she said shyly. Aiden stood up, holding his hand out for his sister.

"Let's go find Yun, then we can head home...it's time for us all to start an all new adventure, to see tailwinds lead us next." he said. She nodded, taking his hand firmly in her own.


	17. Chelia's First Mission

**A/N: Happy Single Awareness Day Everyone! Celestial Sky Dragon here bringing you a sort of Valentine's Day chapter...I'm not sure where I should put this. It has elements of Valentine's day, but it isn't a Valentine's day special. I'm honestly not sure how to categorize it, but it matters not.**

 **In this chapter, we get to see Chelia go on her first official mission. How will she handle it? Who knows? But all I am willing to say is that there is going to be a familiar face in this chapter. I hope you all like it!**

 **This chapter is brought to you by Your hand, for when you are alone on Valentine's day. It's also brought to you by Roses, Chocolate and Those Edible arrangements. I've always dreamed of getting one of those, but I'm too damn cheap for one. All Hail Plankton!**

Fairy Tail

Tales of the Hellfire Dragon

Chapter 17

Chelia's First Mission

Days had passed since finally finding Flare in Shirotsume. After finding her, the council of course wanted to talk to her. She had been really scared, and wouldn't let go of Aiden's hand the entire time, but Lahar reassured that she wasn't going to be charged for the petty theft and that everything had been paid for, as long as she testified against the master of Misty Gators, the man who had imprisoned her in Misty Creek for six months straight. She readily agreed, as long as she was cleared of all crimes.

Aiden of course got an earful from Carla once Wendy had arrived back home. He had been scolded, hit and even swore at by the exceed, who had assumed human form just to beat him up. Of course he defended himself, but he did let her get in a good hit for putting her friend in danger. Chelia did heal Wendy's remaining injuries, but she would forever have a burn mark on her right foot. It was a distinct red color, which broke off into a few tiny scars as the lightning traveled up her leg. Aiden had one on his arm, so at least they would match.

Flare had been indited into the guild shortly after, choosing to have her guild mark right on her breast, in a black color. She had been offered new clothes by Mona and the other girls of the guild, but she chose to keep wearing her own, saying she felt comfortable in them. She was also given her own hut, since she wanted to be alone, though she took the one next to Aiden's house, which had been his up until the house had been built, ironically enough. It wasn't shortly after that Yun appeared, wishing to speak to the master, and after some deliberation, was also welcomed into the guild.

It seemed that Cait Shelter's growth had also attracted some tourists to the guild, who wanted to see just what all the hype was. It was a bit embarrassing, but Aiden and everyone took it all in stride. The final thing they had to do for the public was the shoot and interview for the Weekly Sorcerer, though luckily Jason wasn't sent and instead one of the interns was sent. Aiden said he wanted to punch the man for some stuff he had written about him a few times in the past, including taking a picture of him while he was picking his nose, something he's never forgiven.

Aiden, along with the rest of Team Flaming Skies were sitting at their usual table, with the team leader holding the first edition print of the magazine, which was set to go on sale later that day. The cover photo depicted him and Wendy. They were standing back to back, with Aiden holding his flaming hand above his head, while Wendy did the same with hers, swirling flames and wind could be seen around them. He grinned, just staring at the picture.

"I knew using our Unison Raid as a cover picture was freaking awesome." he said.

"Yeah, you've said that four times already, are you gonna read the damn thing or just stare at it?" Yun said, leaning back against one of the posts that held up the guild. Their table was right next to one and he had quickly claimed the seat in front of it.

"I agree, you can stare at it later, just get on with the reading." Carla said, setting down her glass of milk. He rolled his eyes and turned to the first page, which had a picture of Aiden on it.

"Of course, my interview is first. Let's see here, Move over Fairy Tail, you guys aren't the only ones with Dragon Slayers in your ranks, it seems there's a new guild in town, a sneaky little guild that's lithe as a kitten and as silent as a cat. That's right, this weeks issue is about Cait Shelter, a small little guild filled with big dreamers...great, there he goes again antagonizing Fairy Tail." Aiden muttered, already knowing it was Jason who had written the article.

"Aiden Flame is a young man of fourteen who uses a rare lost art, a magic gifted to him by Atlas Flame of the Sun Village, a creature known as a Dragon. And his element just happens to be fire, not any fire, Hellfire. The difference between this fire and regular fire is the fact that it burns hotter and brighter than normal fire. But that isn't what makes this wizard unique, I think I'll let his sapphire flames speak for themselves." Wendy said, turning the page to reveal a picture of Aiden, using his Dragon Roar. A vibrant plume of blue flame was shooting into the sky.

"Blue Flames, a rare trait in this young man. While there are users of Rainbow Fire, it seems that this brand of blue fire is entirely different then other blue flames. I can almost compare it to the fire of a blue star, glowing deep in the recesses of space. Aiden even stated that lesser fire dragons like Natsu Dragneel cannot consume his fire, for some reason or another even though they are Fire dragons. According to his father, Atlas Flame, Igneel, Natsu's father was the dragon king of Fire, and close friend with Atlas Flame, knowing this, consumption of this element should be possible, but Natsu grew sick from eating a bit of his fire. No one really knows why." Yamato continued, finishing the page off.

"In the past, this young man was an independent mage, taking a few guild requests for half the pay, all while searching for his father and growing closer, but due to the sickness of his exceed partner, he decided to leave Clover Town in the middle of a monsoon. Isn't that crazy? The boy walked through miles of forest, getting lost due to the heavy rains and winds, eventually getting attacked by a Forest Vulcan. With the use of his unique Fire Make Magic, he was able to kill the creature, but got injured from an attack, resulting in him stumbling into the Cait Shelter, and the rest was history." Aiden finished, a smile on his face. He turned the page, seeing a picture of himself, standing next to Wendy, both of them fist bumping.

"Aiden, and his new partner Wendy are the leaders of their own team, Team Flaming Skies, a team which consists of them, their exceed partners Carla and Phoebe, and new members Yamato Sakatonaka, the Viper Princess, and a little girl named Chelia, who happens to be a God Slayer. Recently, new members have joined the guild, among them being the Azure Blade, Yun Lowell and Aiden's sister Flare Corona. This guild is certainly growing stronger...I can't believe they mentioned me." Flare said, blushing a bit.

"Why wouldn't they? You are part of the family." Aiden said, placing a hand over her own. She blushed even more, looking away from him, using her long hair to block her face.

They continued reading a bit more of the article, finally getting to the good part. It was of course a centerfold picture of Aiden and Wendy, duking it out with their dragon slayer magic. It also had a few pictures of Yamato in a violet swimsuit, with streams of poison magic swirling around her, the final picture was of Yun and Eterna clashing swords, fierce looks on their faces. There was also a picture near the back of the magazine with Flare and Chelia playing a game. Aiden finally closed the magazine, hugging it close to himself.

"This is so cool, I never thought I would be in a magazine, in an article where I'm not being made fun of!" he said.

"We have to celebrate! This is a momentous occasion, Alana, get me my best poison!" Yamato cried out, getting a thumbs up from the barmaid.

"We should get this into a plastic cover, I don't want it to get damage. Oh, even better, we should sign all of the pictures! That will make it even more special!" Aiden said, a bright grin on his face.

"I second that idea, it will make us even more famous in the future." Yun said, taking a drink from his mug of water. Alana set down a bottle in front of Yamato, which was swirling with a purplish black liquid. She gave it a shake before uncorking it, taking a whiff from the scent.

"Ah, smells like sulfur." she said, taking a swig from it.

"Jeez, that can't be healthy." Flare said.

"Don't worry about it, She's a God Slayer so she won't get hurt." Phoebe said, brushing it off. She snagged one of Carla's chicken strips, shoving it in her mouth before the girl even noticed. Carla went to grab one, realizing her plate was empty.

"Oi, stop stealing my food you little pig!" she shouted, reaching for the orange exceed.

"I'm not a pig, I'm an exceed!" she said, flying off, laughing as she went. Carla grinned to herself and held her finger up, firing a concentrated blast of moonlight at the back of her head, making her slam into a post. Phoebe groaned in pain as she fell to the ground.

"Ha, beat you this time!" she said. Aiden shook his head, ignoring their usual antics.

"Hey, where's Chelia? Maybe we should show her these pictures." Wendy said, looking around the guild. She noticed the girl hadn't even come inside yet.

"Maybe outside?" Aiden asked with a shrug. He stood up, handing the magazine to Eterna for safe keeping. Aiden stood up, heading out of the main building and toward the training grounds in the back of the guild, where Chelia had been spending most of her time. As he rounded the corner, he saw the pink haired girl, standing in the center of the field, a calm look on her face. She pulled her arm back, a swirling funnel of black wind formed around her tiny hand as she threw it forward.

"Sky God's Swirling Fist!" she chanted, the magic around her fist exploded outward, sending black wind and feathers all over the place. She took a deep breath, panting a bit. She opened her eyes again and looked up at the sky, her cheeks puffing a bit.

"Sky God's Bellow!" she chanted, however the attack didn't materialize, only a small puff of wind came from her mouth. She groaned and dropped to the ground, kicking her arms and legs.

"Gah...I'll never get this right!" she shouted angrily.

"Hiya squirt, practicing magic?"

"Hi big brother..why is magic so hard?" she asked, looking up at him. He knelt down before her, a pensive look on his face.

"I'm not sure...well you can't expect magic to be easy, or else what would be the fun in learning it?" he replied.

"You say that because you know magic. I only know two spells and some healing magic...I want to fight too! I want to take missions!" she said, a pout on her face.

"You are too young for missions Chelia. Your magic is still young and has to be nurtured, what if you have to fight and you can't use your magic?" he asked.

"I don't care! I want to be like you and big sis..why can't I take a mission?" she asked. He sighed, looking up at the sky. He thought about her question a bit, remembering the first mission he ever went to. It was a rather simple mission, where he had to find a special stone in a nearby cave. He had been nine years old at the time, and his magic had been completely useless for the mission, but he was still successful at it. He grinned, giving her a nod.

"Alright, let's take a mission, you me and Phoebe." he said. Her eyes lit up and she instantly sat up.

"Really? We're gonna take a mission?" she asked.

"Mhmm...just the three of us."

"Yatta! Thank you so much big brother!" she cried, jumping onto him, wrapping her arms around him in a tight hug.

"Gah...okay...how about we go pick one out?" he said, standing up. She gave him a nod as he cradled her body a bit so she wouldn't fall. They walked back into the building, heading straight to the request board. It wasn't long before Yun and Wendy wondered over to them.

"So she was outside after all." Yun said.

"Yeah, she wants to go on a mission, so I told her she could pick one out." he said, glancing back at the board. He remembered when only six missions had been posted on it, all of them being D-class pet searching ones, now it was filled with missions of various classes, even S-class quests that paid an insane amount of money.

"Are you sure that's a wise idea? Isn't she a little young for a mission?" Carla asked, standing next to them.

"I don't think so. I was nine years old when I went on my first mission, I agree that her magic isn't developed enough for a fight, but I can handle anything." he said giving her his usual toothy grin.

"How about that one big brother?" Chelia asked, pointing to an S class quest with a giant Slug monster on it. He cringed.

"How about you pick something below the B's eh?" he said, earning a nod from the girl, who shifted her eyes to the C class missions. She saw a really interesting one and tugged on it, pulling it from the board.

"How about this one?" she asked, showing it to Aiden. He took it from her hand, reading the request, which had a bright red heart on it.

"Help Wanted: The King of Fiore is throwing a banquet for some dignitaries from the Deseirto Kingdom and we are short staffed. Those who join will be invited a special guests to the party. Payment upon completion: 35,000 Jewel. Are you sure you want this one Chelia? Sounds a bit complicated." he said.

"You said I could choose any request I wanted, so I chose that one." she said firmly. He nodded, giving her a kiss on the cheek.

"You are absolutely right. Let's go get it stamped so we can head out. Phoebe, you'll be coming along with us."

"Aye Aye Sir!" the orange exceed cried, following them toward the bar.

"Yun, do you think we can take a mission together?" Wendy asked, earning a nod from him.

"Sure, I'm in need of a bit of cash. Why don't you come with us Flare? It would be best to get used to guild work." he said.

"Um...are you sure you want someone like me coming along?" she asked.

"Duh, you are really strong! I'll let you pick the request, but nothing to hard okay?" Yun asked, earning a nod from her.

"Look at you, already going out for her first request, make it a special one alright?" Alana said, stamping the request paper. She handed it to Chelia who neatly folded it, placing it in her pocket. Aiden set her down, stretching his arms a bit.

"Any extra details on that particular request?" he asked.

"Not really. Only that it was sent out by one of the maids that work at the Royal Palace. Hey, you might get to meet the king if you are lucky." she said, giving him a wink.

"True...I've never been inside the castle...this is going to be sweet." he said, a grin on his face. Wendy, Yun and Flare walked up to the bar, handing Alana the mission. She looked it over, giving them a nod.

"Another mission for Crocus, man you guys are lucky." she said, stamping the paper with the water mark.

"Which one did you guys grab?" Aiden asked curiously.

"We're going to a bakery in town, it's going to make a lot of pastries for that banquet and they need help. I figured my fire magic could be of use." Flare said, giving him a meek look. He smiled, ruffling her hair.

"Good luck, I'm sure it will turn out just fine. How about we grab the same train to Crocus, it will take us several hours to get there, but we should be able to get there by noon if we hurry." he said, earning a nod from his teammates.

"Well fellas, I'm sitting this one out. I'm headed across Fiore for a few while on a special S-class quest, I won't be back for a couple months, at the earliest." Yamato said.

"Really? I thought you wanted to go to the Magnolia Festival?" Wendy said, sounding a bit deflated.

"I do, trust me I do. But they are requesting me specifically and I'm afraid I can't wait. I don't want Cait Shelter to look bad if I fail a mission. Sorry kiddo, but I'll make it up to you, I'll bring you some souvenirs, and some of the fresh air from the forest." she said, making the girl smile.

"Me too." Chelia added.

"Of course, I would never forget my favorite girl in the world!" she said, hugging the pink haired girl tightly.

"Good luck Yamato, I hope everything goes well." Aiden said, earning a nod from her.

"Good luck to you too Aiden. Now run along, before you miss the next train for Crocus." she said. He nodded and lead his team out of the guild hall. Stopping briefly for their stuff, they continued onward toward Clover Town.

"Well, I should pack up and start heading out...wouldn't want to keep the client waiting." Yamato said, turning to leave the guildhall.

"Wait, I would like to speak with you in private Yamato...it's rather important." Master Roubaul said, a hint of seriousness on his voice.

"Um...okay." she said, following the man toward his office. The man closed the door and gestured for her to follow. He took a seat behind the desk, Yamato remained standing.

"Is something wrong Master?" she asked curiously.

"Yes, something is wrong...I'm sure you've sensed it by now, seeing how keen you are with magic. But it's time you learned the truth about me and this guild." he said. She adopted a serious look on her face.

"I've been meaning to talk to you about this for awhile. All of this around us...it's all a charade..and yet...why keep it up?" she asked, finally sitting down. The man chuckled, taking a swig of his sake.

"Let me tell you a story...the story of a little girl and how she changed my views on life, and became the most important person in my life."

xxx

Aiden groaned a bit as they left the Crocus Station. They had been traveling for five hours, just to get to the town before two o'clock. The effect of Wendy's Troia wore off, and he had to take one of his motion sickness pills, only the effects didn't kick in for awhile, so he was still feeling a bit sick. He clenched his jaw and ran to the nearest trash can, hurling his breakfast into it. He felt Wendy rubbing circles on his back.

"It won't be long, just get it out." she said quietly. That just made him hurl harder than before.

"Man, I do not envy you." Yun said, shaking his head. Repede snapped his jaws onto his friend's calf, making him shout in pain.

"Is he okay?" Flare asked, looking worried.

"He's fine...Dragon Slayers get sick on modes of transportation. My magic usually lasts enough for him to make it to our destination, but Crocus is a bit farther from Clover Town." Wendy said.

"If only I had a special spell that would make big brother better...I hate being small." Chelia said, clenching her small hands. Aiden wiped his mouth with his shirt, taking a breath of air.

"I feel better already. Let's go, stay together, Crocus is a huge place so it's easy to get lost. Take my hand Chelia." he said, grabbing the little girl's tightly in his own.

The city of Crocus really deserved its title of the Blooming Capital of Fiore. The city was absolutely massive. Cobblestone made up most of the streets, and the buildings were tall and lavish. Every corner of the city had blooming flowers around it, and lush shrubbery that was being tended by workers, who carved them out into the likenesses of many different monsters. The large plazas were decorated with large fountains, and there were large outlooks in various places, over looking the city below. At the center of it all was Mercurious, the Palace of the Royal Family.

It was the tallest building in the entire city, large towers spanned hundreds if not thousands of feet high. The palace was surrounded by a tall brick wall, topped off with tall iron spikes that looked as sharp as the spears the Royal Guard were carrying around. There was also a rather large garden in front of the main gates, which seemed to be open to the public. They stopped at one of the outlooks, looking far into the town.

"Well, this is where we split up. The bakery we're going to is on the east end of Crocus...we might meet at the palace later on, who knows?" Yun said.

"Alright, good luck...take care of my little sister you two." Aiden said, giving them a wave.

"Don't worry, we'll make sure she doesn't mess up." Wendy added.

"I'm right here you know." Flare said, crossing her arms, lips pursed in annoyance. Aiden chuckled at his sister's reaction. He pulled Chelia along, guiding her toward the palace.

If Mercurious looked big faraway, then it was absolutely gigantic up close. Aiden craned his neck just to see the tallest spire, but even then he couldn't see it fully. He groaned, rubbing his neck in pain. Phoebe rolled her eyes. They slowly approached the castle, looking around at the large gardens.

"Wow, talk about big. Do you think there's a labyrinth here?" Phoebe asked.

"Maybe, I hear that there's a special area below the castle, where criminals on death row get sent...never to be seen again." Aiden said, a grin on his face.

"What happens to them after they go down there?" Chelia asked curiously.

"Uh...well...they die." he said simply. She puffed her cheeks out a bit, seemingly accepting the answer. He stopped for a few seconds to grab a flower from one of the bushes, he ended up placing it in Chelia's hair, making her blush a bit. As they approached the main gates, the two guards crossed their spears.

"Halt, you are not allowed to pass." one said.

"We're mages of Cait Shelter, someone sent this request to our guild?" Aiden asked, handing the man the paper. He read it over, reading the special script at the bottom. He gave them a nod and gestured for his friend to open the gates.

"The head maid will be waiting for you at the entrance hall. Remain there if she hasn't come for you." he instructed, handing him the paper back. Aiden nodded and walked into the palace, passing through the large wooden doors that separated the large courtyard from the inside of the building.

The foyer was huge, beautiful marble stairs lay in front of him, along with a door that lead to the ballroom. There was a large crystalline chandelier in the center, keeping the entire place illuminated. There was a crimson carpet leading from the doors all the way to the ballroom, scaling up both stairwells. The floors were made of marble, and polished to a shine. He noticed several golden statues, bronze suits of armor and large trees placed neatly around the room. It was even better than he imagined.

"Are you the mages of Cait Shelter?" a voice said, catching his attention. It belonged to a woman, who seemed to be in her late thirties. She had dark brown hair, kept in a neat ponytail. She was wearing a white frilled bonnet on her head. She wore a black dress, with white lace around the arms and the bottom of the skirt. She wore a white lacy apron over the dress, which had two large pockets on it. She was wearing black stockings and matching black heeled shoes. Aiden gave her a nod, showing her his mark.

"Aiden Flame, this is my partner Phoebe and my little sister Chelia." he said. The woman nodded, checking their marks for confirmation.

"Right this way please. Let me explain briefly what you'll need to do for us."

"Okay, we'll make sure to follow everything to the letter." he said firmly.

"First off, you'll need to be fitted into some formal clothing. You'll be taken to the kitchen where you'll help the chefs and other servants put the food on serving platters, no snacking allowed. Then I'll have you start to set the table as well as start tidying up the dining hall. We can't have a banquet with unpolished floors after all. Once that all is done, you'll be compensated for your services." she said.

"Alright, we'll work hard to fulfill this request!" he firmly, a smirk on his face.

"Yes, but remember, you must refrain from using magic unless strictly told too." she said firmly, glancing at Phoebe who was still floating next to them.

"Alright, you might want to transform then Phoebs." he said. She nodded and spun around mid air, a bright golden glow covering her body. She landed on the ground in a crouch, bright orange locks falling around her face. She stood up, a bright smile on her face.

She had long orange hair, which fell straight down her back. She had two small ponytails atop her head, being held by two round spherical hair ties. She was wearing a bright blue tee shirt, with a flame motif around the edges. She was wearing a plaid vest over it, which had bright platinum colored buttons. She was wearing a pair of orange shorts, with black overalls attached to them, which she kept around her waist rather than around her shoulders. She was wearing a pair of black sneakers, along with long black knee socks. The maid looked at her in shock. Atop her her head was a pair of fluffy cat ears, with white fur on the inside. Her bright orange tail was flicking around behind her.

"She has a human form?" the maid asked, completely taken aback.

"Yup, she's been training for weeks just to achieve this form, she finally mastered Transformation magic a few days ago and spent two days crafting this form. She'll be of assistance to us without using unnecessary magic." Aiden said.

"Count on it!" Phoebe said, giving her a firm smile.

"Alright then, follow me so we can get you fitted." she said, gesturing for the mages to follow along.

Aiden was taken to a room separated from the girls. He was just told to stand there while one of the other maids took his measurements. He just kept looking around the room, amazed at all of his surroundings. He heard a soft knock on the door, which opened a second later, a young woman walked in, holding a tape measure in her hands.

"Hello, I'll be taking your measurements." she said. He just gave her a nod.

"So...would you mind telling me what else this banquet is for?" He asked curiously. The woman hummed as she wrote down his arm measurements.

"Well, I hear it's also for Cupid's day. Not only is it to celebrate a good relationship between kingdoms but also to honor the holiday of love and affection." she said.

"Really? That's silly...I was never one for Cupid's day." he said.

"You just haven't met the one yet. Wait until you meet them, you'll be saying something else." she said, writing down some more measurements. He gave a dry chuckle.

"Right, as if I would waste my time running around like a fool to get something last minute." he replied.

"You'll see, and when I'm right, I'll tell you so." she said.

"I'll hold you to that miss...names Aiden by the way."

"Joanna, I'll keep this in mind as well. I've finished with your measurements, wait here while I get your things together." she said, giving him a bow. She left the room a second later. He sighed, taking a seat at the chair that was located next to the desk. He exhaled loudly, making it sound almost like a raspberry.

"Man...never thought I would be inside the royal palace...better check that one off the bucket list." he said softly. Growing bored, he stuck his hand in his short's pocket and pulled out a box of Strawberry Pocky sticks. He opened the top and flicked one out, biting the end of it. He nibbled on the end, flicking it around with his tongue. He heard the door open, expecting to see Joanna again, but he was instead greeted by someone else.

It was a girl, a couple years younger than he was, with short green hair that was tied into ponytails. She was wearing a spaghetti strap shirt, with a small paw print on it. She was wearing a black skirt that reached down to her knees. She wore a pair of white thigh high socks and a pair of black slippers. She had a golden necklace around her neck, with a bright green jade in the center. She had a look of curiosity in her bright green eyes.

"Um...are you one of the mages from Cait Shelter?" she asked softly.

"Mhmm." he replied, biting down on the Pocky stick. He grabbed another one, placing it in his mouth.

"I uh...would you mind...showing me your magic?" she asked. He rose a brow, shrugging a bit. Then he remembered what the head maid said.

"Sorry miss, the maids said I couldn't use magic." he said. She looked back into the hall, closing the door behind her. She placed her hands behind her back, giving him a wink.

"I won't tell if you won't." she said, giving him a mischievous smile.

"I guess it's alright, using that logic." he said standing up. He finished his pocky stick, placing the box on the dresser. He held his hand out, igniting it with his fire. The girl looked at it in amazement, slowly approaching him.

"It's so hot, I can feel it from over here." she said, still a few feet from it.

"I can change it's temperature if I need too." he said, lowering the heat of the flames. She hovered her hand over it, still feeling a bit of heat.

"It's blue...like a million sapphires!" she said.

"Hellfire, a powerful flame that burns sinners at the hour of their deaths." he said ominously, trying to scare the girl. That seemed to further her curiosity.

"We're you...really raised by a Dragon?" she asked, looking at his face. He extinguished the flames on his fist, baring his teeth and showing her his fangs. She stepped away from him, eyes wide.

"So it is true...that's so cool..I bet having this magic is really amazing."

"It isn't all it's cracked up to be. Dragon Slayers are subjected to the same things dragons are. We have heightened senses, strong magic and high resistances. But with those comes other things, powerful hormones, a mating season, near permanent immortality...and for earlier Dragon Slayers, the chance to actually turn into a dragon. They say Acnologia, the Black Dragon of the Apocalypse started out as a Dragon Slayer who lost control of his magic." he said.

"That's so interesting...you don't read about that in books." she said, a bright smile on her face. The door opened, and Joanna stepped into the room, holding a bundle of clothes in her hand. Her eyes widened a bit when she noticed the girl in the room.

"Princess Hisui...what are you doing here?" she asked. Aiden took a step back, a shocked look on his face.

"Whoa...Princess?" he asked. The girl giggled, taking a golden tiara from her stocking. She placed it on her head, giving him a smile.

"Yes, Princess Hisui E Fiore...it's nice to meet you Aiden Flame of Cait Shelter." she said, holding her hand out. He reached for it, a bit hesitant.

"You aren't bothering the boy aren't you? He's here for our request after all."

"I'm not bothering him Joanna...I'm just curious." she said, pouting in annoyance. Aiden chuckled, shaking his head.

"She's been really sweet, and I taught her a bit about dragons." he said. She narrowed her eyes, looking between the two, as if imagining multiple other scenarios that could have taken place.

"I've brought you your work clothes. There's a bathroom right there through that door. I'll be waiting for your return." she said, handing him the clothes. He nodded and turned to the bathroom, pausing only to grab his pocky sticks. He shook the box, seeing that it was still nearly full. He tossed the box to Hisui who barely caught.

"You can have those...a Cupid's day gift, if you will." he said, giving the maid a smirk. He disappeared through the door a second later. They heard the shower start a few seconds later.

"He's so sweet." Joanna said, glancing at the princess, who just looked at the box. She pulled out one of the strawberry coated sticks, placing it in her mouth.

"He's really cute." Hisui muttered.

"Ah, the young miss has a suitor...how adorable."

"Stop it Joanna, don't get any ideas, you know how mother gets." the girl replied.

Aiden came out a few minutes later, dressed in the clothing he was given. He was wearing a black suit, with a white collared undershirt. He was wearing a bright red tie. He was wearing a pair of slim black trousers, held up with a black leather tie. He was also wearing a pair of oxford shoes. He had styled his spiky hair with gel, giving it a bit of a glossy shine. He tugged on his suit, changing his expression to one of arrogance.

"How do I look? Like a million bucks right?" he asked.

"Pretty close." Joanna said, looking the teen over. Hisui giggled, giving him a thumbs up.

"You shine up like a new penny. But now it's time for you to get to work, sadly I can't stick around since I have to get ready for the banquet." she said.

"Maybe we can talk more later, it was nice meeting you Princess." he said, giving her a bow. She frowned slightly, shaking her head before turning around.

"My friends call me Hisui, I would like for you to do the same. I'll see you later, thanks for the pocky." she said, shaking the box as she left.

"Poor thing...you are the first friend she's made that isn't of royalty or a staff member...you have no idea how much this means to her." Joanna said.

"Hmm...I'd like to get to work now. Maybe if I finish up early I can talk to her again." he said.

"Okay, your friends are already at the kitchens. I'm sure Morgiana explained the rules already, but for reference, please refrain from magic, and snacking." she said.

"Yeah yeah, it shouldn't be me who you tell this too though."

"Oh my god, look at all this food." Phoebe cried, glancing at all of the platters the staff were currently putting together. Her eyes were glowing brightly and her mouth was watering. Chelia was watching with rapt curiosity, watching as the exceed turned human bounced around the room, sniffing every single morsel.

She was wearing a maid outfit, much like the other maids that worked in the palace. She was wearing a bonnet, which had a few red markings on it. She was wearing a pair of white gloves, which had a few black markings on the back. She was also wearing a pair of Mary Jane shoes, though she was waiting for no one to be paying attention so she could put her sneakers back on. Those formal shoes just felt too tight. Chelia was also dressed in a similar outfit, though her hair was left down instead of being tied up like normal.

"Big sis, you can't just keep jumping around like that. We need to work." Chelia said, making the orange haired girl frown.

"Ugh...work...say what drove you to pick this mission? We could have grabbed one that involved fighting." Phoebe said, looking down at the pinkette. She grabbed one of the loaded plates of food and walked over to an empty cart, placing it on top of it.

"Wizards don't just need to practice their skills in magic. They had to be good at other things too...what if something happens that makes it impossible for you to even use magic?" she asked.

"What...you mean like magic deficiency syndrome? I doubt that will happen to us."

"But it could Pheobe...so it's best to be prepared." she said.

"Hmm...you are really mature for a girl your age." the orange haired girl replied.

"You have to grow up fast, especially when you live in an orphanage. Survival of the fittest, the strongest ones get the food." she said.

"It was that bad huh?" she asked, setting a few more plates on the cart. Chelia gave her a nod.

"There were a lot of kids, the ones that didn't get adopted tended to disappear after a few weeks. I wanted to know what happened to them, but I found out not long after. I had started practicing my magic when I found that book, but that old lady put magic sealing stone on our wrists and ankles, making it impossible to use magic." she said.

"I'm sorry that happened to you Chelia...but you are here with us now, a proud member of Cait Shelter! We won't let anything like that happen to you again."

"I know...you guys are filled with a lot of love!" she said, Phoebe swore she saw little hearts floating around her. She was about to say something when Aiden walked in, fixing his tie.

"Man, it's so hot in this damn thing." he muttered.

"Big brother! Finally!" Chelia cried, hopping into his arms, giving him a tight hug.

"Hey...how's work?" he asked curiously.

"Super easy! But Phoebe keeps on thinking about the food." she said.

"Well, she better not think about eating anything from this spread, or she'll have hell to pay." he said, looking at his partner who just gave him a nod, silently placing back the scallops she had grabbed from the plate behind her.

Periodically, the three mages worked to transport all of the food from the kitchen to the dining room, breaking off after a couple hours to start moping the floors. One of the chefs had told Aiden that the platters were enchanted to keep the food warm so it would still be eatable by the time the party started.

After finally finishing with all the chores, the three of them too a break, along with the other workers in the kitchen. Morgiana, the head maid gave them all a smile.

"Thank you so much, with your help we were able to get everything ready before the Prince and Princess of Desierto arrived." she said.

"Hey no problem...I'm glad we were able to help." Aiden said, a grin on his face. The woman dug her hand into her pockets and pulled out three large packs of bank notes, handing them to Aiden.

"There you are, 35,000 jewel for your hard work." she said.

"Thank you ma'am...if you ever need anything else, don't hesitate to call. Oh, do you think I could speak to Hisui before we leave?" he asked. She frowned, shaking her head.

"Sorry, but the princess is quite busy getting ready." she said.

"Oh...that's a shame...I wanted to say goodbye before we left. Maybe I can come back some other time." he said.

"I'm sure she would like that. You may keep those uniforms if you'd like, we have plenty of them and you all look rather dashing in them." Morgiana said, a smile on her face.

"Sweet, I've been needing a new suit!" Aiden said, giving the woman a grin.

It wasn't long before they all found themselves in the city. Chelia was smiling brightly, holding the money they had earned tightly in her hands. Phoebe sighed, looking back at the palace.

"So much food and not a single sample." she said. Aiden smirked, holding out a crab cake.

"Here, I snagged this one when they weren't looking." he said. Her eyes lit up and she swiped it from the hand, shoving it in her mouth.

"Mmm...sho...goof." she said. Aiden sighed, looking away from her.

"So Chelia, what did you think of your first mission?" Aiden asked.

"It was okay, hard work pays off in the end, now I got all the money I need for my gift." she said. She looked around, quickly diving into a store.

"Uh...okay." Aiden said.

"I'll go with her." Phoebe said, entering the store a second later.

"Hi Aiden, finally finished work?"

"Oh...hey Wendy, Yun, Flare...how was the bakery?" he asked, happy to see his friends. He was also curious about how Flare did on her first official job.

"It was awful. I kept burning all of the cakes I made...but Wendy was able to fix everything. She's a surprisingly good baker." Flare said, making the girl blush a bit.

"I just practiced a lot, it wasn't hard." she said, poking her fingers together.

"How was work for you guys?" Yun asked curiously.

"Fine, all we did was help move around a lot of the food and polish the floors in the dining room. Oh, and I met the princess!" he said excitedly.

"What...no way!" Carla replied, not believing her friend.

"No it's true. Her name is Hisui, and she has bright green hair, and really pretty eyes. She wanted to see magic so I showed it to her, and I taught her a bit about dragons!" he said.

"Man...I should have gone with you instead. I could have met the princess, even given her a kiss!" Yun said, earning a bite from Repede. The young man howled in pain, clutching his calf. Chelia left the store a second later, holding a bag in her hands. She held it out to Aiden who looked it curiously.

"It's for you...for being an awesome big brother." she said. He hesitantly took it. Opening the bag, he found a crimson box in the shape of a heart, he could smell the sweet scent of chocolate coming from inside.

"I know it's more special if you make it, but I didn't have the right ingridients. Happy Cupid's Day." she said. He smiled and knelt down, pulling her into a hug.

"Thank you sweetheart, I really like it." he said, giving her a kiss on the cheek. She blushed a bit and dug her hand into the big bag she was carrying.

"I bought some for everyone, even the master. Too bad big sis Yamato left on a long mission." she said, passing out the rest of the chocolates.

"I'm sure we can save it for her. It's late, so how about we get an inn here and go home tomorrow. The Magnolia Festival starts in two days, so we have to be well rested if we want to enjoy ourselves." he said, giving her a wink.

"Okay...can we go see the big fountain first?" Chelia asked, taking a hold of his hand.

"Sure, let's go." he said. Even though he had been worried, Chelia's first mission turned out to be a little easier than he expected. Perhaps he would trust her to handle more missions in the future.


	18. Magnolia's Harvest Festival

**A/N: Hello everyone, sorry for the short delay. I wasn't sure if I wanted to post this chapter or not. Honestly, I was having trouble fitting in the Fighting Festival chapters into the overall story, but I worked it out and I am back on track. After the next chapter, we will be entering another original arc, titled "The Foggy Surprise at Fogbound Lake". It's going to span a few chapters, five or so in total, where Team Flaming Skies go on an expedition to explore an undiscovered location of Fiore, in search of a legendary treasure.**

 **Those of you who dabble in video games, most specifically, RPGs and Dungeon Crawlers might recognize the name of the arc and will most likely know what is referencing, and if you guess correctly, You'll get a shoutout.**

 **After that arc, I will be starting the Oracion Seis arc. Mostly, this next arc is for me to have enough time to watch it so I can come up with a story revolving around it. I'm trying to change the story but keep it close to the canon so I have a frame of reference. Aiden and Team Flaming Skies' Time in Cait Shelter is coming to a close, and soon they will be moving on to bigger and better things, so I hope you stick around for that, and if not...then I understand, it was a pleasure to keep you entertained for as long as I did.**

 **I just noticed, that most of the oc's I've introduced into the story are girls. I have no idea why I keep coming up with girl characters. I mean shit, Aiden is in a team with all girls, Yun is the only other guy he can talk to that kinda understands him. I mean, I guess Aiden has Natsu and Gray there if he ever needed to chat...but I guess it's because I grew up with sisters so I got along with girls much better than with guys. I mean, I do have my male friends, The Squad if you will, so I still talk to them.**

 **Underlying reasons aside, if you would like to submit an oc, then follow the prompt on my profile, make sure you like, and review, share Eevee with everyone, Check out the Endless Horse at Endless , and remember, Dank Memes Melt Steel Beams!**

Fairy Tail

Tales of the Hellfire Dragon

Chapter 18

Magnolia's Fall Harvest

The day had finally come, the much awaited Magnolia Festival was underway. The entire city was already in the spirit, having spent several hours to decorate and spruce up the place. All over, large balloons in various shapes, sizes and colors could be seen floating high in the air. People young and old were running around, wearing various articles of clothing depicting Fairy Tail's guild mark. Hundreds of stands had been set up all over the large city, selling various things, from food to souvenirs.

Aiden literally had to hold Chelia in place, not wanting her to run off into the city alone. His eyes were scanning the place, the smells drifting all over the place were driving him nuts, especially after barfing his breakfast on the trip there.

"They really outdid themselves this year, that's for sure." Alana said, brushing some hair from her face. She was holding a bright pink cup in her hand, filled to the brim with soda.

"Honestly, Fairy Tail outdoes itself in every single detail. I'm rather impressed." Carla said, arms crossed over her small frame. Phoebe wrapped an arm around her shoulder, shoving a ball of cotton candy into her face. Both girls had adopted their human forms, wanting to enjoy the festival in those forms instead.

"You need to calm down and have some fun. You can't be a priss all the time!" she said.

"Get that ball of death away from my face!" the white haired girl said, batting it away from herself, only for it to fall onto the ground. Phoebe screamed loudly, falling to her knees.

"No! He was so young!"

"Stop being so melodramatic...you're causing a scene." Yun said, glancing around him. A few people were pointing at the black mark on his neck, which was exposed since he decided not to wear his black hoodie. A few of the kids had been playing with Repede, the small puppy was enjoying the attention.

"Do you think they have swords on sale?" Eterna asked, looking around the various stands.

"What would you want a sword for?" Wendy asked curiously.

"I'm looking for a gift for Alana. She's a sword collector, even if she isn't an active wizard anymore, she does take it up as a hobby." the purple haired knight replied.

"Um...excuse me, would you sign my magazine please?" a young girl asked, holding a Weekly Sorcerer in her hands. Aiden smiled, accepting the magazine and the silver marker she handed him.

"What's your name sweetie?" he asked.

"Molly." she said simply. He nodded and wrote a small message on the inside cover. He handed it to Wendy, who blushed but signed it nonetheless. Once everyone had signed it, Aiden handed it back to the little girl.

"There you go. Remember, every kitten has sharp claws!" he said. She giggled and ran off, going to where her parents were still standing.

"Are you still trying to get that God awful catchphrase out there?" Carla asked.

"What, it's catching on. I think?" he said, looking up at the sky.

"Anyway, we should check into the hotel, before someone steals our rooms." Yun said, urging them on. Aiden nodded, taking the lead.

"It's this way, the same one we stayed at after we came last time!" he said, heading off toward the center plaza. He remembered the hotel was literally in front of Cardia Cathedral, who's bells were tolling loudly throughout the city.

"Aiden, can I get a balloon?" Chelia asked, giving him a puppy look. He sighed and dug his hand in his pocket, pulling out a thousand Jewel bill, handing it to the little girl.

"Go with her Phoebs." he said. She nodded and took a hold of the girl's hand, walking over to the man who was holding the large bundle of balloons. Wendy yelped in surprise as a few party poppers burst next to her, something that made Alana break into giggles. They walked into the crowded inn, heading straight to the counter. The inn keeper smiled, already recognizing them.

"Ah, if it isn't the Cait Shelter mages, I've got your rooms all set up." he said happily.

"Thanks so much, here's our payment for the week. When's the parade again?" he asked.

"The parade is tomorrow night, right after the Miss Fairy Tail contest. Are any of you lovely ladies planning to enter? I hear they allow outside contestants." the man said.

"I might, it does sound interesting." Alana said, brushing a loose strand of hair behind her ear, making sure her braid hadn't come undone.

"I'm too young for contests like that...I just wanna play some games!" Wendy said excitedly. Aiden was about to say something when he looked behind his shoulder, eyes widening.

"Flare? Where the hell are you?" he cried out.

"I'll go find her, don't worry." Yun said, heading out of the inn, making sure not to run into anyone. Aiden sighed, shaking his head.

"Let's just get our stuff up to the room." he said, accepting the key from the innkeeper. They headed upstairs to their rooms, the girls had been placed in their own room, while Aiden and Yun would be sharing one. He set all of his stuff on his bed, placing Yun's pack atop his bed. Repede hopped onto the bed, sniffing the sheets.

"Well...you ready to have some fun?" he asked, looking at the pup, who gave him a nod.

"Been awhile since I've been to a festival. This should be interesting." he said, somehow making sure his pipe didn't fall from his mouth. Aiden sighed, looking out the window.

"Wish Yamato was here though, she's missing out on all the fun." he said.

"But she's a respectable mage, an S-class mage at that. People would look down on us if she didn't take it. Don't worry about her, the Viper Princess can handle herself." Repede reassured. He nodded, giving him a toothy grin.

"Then we have to make sure she gets lots of souvenirs from the festival, so she can feel the same things we'll feel." he said.

"Aye, let's go find something for her in town." Repede said, hopping onto his shoulder. He took off out of the room, shoving his key into his pocket, making sure the door was locked after him. Once outside, he found Wendy and Carla, already waiting for him.

"Alana and Eterna said they would be on their own for awhile. Yun is still trying to find Flare, and Chelia dragged Phoebe off toward some games. So it's just us." Carla said.

"Hmm...let's go see if we can buy some stuff for Yamato...then we can head to Fairy Tail." he said, earning a nod from the two girls. They started walking down the main street, passing by Cardia Cathedral. The large building still amazed the two dragon slayers, just by its sheer size. The tolling bells sounded heavenly, lulling Repede into a nap.

"Hey, what about this...think she would like it Aiden?" Wendy asked, holding up a snow globe, with the Fairy Tail emblem in the center, surrounded by small purple clouds. It was glowing a light purple in color, making the glass emblem glitter in the light.

"That looks really cool...I'm sure she would love it." he said.

"Okay, I'm going to buy it for her." she said, turning to the stand owner. He noticed Carla was looking at some keychains in the stall next to them. He stood next to her, looking as the trinkets on top of the table.

"The pink one suits you." he said, causing her to look up at him.

"You think?" she asked.

"Well, isn't that the color of your guild mark? It's also your favorite color, I think it goes well with what you wear." he said. She nodded, grabbing the pink Fairy Tail keychain from the table. He himself grabbed a blue one.

"See anything else? We've got an entire week so remember to save some money for the good stuff." Aiden said, attaching the keychain to his belt loop.

"Let's just have another look around...I think we can find some other stuff." Wendy said, earning a nod from him. They approached the guild not long after, grabbing a few other things along the way. Stopping just short of the guild hall, the saw one of the members of Fairy Tail selling a few other items from the guild's gift shop. He gave them a wave.

"Hey guys, didn't think you would show up."

"Hi Max, good to see you doing better. Man you guys really out did yourselves with the reconstruction." Aiden said, giving an impressed whistle at the larger Fairy Tail guildhall. The thing looked like a freaking palace, and rightly so. It was the guildhall of the number one guild in Fiore.

"It's so big, you can fit so many people in there now." Wendy said.

"And we've got a pool too...you're welcome to use it while you are here, all of the kids seemed excited when we opened it to the public." Max said.

"I think we may take you up on that offer later on Max. So, what do you have on sale?"

"Just a few trinkets from the gift shop, they've been going like hot cakes. But for you guys, everything is half off." he said.

"Cool, I'll take this." Aiden said, grabbing one of the small Fairy Tail lacrima. He handed Max the Five Thousand Jewel he owed him, a smile on his face.

"What's so special about that little globe? It doesn't look like much to me." Carla said. He grinned and took a few steps back from them. Repede jumped off his shoulder, wanting to see what he was about to do.

"Max told me what these were last time we were here, and I've been dying to buy one. Requip: Heaven's Wheel!" he chanted, holding the lacrima above him. A bright red magic circle appeared above him as his body glowed a bright golden color. In a bright flash, his outfit was instead replaced with a metal dress, which was a bright silver in color. Several swords floated above him.

"No way. That lacrima can let you use requip?" Carla asked, a shocked look on her face. He chuckled, holding one of his swords at her.

"Now you listen to my orders, or I will show you what my swords can do!" he said, only for his sword to disappear a second later, along with his armor. He frowned.

"Sorry, the effects only last a few minutes. We're trying to get bigger lacrima." Max said.

"It's still pretty cool...I think I'll give this to Yamato, I'm sure she would get a kick out of it." he said, placing it in his bag.

"It would be really bad if someone got a hold of that. Imagine being able to use Erza's armors whenever you want? A lot of bad people would like that." Wendy said, shivering a bit at the thought.

"Well little lady, if anyone ever dared to do that, I'm sure Erza would show them what it means to mess with the Queen of the Fairies." Max reassured.

"I think we're gonna visit the guild real quick, meet up with the master. Then we'll go play some games, how does that sound?" Aiden asked, glancing back at his friends who nodded in agreement.

"Hope you guys enjoy yourselves." Max said, as they took off toward the guild hall. A few more stands had been set up around the plaza in front of the guild, mostly food vendors and people advertising for their own shops. He passed by one stand that was selling freshly baked cakes, with Fairy Tail's emblem in the center, and he knew if Phoebe saw them, she would blow all of her money buying it. It made him remember exactly how they obtained it.

"Man, that quest sure was hard...I'm still remembering most of it." Aiden said, looking at his friends.

"Perhaps battling a giant slug wasn't ideal, but it did give us plenty of spending money." Carla replied. She remembered all of the slime she had to get out of her hair. Wendy shuddered.

"Why did we have to use pickled plums though? We could have used anything else." she said, making Repede laugh. As it turned out, the Sky Maiden detested sour foods, so when Yun decided to throw some pickled plums into the slug's mouth to confuse it, she let out a high pitched screamed that in turn scared the monster back into the water. Eterna was able to use a lightning attack which killed it instantly.

"I promise, no more pickled plums, but I'm a little impartial toward the gummy worms." Aiden said, shoving a few in his mouth. Wendy huffed and looked away.

"You're so mean to me!" she cried.

They walked past the large gates that lead into the guild hall, seeing all of the tables outside had been occupied by both members and townspeople, all of them having a good time. Aiden was impressed to see so many people baring the same mark. It was insane, there was at least fifty of them outside. He wondered just how many mages had joined since he was last in Magnolia.

The inside of the guildhall was just as crowded as the outside. People young and old were walking around, challenging each other to fights, drinking and laughing. It was like a big family reunion. Aiden just stood there for a few seconds, not exactly knowing what to say or do, just watching.

"Aiden Flame, finally back for an ass whopping?" the familiar voice of Gray said, a smirk on his face. Aiden chuckled, giving the teen a grin.

"Are you sure it's not the other way around Ice Queen? Because from my point of view, it's you who's at a disadvantage!" he said. The teen grit his teeth, pulling his fists back.

"I'll show you. Ice Make: Lance!" he cried, throwing his spell forward. The ice burst into sharp lances that were flying straight at him. Aiden smirked, a bright blue magic circle appearing before him.

"Fire Make: Shield!" he chanted, a large flaming shield of fire appeared before him, absorbing the ice and turning it into steam. The fire disappeared, leaving a smirking Aiden, who slammed his fist into his open hand, both of them bursting into flames.

"You've made a huge mistake Gray. Switch Style: Fire Make: Sparrows!" he shouted. The flames turned into medium sized birds which flew off right at the Ice Make mage, who jumped back to dodge the attack.

"Ice Make: Fist."

"Fire Make: Explosion!"

"Well, those two are starting to enjoy themselves!" Carla said, crossing her arms in disdain. Wendy smiled, tucking some of her hair behind her ear.

"Just let them have their fun Carla." she said.

"I can't believe you condone this, he's just a rebel Wendy, open your eyes!" Carla said.

"Aw, look at the cute puppy. Is he yours?" a few of the Fairy Tail girls asked, seeing Repede who was in Wendy's arms.

"Um...he belongs to a friend." she said.

"He's so cute, can I hold him?"

"Ugh...It's like I'm talking to a brick wall." Carla snapped.

"Carla...it's you!" Happy cried, flying right to the white haired girl. She stepped to the side, causing the blue exceed to slam into the back wall. He groaned in pain, slowly sliding down to the ground.

"Aiden you bastard! If you wanna fight, then fight me!" Natsu cried, jumping into the battle, knocking Gray into a pole. Aiden shook his head.

"You wanna get your ass kicked again Dragneel than fine by me!" he said.

"What do you mean again? It was a tie last time! Gah...I'll show you, Fire Dragon's Roar!" he shouted, a large stream of orange flames sailed toward Aiden who just blocked them with his hand, with a flick of a wrist he directed them into his mouth, eating all of the fire in one gulp. He patted his stomach, a bit of steam coming from his lips.

"That's the stuff...now let me show you a real Dragon Roar." he said, taking a deep breath. He noticed something out of the corner of his eye and turned in that direction, eyes widening.

Standing next to one of the support beams was a familiar looking young man, with long spiky black hair, and bright red eyes. He had several rivets on his face and arms, giving him a rather scary look. He had several scars on his arms, most likely from past battles. He was wearing a black sleeveless jacket, with a black wing like piece of cloth attached to his right shoulder. He was wearing a pair of baggy brown shorts and some thick black iron boots. He was also wearing a pair of leather finger less gloves with iron knuckles. He bit into a piece of iron, literally tearing it in two, before chewing it. Aiden' couldn't help but notice the mark on his shoulder, the mark of Fairy Tail.

"Black Steel Gajeel, what the hell are you doing here?" he asked, anger flowing through him. The man scoffed, tossing the last piece of iron into his mouth.

"I could ask you the same thing squirt, thought Lamia Scale was the guild for you, did ya get rejected?" he asked.

"You and I both know that isn't the real reason. You must have read the sorcerer." he said.

"Oh right, your guild was profiled on it, I gotta say it was a waste of paper, and money." he said. Aiden jumped at him, throwing a flaming punch at the man's face, only for him to block it with an iron pole.

"Gihi, I've been waiting for this." he said, punching the boy in the face, sending him flying back.  
"What the hell are you doing Gajeel? This is my fight!" Natsu cried.

"Shut it Salamander, the kid and I have history, and it's time to settle it." he said, cracking his neck.

"If you think I'm going easy on you after what you did then you've got another thing coming. Remember that when I kick your ass!" Aiden said firmly. He took a running start at the man, jumping into the air.

"Fire Make: Chain Whip!" he chanted, spinning in mid air. The fire whip burst from his hand, slamming into the ground where Gajeel had just been, only the Dragon Slayer had jumped out of the way. Aiden's eyes widened as he looked above him, seeing the smirk on his face.

"Iron Dragon's Sword!" he chanted, launching his sword at the boy. He jumped out of the way, the tip of the sword slamming into the ground where he had been moments before.

"You think that puny thing is going to hurt me?" Aiden boasted, making the black haired man grit his teeth.

"Iron Dragon's Club!" Gajeel chanted, this time turning his arm into a thick metal pole that extended to where Aiden was standing. The young boy smirked, jumping right onto the pole. He race up it's length, delivering a strong knee to Gajeel's jaw. He smirked, igniting his fist.

"Hellfire Dragon's Iron Fist!" he shouted, punching him right in the gut, slamming the older teenager into the support beam.

"Ah, come on, let me at him. I wanna fight too!"

"Stay out of this Salamander!" Gajeel shouted in anger. Aiden threw a fierce kick into the man's face, sending him flying through one of the walls.

"Aiden stop! You're destroying their guild!" Wendy cried, only for it to fall on deaf ears as he raced through the hole. He jumped high into the air, Gajeel glared at him waiting for his attack.

"Hellfire Dragon's Roar!" he shouted, a swirling blue beam of flames shot at the Iron Dragon Slayer, which he was able to dodge. He smirked, taking a bite from one of the spoons he had snagged outside.

"Iron Dragon's Roar!" he shouted, a spiraling beam of iron shards flew at Aiden, slamming right into him, causing him to cry in pain. He landed on the ground, a few cuts on his face and arms. He stood up, shaking off the pain.

"You've gotten better squirt, no doubt that training you've been doing." Gajeel said, finishing his spoon.

"Shut up, like you give a shit about what I had to do. Why the hell did you even join Fairy Tail? You don't deserve to be in a guild filled with kind people!" he said.

"What I do with my life and who I join isn't your business kid. And unless you want a broken face, I would stop talking."

"What are you going to do? Hit me? Like you didn't get enough of that last time we ran into each other!" Aiden said, running straight at him, fist on fire. He jumped at the teen, slamming his fist into an Iron Pole. Gajeel tried to hit him again, only for Aiden to dodge, giving him a firm kick to the face.

"Because of you, Phoebe almost died!" he shouted, punching him across the face.

"Heh, that cat was the one that got in the way. She should have flown somewhere else!" he replied. Aiden growled in anger, ignited in his entire body with blue flames. His magic power had increased, sending out light pulses from within. Gajeel looked at him amazed.

" _How the hell does a kid this young have this much power? That's impossible."_ he thought.

"Metsuryu Ogi!" Aiden chanted, crossing his arms. Several pillars of fire burst from the ground, trapping them both in a large circle of glowing blue flames. Gajeel looked down, seeing a spinning circle under his feet, he tried to move, but saw the flames were holding him in place.

"Aiden stop!"

Aiden's jerked back to reality, seeing Phoebe and Chelia standing a few feet away, just out of range of the spell. He noticed the flaming pillars around him, eyes widening. He shook his head, dispelling the attack. He dropped to his knees, the decrease in magic power finally hitting him. He looked up at Gajeel, who had a frightened look on his face.

"You are lucky Phoebe called out to me, I might not have stopped in time." he said firmly. Chelia ran to his side, already healing his injuries.

"You big meanie! How could you hurt my big brother!" she cried, glaring at Gajeel.  
"Don't worry sweetie, I attacked him...I'd like to apologize to you all, I ruined the festival." he said, looking back at the others.

"No you didn't...if anything you've shown us your spirit!" Elfman said, giving him a smirk.

"Wanna come in for a drink? Maybe I'll let you blow off some steam in the back room!" Cana said, taking a drink from her bottle.

"I don't think that's a good idea." Lucy added, shaking her head at her friend's antics. Aiden stood up, feeling a bit sore, but immensely better from Chelia's magic. He took her hand in his own and pulled her along, gesturing for Phoebe to follow.

"Hey kid...I don't pretend to forget what happened, but you and I both know I didn't mean to attack your friend." Gajeel said.

"Save it, I don't want to hear whatever half assed apology you were about to give me. Just stay the hell away from me and Phoebe." he said, brushing past him and out of the guildhall.

"What the hell happened?" Makarov shouted in anger, just as Aiden passed by him.

"Sorry master, I promise to pay for the repairs." he said simply, not waiting for the man's reply. Wendy caught up to them, stopping in front of the old man.

"Wendy, mind explaining what happened here?" he asked.

"Gajeel and Aiden had a fight...but I don't know what it was about." she said simply.

"It seems to me like they've run into each other in the past, but we weren't aware of it." Carla added.

"I'll try to figure it out. For now just enjoy the festival, you are welcome to join the Miss Fairy Tail contest if you'd like, we need more participants anyway." he said, giving her a smile.

"I'll think about it. See you later Master Makarov...bye Mira." she said, waving to the white haired mage who had remained silent the entire time.

"Damn it Aiden, I thought we agreed no fighting. What's gotten into you?" Pheobe snapped, glaring at her partner.

"Oh, like you didn't want to fight him too." he said, crossing his arms.

"I don't, unlike you I am not holding a grudge over what happened. It was two years ago, just let it go."

"I won't...I won't let him go, because of him you almost died...you almost...I don't want to be alone again." he said angrily, a single tear slipping from his eye. The orange haired girl sighed, shaking her head.

"You aren't alone...you've got Wendy now, and Carla, and Yun...you've got a family." she said.

"What about me?" Chelia asked, giving the exceed turned human a pout. She giggled, ruffling her hair.

"You are our adorable little sister." she said happily.

Aiden looked away from the girl, a sigh escaping his lips. He looked up at the sky, seeing all of the colorful balloons, floating high in the air. He felt a little tired from his loss of magic, but other than that, his excitement for the festival hadn't died down.

"Aiden wait up!" Wendy cried, causing him to stop. He looked back, seeing the blue haired girl running toward him. Carla stopped beside her friend, crossing her arms in annoyance.

"What was that about? Do you know how much trouble we could have gotten in for fighting inside another guild's hall?"

"Yeah, I know. I was a retard for fighting, but Gray started it." Aiden said.

"Don't put the blame on someone else. It was different at first, and then you made it personal, so are you going to explain why it got that way? Or do we have to play charades to figure it out?"

"Carla!" Wendy snapped, glaring at her friend. Aiden scoffed and turned around.

"You wanna figure it out, then ask Phoebe, I'm not going to talk about it." he said, walking off into the crowd. Wendy shook her head, brushing past her friend.

"Honestly, you have to be more sensitive sometimes." she said.

"Sorry Wendy, you are right. I came across a bit rough." Carla admitted, a light blush on her cheeks.

"A bit?" Phoebe asked, brow raised.

"I'll go talk to him, you two just go play some games or something, we'll meet up at the hotel later on tonight." Wendy said, giving them a wave before following after her friend. She hoped he hadn't gotten to far.

Aiden sighed as he leaned against the wall. He had gotten a bit tired of walking through the busy streets, so he dove into an alleyway. He just wanted to get away from it for a bit. He bit the straw of the drink in his hand, remembering what had happened between him and Gajeel.

He remembered the mission, the one he took for an all female guild, Mermaid Heel. He was young and still a bit inexperienced in money, but their mistress had allowed him to take the mission anyway, if only to get him so quick money. During that mission, he ended up running into some dark mages, that had been fighting against Phantom Lord. Gajeel had been one of those mages, and thinking that Aiden was part of their guild, attacked him with his full power. During one attack, Aiden knew he would be hit so Phoebe took it for him.

The iron spear passed right through her body, pinning her to the ground. He was just glad none of her internal organs were damaged from it, but he was never able to forgive him for it. He took a deep breath, a familiar scent hitting his nose. He looked at the end of the alley and ran to it, looking at the people passing by.

He took a whiff of the air, eyes widening a bit. The scent..it smelled just like his sister Kurumi. He looked around, but he didn't see anyone that looked like her.

"Kurumi?" he called out. Sadly no one replied. He sighed, slamming his fist against the building, cracking the bricks.

"My god I'm an idiot. Calling out to my dead sister as if she would respond!" he said, a frown on his face.

"I do not believe you are an idiot." a firm voice spoke out, making him turn around. His eyes widened a bit.

Behind him stood a man, with waist length green, most of it covering his face. He was wearing a red double breasted coat, with bright golden buttons. He wore a white collared shirt underneath with a cravat tie. He wore a pair of light green pants, tucked into a pair of white buckled boots. He had a rapier at his waist, with a bright green guard coiling around it, which Aiden recognized as the Fairy Tail guild mark. He got a bit defensive, igniting his fists.

"Who the heck are you?" he asked. The man chuckled, brow raised in curiosity.

"I have a hard time believing the Blue Flare of Cait Shelter isn't familiar with me...but if you must know, my name is Freed. I happen to be a member of Fairy Tail." he said, showing off his guild mark, which was located on his left hand. Aiden lowered his guard a bit, but was still a bit weary.

"What do you want with me?" he asked. The man slowly approached him, looking him over.

"It seems you've recovered from fighting Gajeel. Guess that God Slayer is quite the healer."

"She is, what of it?" he asked.

"How would you like the chance to get even with Gajeel? To...get revenge on him for what he did to your friend?" he asked. Aiden tilted his head curiously.

"How do you know about what he did?"

"Most people know about it, I mean you were working for Mermaid Heel, a female only guild. Seeing a young man baring their mark, for however short the time may be is sure to catch headlines. It was one of Phantom Lord's darker moments. The guild sadly doesn't exist, but it's members have spread out far and wide, and it just so happens one joined our guild. Fairy Tail doesn't need him." he said.

"What makes you think that? I agree that the dude is an asshole, but he's tough. If Makarov asked him to join, then it's for a reason...besides, I'm not getting into issues that don't concern me or my guild." he said, turning to leave.

"Yes...but don't you wish to be stronger?" Freed asked, causing him to stop. He looked over his shoulder at the green haired man.

"What kind of stupid question is that?" he asked.

"I can tell that you want to get even with Gajeel, and for that you need to be strong. In our Fairy Tail, only the strong are allowed to join, come and join Fairy Tail..we'll be able to make you stronger, enough to defeat Gajeel once and for good." he said. Aiden scoffed, looking away from me.

"If you think I would betray my friends for power then you've got another thing coming. I left my sister behind for power, and I am never doing that again. So get the fuck out of my sight, before I show you a world of hurt." he said angrily.

"I'm sorry I wasn't able to reach out to you..but do know when the time comes, you will regret opposing us." he said. His body started to disappear, turning into nothing more than purple runes. Aiden found it a bit odd, but shook it off. He walked out of the alley way, slamming into Wendy who had been searching for him. The two of them landed sprawled on the ground. Aiden shook his his head, trying to get up, only for his hand to feel something soft.

"Kyaa!"

Before he could react he had been punched in the fight, slamming right into the back wall, his head hitting the bricks. He blacked out a second later. When he came too, he saw nothing but blue in his line of sight. He rubbed his nose, feeling it ache a bit. His vision cleared and he saw a distraught looking Wendy, hovering her hands over him.

"I'm so sorry Aiden, I didn't mean to hit you." she said.

"You hit me? All I remember is something soft." he said. She blushed a bit, standing up.

"It was nothing...we tripped and I thought you were attacking me so I hit you. I'm sorry." she said.

"It's alright Wen, I don't blame you. But damn you hit hard...I'm surprised you don't have your own Dragon Fist attack." he said, standing up. He noticed the sun was already across the sky, which was slowly turning orange.

"How long has it been?" he asked.

"An hour...again I'm really sorry." she said, poking her fingers together. He chuckled, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"It's fine...how about get go play some games, before the night is over." he said, leading her back toward the fair grounds. All of the stands started shifting toward booths, all surrounded by tons of people. Aiden looked around for something interesting, but didn't find anything.

"How about that one?" Wendy said, pointing to the Pin Toss booth. He shrugged, walking up to it. The man running it smiled, twirling his cane.

"Step up kiddos, three balls, three pins. Knock them all down and you'll get the big prize." he said.

"Simple enough, how much?" he asked.

"1,000 jewels for three balls." the man replied. Aiden shoved his hand in his pocket, pulling out the 1,000J bill, handing it to the man. He handed him three baseballs, though he handed the extras to Wendy. Aiden narrowed his eyes, taking a whiff of the air. He smelled a bit of glue lingering in the area. He looked back at the man, clutching the ball tightly.

"Can I use magic?" he asked.

"If you think it can help you, then go ahead son." the man said with a shrug. Aiden smiled and took a few steps back, tossing the ball in the air. He caught the ball and aimed his hand at the three pins, holding the ball outward.

"Fire Make: Explosion!" he chanted. The ball exploded outward, shooting straight through the pins, knocking them through the back of the stand, leaving a gaping hole in the back. The man looked taken aback not expecting such a strong spell. Aiden smiled, looking at the prizes hanging above them. He saw a stuffed Panda bear and grabbed it from the hook.

"I'll take this one...next time, don't try to scam kids." he said, giving the man a wave. He just dropped his cane, which clattered to the ground with a soft thud.

"What did you mean by that?" Wendy asked.

"Didn't you smell the glue? That guy was trying to pull a fast one on me, so I taught him a lesson. Here...for bumping into you earlier." he said, handing her the toy. She blushed a bit, hugging it close to herself.

"Thank you Aiden."

"No problem...let's go see if we can find another Goldfish stall, Swimmy seems a bit lonely." he said, quickening his pace so she didn't see the blush on his cheeks.

They looked around for a bit, playing a few other games, winning a few other prizes. Sadly for Aiden, he wasn't able to find a goldfish stand, so he was a bit disappointed. The sun started setting, making the city glow brightly in the orange light. It made him a bit at ease. Magnolia had a homey feel to it, and he was happy to be in this festival.

He also noticed a lot of people had shown up now, making it almost impossible to move around the street. He looked behind him, making sure Wendy was still nearby, which thankfully she was, though she was bumping into a few people. He shook his head and reached out to her, taking her hand in his own.

"I don't want to loose you, how about we go get something to eat? We're supposed to meet the others at the inn soon."

"Okay." she said quietly. She squeezed his hand a bit, earning a small squeeze in return. Aiden didn't pay it any mind, but Wendy was a blushing mess, thankfully she used her long hair to cover her face, not wanting someone to recognize them.

They finally reached a food stand, seeing some Takoyaki on sale, along with some other Fairy Tail themed foods. He handed the woman some money and ordered their food, since Wendy had remained silent. After they had gotten everything, they moved towards some empty benches.

"Are you having fun?" Aiden asked curiously, munching on his food. He earned a quiet nod from the girl.

"Magnolia Town is so big...I felt like we could get lost at any moment."

"Yeah...I prefer our quiet little home...the sound of nature and the beautiful stars..that's just something I'll never get used to having." he said, looking at the darkening sky.

"I'll never get used to that either...I can almost reach up there and grab them...and the fresh air is always nice." she said. He chuckled, taking a sip from his drink.

"You are lucky you can feed off air...I gotta carry one of these around any time I want a snack." he said, flashing his Zippo lighter. To prove his point, he lit his Takoyaki on fire, letting it burn for a few seconds before shoving the whole thing in his mouth, letting out a small smoke cloud.

"Jeez, try not to scare the kids." she replied, seeing a few small kids looking at the two.

"I'll try not to in the future." he said with a smirk. He grabbed another piece of his takoyaki, deciding to eat it normally this time. Wendy remained oddly silent after that, not really saying anything. She just poked at her food for a few minutes at a time before taking a dainty bite. He sighed, shaking his half filled cup.

"Something on your mind?" he asked, taking a sip from his drink.

"About that fight with Gajeel...what was it truly about?" she asked. He sighed, sucking his teeth.

"Figured that was it. I don't really wanna talk about it." he said simply.

"But Aiden I just...I understand." she said, quickly stopping herself. He looked at her, but instead he was greeted with concern, her big brown eyes were just staring at him. He tried his hardest to resist but ended up groaning, brushing the hair out of his face.

"Okay fine...jeez just stop doing that." he said.

"Doing what?" she replied with a pout.

"That...guilt tripping me with your eyes...it sucks." he said simply.

"I..don't get what you mean." she said.

"Sure you don't...anyway, me and Gajeel go back a couple years. I was working for the female only guild of Mermaid Heel. Independent mages can sometimes join guilds for short periods of time to work their missions for half the pay. While we were in Sea Brooke, the place where Mermaid Heel is located, me and Phoebe decided to join for some quick cash. Their mistress agreed to it, if only to bring in some attention. After all it's not every day a man gets into an all female guild." he said, pausing for a sip of soda.

"So..what happened next?" she asked.

"Me and Phoebe took a mission near Oak Town, it was to clear our a section of the forest from a herd of Vulcan. However, there was a dark guild in that forest, and we ended up crossing paths with a Phantom Lord raid. Gajeel was part of that raid, since he was an S-class mage at the time. He thought I was part of them and decided to attack me. I held my own, but was rapidly loosing magic, so when he aimed his Iron Dragon Lance at me, Phoebe took the hit instead, and it ended up going right through her body."

"Oh dear...he just attacked her and did nothing?" she asked.

"Yup, he pulled her off his lance and just set her down, not even an apology or anything. I couldn't retaliate because she was hurt, so instead I just ran back to Mermaid Heel. One of the girls there uses Plant magic, so she was able to use some natural plants to heal her up, but we still needed a doctor to look at her. They had to call a goddamn veterinarian because she was an exceed. Thankfully, the lance didn't hit anything major, so she recovered just fine...but from that point on, I wanted nothing more than to get revenge on him...and I would have gotten it if Phoebe hadn't brought me to my senses."

"You can't let that kind of thing poison you Aiden. It was an accident yes, but I don't think hurting Gajeel would make a difference. What happened, happened...it isn't going to stop Phoebe from getting hurt again."

"I know...I just wanted him to know not to mess with me, and I got my point across just fine." he said, tossing his trash into the bin next to them.

"Well...I suppose we should be heading back. Tomorrow is day two and I don't want to miss the Miss Fairy Tail contest...I want to see who's going to win." he said, standing up from the bench. Wendy took his hand, pulling him to a stop. She was looking at the ground, hair covering her eyes.

"Promise me...promise me that you won't fight someone for revenge ever again...and that if something is bothering you...that you'll come to me first."

"Wendy I.."

"Promise me!" she snapped, looking him in the eye. He sighed, grabbing the necklace Atlas Flame had made for him, out of his own fang. He took the sharp fang and slid it across his forearm, allowing some of his red blood to pour from the cut, right before running his flaming finger over it, making it scar. She looked at him with wide eyes.

"I promise, and I sealed it with blood...so don't worry, I'll never fight someone for revenge ever again." he said, placing the fang around his neck once more. She shook her head, standing up from the bench.

"Honestly, what am I going to do with you...always hurting yourself." she replied. He chuckled, ruffling her hair.

"I'm a Dragon Slayer, getting hurt is in the job description." he said with a smile. She grabbed her teddy bear, hugging it tightly against herself.

"Let's go...I'm a bit tired."

"Okay grandma, let's make sure your tucked in by seven thirty with the other old folks." he said. She elbowed him in the gut, a small funnel of wind forming from the end of it.

"Sky Dragon's Elbow...I hope it's as effective as I think it will be."

"Yeah...it is." he said, rubbing his gut a bit. He couldn't help but grin. The girl he met so long ago and the girl in front of him now were two different people. Wendy was getting stronger, and he could tell it was because of him. He looked at his new scar, a frown on his face.

" _I promise never to fight someone for revenge again...Instead I'll fight for what I believe in. For my friends..and for you Wendy...so you'll never get hurt."_

 ** _A/N: *The Dragon Slayer Secret Art that Aiden was going to use in this chapter is named: Jigoku No Moeru Hashira, Which translates to, Flaming Pillars of Hell. This is one of Aiden's stronger secret arts, one that takes a lot of magic power, thus he doesn't use it often._**


	19. Fairy Tail's Fighting Festival

**A/N: Hey there everyone, Celestial Sky Dragon here bringing you another chapter of The Hellfire Dragon Slayer. In this chapter, you all get to see Aiden get annoyed, not just by Yun but because of other circumstances. At the end of this chapter I've planted the seeds for the next story arc. So I hope you like this.**

 **Honestly, I was trying to get through the Fighting Festival Arc as soon as I could, just so that I could start this new original arc. I've been working on it for awhile, so I just want to make sure it's coming along fine. After this chapter is post it, I will take a break from posting to work on the story some more, right now I've only written up to chapter twenty and I always like to have five chapters of leeway so that I can post it and not have to worry.**

 **After this story arc, it will lead into the Oracion Seis arc which I have yet to fucking watch! I've been focusing too hard on this arc, but I'll make sure to make it the best I can. Of course it will follow canon events, with my own twists to the story as well as an extended ending to the arc itself. After that, there will be another small mini arc that will take place during the Daphne arc. After that it will lead into Edolas.**

 **So I hope you look forward to this. Shoutouts to RedBurningDragon and Chance Green G King for being loyal readers. Check out The Outcast, which just received a new chapter last night. Show G King some love by booty slapping that review and like button. Other than that, have a good night...**

 **This chapter is brought to you by Douche Bag Friends, for when you are in a sticky spot and instead of helping you, they just turn into big fucking Douche Bags. Often times named Chad...wow...that is such a douchey name. No offense if you are named Chad, tis for jokes, not seriously.**

Fairy Tail

Tales of the Hellfire Dragon

Chapter 19

Fight for Fairy Tail

Aiden and Wendy were slowly making their way back to the inn. Since the streets were a bit more crowded, it made traveling a little but harder. Even with all of the short cuts and alleys they had been taking, it made the trip a little longer. They did enjoy the lights, so it wasn't a waste of time. Aiden ended up buying a few more trinkets on the way back, including a bracelet with Fairy Tail's guild mark on it, which he slipped over his left wrist. He looked at the back of his hand, seeing his Sun Village mark. It made him smile a bit, remembering the fact that Flare was finally back with him and that nothing would go wrong.

He caught a familiar scent in the crowd, making him stop. He looked over his shoulder, seeing a bright head of green hair. It was Freed, and he was looking right at him. Aiden narrowed his eyes, giving him a firm glare. A few people walked past him, and when they were out of the way, the man was gone. He scoffed and turned around, catching up with Wendy.

" _Fucking pussy...the hell's he following me for?"_

"You know...you've told me so much of your past, and I haven't said anything about mine. I felt ashamed." Wendy said, catching his attention.

"You don't have to tell me shit you know. That's your private life." he said with a shrug.

"I know but...I just want us to be better friends...that's all. You've done so much for me and Carla..for our guild."

"Do you think I need compensation for that? Wendy you are my friend...my partner. I can trust you with anything, not just because you are in the same guild as me, but because we're friends. You don't need to tell me anything." he said simply, making her smile.

"You're so kind to me...even though you say that, I still want to tell you." she said. He nodded, knowing he wouldn't be changing her mind.

"I suppose my story starts a bit like yours...finding a dragon, and then being trained by her. Grandeeney never told me how it was that I came across her, she said I was too young to remember. By the time I was walking, I was already learning to heal. I had to start with little animals, since there were no humans around..so my magic wasn't as developed as it should have." she said.

"I take it you grew up in the woods then?" Aiden asked. The story was almost the same as his, except he grew up in a village, surrounded by giants who were aware of the dragon living with them. She gave him a nod.

"It was a big clearing in between two mountains. I had to climb it daily, so I could get to the fresh air. At first it was tough, but I was able to do it eventually. Mom gave me rides high in the sky so I could get used to the different types of air and learned what they're composed of. She said when I was grown up, I could change the composition of air and limit how much oxygen people can breathe, something that would make me deadlier in battle. I honestly don't like fighting." she said.

"Well, you are my opposite in that. I love to fight, the thrill, of not knowing who you'll face, what you'll face, if you live or die...it's so exhilarating!" he said, a grin on his face.

"I guess there are things that make us different, the same way as there are things that make us the same. Anyway...once I got a bit stronger, she taught me about other things, the healing properties of plants and natural remedies, things that would make my magic more effective. She also taught me about...the birds and the bees." she said, a vibrant blush on her face.

"Oh god...I remember having that talk with Atlas. Now listen boy, when it's time to find a mate, you are gonna have to make sure she's the right one. Get in real close and take a whiff, it gets stiff, she's the one." he said, imitating his father's voice.

"What?! Grandeeney never said that to me!" Wendy cried, her eyes widened in shock. He chuckled, shaking his head.

"Well you are a girl...I doubt anything will get stiff!" he said. She slapped him across the face, only making him laugh. He rubbed his cheek looking at the dark skies, hoping to see some stars.

"He had a good sense of humor though. He told me a lot of dirty jokes, but I didn't get them until a few years ago. He told me about pheromones too, the mating season...the mark." he said, looking at Wendy.

"Yes...Grandeeney told me about those things as well...she taught me how to hunt, but all I could ever kill were fish...I can't see myself killing another living being...at least until I saw that wyvern." Wendy said, making him laugh.

"Yeah, the thought of killing was something I never got used to...but when you are crossing a desert with nothing to eat, even the lone lizard looks like a sirloin streak."

"Ew...anyway...she kept telling me stories about the other dragons, and how there were others like me...and the one day..she just left. I tried finding her, but all that did was get me lost. I wondered around for days, trying to find someone to help me, but no one did. At least until I stumbled into my friend. His name is Jellal." she said.

"Jellal? That name sounds familiar." he muttered under his breath.

"He was sweet, and kind..and helped me learn more about myself and the environment. We hunted, and collected rain water..but we only traveled around for a few weeks. He told me there was a guild not far from where we were at the time, and told me to join them. I told him I wanted to go with him, but he said where he was going, I couldn't follow. Instead he took me to the guild, and pleaded with the master to let me join. That was how I joined Cait Shelter." she said.

"Wow...to this guy was the one who brought you to where you are today...if we ever meet him, remind me to thank him alright?" he asked.

"What for?" she asked curiously.

"Well..I wouldn't have met you or Carla...you wouldn't have helped me when I was hurt...hell I would have most likely died out there trying to save Phoebe...if it wasn't for him, I wouldn't have joined Cait Shelter, and made all the friends I did. I wouldn't have found my sister either." he listed, earning a nod from the girl. She frowned a bit, looking at the ground.

"I haven't seen him in seven years. It's been so long that I've lost hope of ever seeing him again...I've told Carla about him, but she doesn't believe we'll meet. I can always dream though."

"Hey, don't give up! He might be closer than you think." he said. He felt a shiver go down his spine and looked to his right again, but this time he saw no one. He grit his teeth, letting out a growl.

"Aiden...what's wrong?" Wendy asked, suddenly getting defensive.

"It's nothing...felt like we were being followed, but it was just my imagination. Let's hurry to the inn." he said, taking her hand in his own. They quickened their pace, continuing on toward the Cathedral Plaza. Finally arriving at the inn, they noticed their friends standing outside, waiting for all of them to finally arrive. Carla looked away from Pheobe, her eyes widening a bit.

"Gah..what the hell are you doing holding his hand Wendy? Have you completely lost your mind?" She shouted. Wendy quickly let go of Aiden's hand, standing before her friend.

"It isn't what it looks like. We just didn't want to loose each other, and we were being followed." she said, calming Carla down a bit. Yun put a hand on the hilt of his sword, having slung it over his shoulder to not disturb the townspeople. Alana requipped her Katana into her hand, while Flare made a fist of fire with her hair.

"Whoa, cool your jets guys, we've already dealt with the problem. I was just imagining it all. Let's just go inside." Aiden said.

"I think we should do what he says. It's getting late and there are more things to do tomorrow!" Alana said, allowing her sword to disappear.

"Man, I'm beat. I spent all day following Flare around and all she wanted to do was find a bathroom." Yun said.

"Hey, when a girl needs to go, she needs to go." Flare replied, extinguishing her hair.

"Yeah, but you could have held it in until we came here, instead of going to that bathhouse in town." he said.

"You are just embarrassed because that cute girl you were hitting on was a lesbian."

"Shut up, we agreed never to speak of that again!" he said, causing Flare to chuckle evilly under her breath.

"I'll never let you live it down." she said.

"Good to know you are getting along with my friends sis, try not to piss them off..would ya?" Aiden asked, pulling her along. He wanted to avoid Yun's wrath, after all he had seen what that sword could do, and he didn't want to be on the end of it. They all entered the inn, briefly greeting the innkeeper before heading to their rooms. The girls bid the boys goodnight before heading into the room across from them. Aiden sighed, dropping into his bed. He groaned, kicking his boots off.

"Blue socks?" Repede asked, looking at Aiden's choice in foot wear.

"Yeah, I dunno I like them." he said, though it came out muffled due to his face being pressed into the pillow.

"So, how many things did you buy?" Yun asked, taking a seat on the second bed, he took his shoes off, placing his sword on the wall next to his bed.

"I bought a few things, mostly trinkets. I ended up buying Yamato this really cool lava lamp." he said, requipping the bag into his hand, he pulled out the lamp from within the bag, pressing the switch on the side to turn on the lacrima. It glowed a bright purple, huge globs of purple wax started floating around inside. Thankfully due to him being a fire mage, the heat from the lacrima didn't bother him.

"That's really cool. She'll definitely like it." he said. Aiden turned it off, letting it cool before storing it in his space pocket. Yun took his vest off, tossing it to the chair across the room.

"So, what did you buy?" Aiden asked. Yun dug his hand into his knapsack, pulling out a glowing purple bottle.

"This guy was selling some potions on the street, and I told him to mix me the best poison he could. This thing melts through metal..he had to enchant the bottle so it wouldn't melt through it. The finest poison for the finest lady in the guild." he said with a smirk.

"Jesus, since when the fuck did this turn into a contest?" Aiden asked, looking a bit annoyed.

"Well, I just had to get Yamato the best gift in the world. It isn't my fault if it's better than what you got her." he said, twirling the bottle in his hand. Aiden had half a mind to shoot it with his fire.

"Now now guys, this isn't the time to fight." Repede said, hopping into Yun's bed.

"I'm still gonna find a better gift." Aiden muttered under his breath, looking out the window. His eyes widened a bit as he saw Freed standing at the edge of the building next to them. He stood up, walking over to the window, only for him to disappear.

"What's up your ass?" Yun said, looking at the teen in curiosity.

"Nothing...nothing at all. I'm gonna take a shower." he said, requipping his knapsack into his hand. The door slammed after him.

"Hey Aiden, you thinking about marking Wendy yet?"

"Fuck off!" he shouted back, earning a laugh from the black haired teen.

xxx

"Man, I had a shitty night." Aiden muttered, he had his hands behind his head as he walked. He was wearing a simple vest today, along with a pair of blue jean shorts and his sneakers. He had his scarf wrapped around his neck, even though it was hotter than hell outside. Yun was wearing a hoodie, which he had zipped up half way, making him wonder why he was even wearing it.

The only girl wearing a dress was Wendy, having chosen her favorite scaled dress, though she left her hair down, not bothering to tie it up. Carla and Phoebe were dressed almost alike, with the latter wearing shorts, insisting that she hated skirts. Alana and Eterna had gone with Flare into the city. Chelia was walking next to them, licking an ice cream cone.

"You think Ice cream is healthy for her? Especially for breakfast?" Yun asked.

"The hell do I know? She isn't going to eat anything else anyway." Aiden said with a shrug.

"Yun is right though, we need to buy her something else, or else she'll get a tummy ache." Wendy said, placing a hand on the girl's head, earning a bright chocolate covered smile in return.

"There you are my love, I've finally found you!"

"AHHHH!" Aiden screamed, hiding behind Yun, who had his hand on his sword already. Standing before them was Sherry, along with her friends, Lyon, Yuka and Toby. They were just like he remembered them.

"Good to see you again Aiden, Wendy...it seems like our last meeting was so long ago." Lyon said.

"Get her away from me man." Aiden said.

"This denial...it's the perfect love for a woman like me...sadly I didn't come here to share my love with you. I came to get my cousin back." she said, looking at Chelia. She tilted her head, looking back at Aiden who had a pissed off look on his face.

"Big brother...I don't know this woman...we've never met before." she said.

"So...it was you who she was supposed to be with." he said, ignoring the little girl's statement. Sherry frowned, looking away from him.

"I understand your anger...I was so focused with unfreezing Deliora that...I ignored my family when she needed me most. I have come to regret that very much."

"Like hell you should!" Aiden said, grabbing a hold of the woman's dress, pulling her down to his level.

"HEY, LET HER GO!" Toby shouted, getting the attention of a few others.

"Stop yelling you fool, you'll make a scene." Yuka snapped back. Lyon grabbed a hold of Aiden's hand, channeling his ice through his arm, which instantly turned into steam from his body heat.

"You have no idea what Chelia has been through. She saw her parents get buried six feet under. She was tortured in an orphanage on a daily basis and she suffered for months in a tiny little shit hole watching other people disappear. She could have gotten sexually abused or worse...and you wouldn't have been the wiser, all because of some stupid vengeance plot. And now you have the balls to come claim her? Well I won't let you!" he snapped. Sherry's lip quivered a bit, her eyes started to water.

"I'm sorry...you have no idea how much it hurt. Hearing about my Aunt and Uncle's deaths, realizing that their only daughter had been kidnapped...I searched and searched and found nothing...I finally got a lead, but when I went to Cait Shelter, you were gone, I just want to make up for lost time!" she cried. Aiden let her go, letting her drop to her knees. He wretched his hand away from Lyon's grasp, turning back to his friends.

"You see that mark on her leg? That's the symbol of Cait Shelter, of her family...and I am not letting you take her away from us. So you can forget about it." he said.

"Sherry, he's right. If Chelia doesn't want to leave, there's nothing we can do." Lyon said, grabbing her hand.

"Let go...please...I just want some time with her. Let her come with me, at least for the parade." she said, taking a hold of his hands.

"Chelia...do you want to go with her?" Aiden asked, looking back at the girl.

"I dunno big brother...I don't want to get kidnapped again." she said. Aiden smirked, turning away from her, glaring at the mages in front of him.

"Oh trust me, they try to pull a fast one and I'll destroy every single one of them, starting with her." he said firmly. Chelia nodded, taking a lick of her ice cream, smearing a bit more chocolate onto her face. Wendy sighed, grabbing another clean napkin.

"Hey lady...will you buy me more ice cream?" she asked, after Wendy cleaned her up.

"I'll buy you anything you want...just name it!" Sherry cried desperately. Chelia grinned. If she could rub her hands together she would have.

"Okay, buy me toys, and candy and food..and more ice cream!" she said.

"On second thought, go ahead and take her around town. Watching her bleed you out of money will be more entertaining." Aiden said, diving a firm chuckle.

"You are a cruel man, Aiden Flame." Yuka said, shaking his head.

"What's your name again Eyebrows? I seem to have forgotten."

"Come on, before I get into another fight. It's bad enough we're on Fairy Tail's turf, we don't need to get into an argument with the kittens." Lyon said, taking his leave.

"I'll buy you anything you want Chelia...just let me prove to you that I'm a good person." Sherry said, taking a hold of the little girl's hand.

"Whatever you say, but I'm not leaving Cait Shelter, no matter what you say or do. Aiden and Wendy are my big brother and sister, and I want to be with them." she said, making the two smile a bit. She gave her friends a wave, being lead into the city by her cousin.

"Well...that was a thing...we still on for breakfast at the guild?" Phoebe asked, already imagining Mirajane's cooking.

"Hell yes, if there's anything more that I want in this world it's the taste of Mirajane's awesome food. Come on, I'll race ya there!" Aiden said, earning a grin from his partner.

"1..2..3...Go!" she cried, bursting into the air with her wings, which were glowing gold.

"You fucking cheater!" he shouted, running after the girl.

"Our friends are idiots." Carla said simply.

"I agree with you...thankfully, I am man enough to escort you two lovely ladies to the guild." Yun said, wrapping his arms around Wendy and Carla's waists. Wendy huffed, brushing out of his grasp.

"Sorry, but I'm not your type." she said.

"I don't like arrogant bastards like you." Carla replied, fist bumping her friend. Yun looked down, his hair swaying a bit.

"Ah...so this is what rejection feels like."

"Come on you, before I leave you behind!" Repede said, having transformed into his full grown form, he wanted to make it to the guild before Aiden and Phoebe ate everything.

"Ha! I win!" Pheobe cried as she slipped through the front doors of the Fairy Tail guild, which was just as full as it had been the day before. Aiden ran in a second later, wiping some sweat from his brow.

"You bitch! It's no fair using Max Speed like that!" he snapped angrily.

"All's fair in love and war." she said with a wink.

"Famous sayings eh, you ever here of the saying, Cheaters never win?"

"Yup, and Winners never Cheat!"

"Yeah, well cheaters never prosper." he said, jamming a thumb toward a table, where Natsu was piling down several plates of food. Phoebe screamed loudly, fat tears running down the sides of her face.

"Natsu you bastard, that food was supposed to be for me!" she cried, jumping at him. Natsu grinned, taking a bite from a huge piece of meat before catching the girl's fist.

"You were late Phoebe, and I hate letting good food go to waste!" he said.

"Sun Kick!" the girl cried, throwing a kick at Natsu, only for him to avoid it.

"Wow, you can fight now, let's see who's the better fighter. You win and I'll think about letting you eat the rest of this food!"

"You're on!" she cried, accepting his challenge. Aiden sighed as he took a seat at the bar, shaking his head.

"Those idiots." he muttered.

"I wouldn't be one to talk, especially after what happened yesterday." Gajeel said, looking up from his plate of screws. Aiden narrowed his eyes, scoffing a bit.

"Whatever, I honestly want nothing more than to wipe the floor with you, but I made a promise I wouldn't. As much as it pisses me off, I'm gonna swallow my hate and let bygones be bygones." he said firmly. Gajeel bit the head off a screw, spitting it at the ground so hard it actually stuck out of the floorboards.

"Save it...it should be me apologizing to you. I almost killed your cat, and for that I'm sorry." he said, grabbing his plate from the bar. He walked deeper into the guildhall, disappearing into the mass of people.

"That was a surprise...I wasn't expecting him to apologize to you." Mira said, startling Aiden a bit.

"Oh...hi Mira. I agree with you, I honestly thought he was going to hit me." he said.

"He told me what happened yesterday...so I understand how you felt. Almost loosing someone...that pain that you feel deep within yourself..it's never a good thing to experience." she said, a frown on her face.

"You speak from experience? Who hurt you and where can I find him?" he asked firmly. Mirajane was known throughout Fiore, not only for being Fairy Tail's pinup model, but also for being the sweetest person anyone could meet. Seeing her frowning was something you didn't want to do, it could get you killed. And from experience, Aiden knew not to piss her off either, or else he would be killed instead.

"No one hurt me silly. It's just some stuff that happened to me in the past, something I don't want to bore you with. So, what would you like? You are guests after all."

"Oh uh...something simple, I don't want to over work you before the contest starts."

"I don't mind, we owe you for what you did for us during the Phantom Lord incident. Your help ended up making everything with the construction easier for us in the end. Or else you wouldn't be honorary Fairy Tail members." she replied.

"It's alright, I'm not like my partner. I'll just take a fruit salad...and maybe some fire on the side?" he said, giving her a hopeful look.

"Sure thing, I'll be right back." she said, giving him a wink. He blushed a bit, looking back at the riot that Phoebe had started within the guild. He had to admit, her control of Solar Divinity Magic was getting better.

"Oh man, I'm so screwed."

"Something wrong Lucy?" Aiden asked, glancing at the blonde girl who had been sitting a few seats from him. She gave him a nod, a frown on her face.

"I need rent money, so I decided to enter this contest to see if I could win. But I've got steep competition, Mirajane is entering, and so is Cana." she said.

"Oh, you really are screwed." he said, rubbing his chin.

"Hey, you're supposed to tell me it isn't that bad, and that I still have a chance!" she exclaimed.

"Sorry Lucy, I am many things, but a liar isn't one. But what I will tell you is that you are beautiful in your own right. You've got a nice figure and long blonde hair, if you pick the right outfit, perform the right routine, you'll definitely win." he said confidently.

"Um...thank you for that Aiden...you've cheered me up a bit. I know what to do, but I'll need time to prepare!" she said, taking off toward the back of the guild. It wasn't long before Wendy and the others came in, looking a bit tired. He saw Yun holding a bag in his hand.

"Did you buy another fucking gift?" he asked.

"Of course, I found the most amazing dress on sale, so I bought it for Yamato, and it will boost her magic power while she wears it too." he said. Aiden grit his teeth, clenching his fist a bit.

"That rat bastard! I'll show him." he muttered angrily.

"Is something wrong Aiden? You seem rather angry." Wendy asked. He shook it off.

"It's nothing...nothing at all." he said, glaring at Yun, who had a smirk on his face. He stood up from his seat, just as Mira returned.

"Wait..where are you going Aiden?" She asked curiously. He took the torch from her hand, sucking the flames right off the end.

"Sorry Mira, but I'm going to skip out on breakfast..I need to find something for Yamato before Yun ends up buying everything on sale." he said, taking off. She sighed, looking at the salad in her hands.

"I'll take that, me and Carla can share it." Wendy said, taking the salad from the woman.

"At least it won't go to waste. I hope you girls like it...say, are your friends entering the contest?" she asked.

"Eterna and Alana? They might...they left with Flare this morning and we haven't seen them." Carla replied, snagging a grape from the plate in front of her.

"Really? Well if they do decide to enter, then they'll be facing a lot of challengers. They'll have some steep competition!"

"Right, anyone who goes against Fairy Tail's pinup model should just give up before even starting. They'll just loose anyway..which reminds me, are you single? I got tickets to Akane Resort that I'm not using." Yun said, leaning against the bar.

"Aren't you sweet..any other time I wouldn't mind going, but I'm really busy so I'll have to decline. Sorry." Mira said, giving him a smile.

"Let down again...at least you were polite about it. Oh well, there are more sharks in the lake as they say." Yun said, walking into the crowd. Repede sighed, shaking his head.

"That boy is an idiot...he got the saying so wrong that I'm not even going to correct him." he replied, taking a seat at foot of Wendy's stool.

"Those idiots are still fighting?" Carla asked, looking at Phoebe and Natsu, who had moved on from fighting each other to literally eating all the food they could. Wendy shook her head, grabbing a strawberry from her plate. She wished Aiden was here, she didn't know why, but she wanted him to be close to her now, it just felt awkward without him.

Aiden however was swiftly moving through the streets of Magnolia, keeping his eyes peeled for anything that would make a good gift. He didn't know Yamato as well as he did Wendy and Carla, so he would have to assume what she would like. So far, all he had was a Lava Lamp and a Requip lacrima. Yun had an expensive bottle of poison, and a dress he hadn't even seen. He sighed, coming to a stop in the middle of the street.

"What the hell do I get? Knowing Yamato, she would most likely settle with anything, but I want it to be the best gift ever. I don't want that bastard Yun winning. I can already see his expression." he said, glaring up at the sky.

" _Aw, thanks so much for this Yun, you are such a sweet person!"_

" _No problem Yamato, I hope you like the poison. I can't wait to see you in that dress, maybe during our trip to Paradise Ridge in Bosco? I've got the tickets!"_

" _You might be a bit young, but screw it, let's go!"_

"Ugh...where the hell would he even get money for that? Paradise Ridge is expensive to even visit." Aiden said, his frown growing a bit.

He continued walking up the street, his shoulders a bit slumped. He perked up a bit when he caught a familiar scent in the air. He looked around for a bit, tracking it down to a nearby alleyway. He started moving toward it, seeing someone moving through it. He quickened his pace, breaking into a spring through the alleyway.

"Hey wait! Why do you smell like my sister!" he cried out, only to slam into an invisible wall. His eyes widened a bit as he took a step back. He ignited his fist and punched the air in front of him, striking the invisible wall. He saw glowing red runes drifting outward from the sheer force of the hit. He shook his head and turned around, walking back the way they came.

"Figures...they probably put these up to stop kids from wondering into alleys alone." he said, slamming into another wall. He looked over his shoulder, seeing some glowing violet runes behind him.

"Only Fairy Tail members are allowed to leave this barrier...what kind of joke is this?" Aiden snapped angrily.

"I did warn you didn't I?" the familiar voice of Freed said. He turned around, seeing the green haired man standing behind him. Aiden jumped at him only to slam into the wall.

"It was you...you wrote this enchantment, you were the one that got my sister's scent wasn't it?"

"While I do admit that it was I who wrote the runes, it wasn't me who took your sister's scent. The cause of that lies elsewhere, perhaps that woman was your deceased sister, but I digress. You didn't accept my offer, so I'm afraid I can't let you interfere." he said.

"Interfere...interfere with what?" Aiden asked curiously.

"I'm afraid I can't explain. If you wish to find out more, you'll have to go to the guild hall and get the information you need there...if only you were a Fairy Tail mage." he said, in a taunting tone. Aiden punched the barrier again, watching as the man disappeared from sight.

"Dammit...let me out of here! You fucking coward!" he shouted, punching the barrier several more times, only to get the same result. He sighed, slumping against the wall.

"What the hell is going on? What is he thinking? Wendy...Yun..everyone...are you guys alright?" He asked, glancing back at the open street.

It wasn't long before the sounds of fighting could be heard, and it was really close by. He walked over to the edge of the alley, hoping to see something. He saw Gray running past him, taking a look back over his shoulder.

"Gray! Hey over here!" he called out. The black haired teen stopped, looking back.

"Aiden...what are you doing here?" he asked curiously.

"I could be asking you the same question. One of those bastards from your guild trapped me here, and now I can't leave." he said, punching the barrier for emphasis.

"Only Fairy Tail members can leave this barrier...I'm sorry man but I can't help you. I have to find Evergreen before the girls turn to dust."

"Evergreen?...Hey wait!" he cried, watching as the teen raced off, leaving him behind. Aiden looked up at the sky, a frown on his face. A suddenly look of realization hit his face, and he slammed his fist into the back wall.

"Freed, the man that can write any type of enchantment and bend you to his will. Evergreen, the beautiful maiden with eyes that can turn you to stone, and Bixlow, the man who can steal your very soul with a single look into your eyes. The Thunder Legion of Fairy Tail...why didn't I realize it sooner, those three are causing havoc here...but why would they attack their own guild?"

He realized he wasn't going to get any answers by just standing around. But he couldn't exactly leave either. He looked at his guild mark, a frown on his face. He shook his head, turning to face the alleyway.

"No...I'm not going to stoop to that level. That's what he wants, for me to join Fairy Tail...whatever he's planning, I want no part of it." he said, firmly to himself. He sighed and decided to take a seat atop one of the wooden dumpsters, which thankfully didn't have a plastic lid like most did in other towns. He leaned back, watching a few people walk by him. His stomach growled a bit, making him groan.

"I shouldn't have skipped out on breakfast. Goddamn you Yun, you and your fucking present searching bullshit! This is all your fault!" he shouted, slamming his fist against the wall, shaking the building a bit.

Yun was grinning widely to himself. He had found the perfect gift for Yamato. He definitely knew it would trounce everything that Aiden would be getting her. He had gotten her an ancient tome on different types of Poison magic, so that she could increase her magical knowledge. Repede couldn't help but shake his head.

"Man...he's going to be so pissed when I show him this. So far he only has a lava lamp and a small lacrima, that isn't nearly as impressive. I got poison, that magic boosting dress and this magic tome holding old poison spells." he said, hugging the book close to himself.

"Indeed, but is it really wise to go this overboard? Aiden is getting things for Yamato from his heart, because she's his friend. You on the other hand are just doing it to one up him, that makes you look like a douche."

"I am not a douche! And I'm not trying to one up him, I just want to get her stuff that's better than what he's got."

"That sounds like a one up to me." Repede said firmly. Yun scoffed, shoving the book in his knapsack.

"Oh what do you know? You've never bought anyone anything."

"Because I'm a dog you idiot." he replied simply, biting down on his pipe. Yun stopped for a brief moment, looking at one of the stands next to him, that had a few things on display. He smirked, thinking about getting something else for Yamato.

"Yun! Repede, over here!"

Yun quickly turned around, looking for the person that had called out to him. He spotted Aiden, standing at the edge of an alleyway, waving him over. The young man and his puppy walked over to him, standing right before him.

"What the hell are you doing here? Weren't you watching the Miss Fairy Tail contest?" he asked.

"I could be asking you the same thing, but first do you happen to know anything about Script magic? I'm kind of trapped right now." he said, tapping the air in front of him, activating the runes. Yun briefly read them, a smirk on his face.

"So, that means you are bound by the rules...hey..let me show you what I got for Yamato." he said.

"Huh...no...dude seriously, I need help. Go and get Wendy, or Levy for that matter...she would know more about this than anyone." he said. Yun on the other hand pulled out the tome he had bought in town, holding it upright.

"Check it out, it's a thick tome all about Poison magic and how to brew poisons from scratch. It was practically a steal, the last one on sale...to bad you are trapped behind this barrier. Now I got three things for Yamato, while you got one...oh wait, you got that requip lacrima with you, I'm sure she'd like that, for five minutes at least. Catch ya around!" he said, giving him a wave.

"Dude...I will destroy you! Let me out of here! Goddamn it!" Aiden cried, unleashing a flurry of fast punches at the barrier, that only served to tired him out.

"That rat bastard, who does he think he is?" Aiden cried angrily.

"Are you okay son? You've been shouting for awhile now." one of the townspeople said. He shook his head.

"I'm fine sir...nothing to worry about." he said, giving him a smile. The man nodded and walked off, looking at who Aiden assumed was his wife.

"That poor boy, so young and already using drugs...what kind of world do we live in?" he said softly. Aiden groaned, dropping to his back. He just lay there, looking at the sky.

"Great...now I'm a drug addict...I just want to enjoy the festival!" he cried out.

"Where do you think Aiden ran off too? I haven't seen him in awhile." Wendy said, looking back at Carla, who was looking around the various stands. She had a bored look on her face, her arms crossed over her small frame.

"He's most likely still looking for a gift. We haven't seen Yun, Flare, Alana or Eterna either." she said.

"Right, and Chelia went of with Sherry...honestly I wasn't expecting to see that woman again...I'm still mad at her for what she did to Aiden." she replied. She stopped in front of a clothing stand, looking at all of the dresses they had on sale.

"Wendy, I'm going to ask you a very serious question. Are you...attracted to Aiden?" she asked.

"Huh?" Wendy asked, her brown eyes widened a bit at the question. She hadn't been expecting something like that. She turned away, her cheeks growing red.

"Um...can we talk about this later?" she asked, feigning interest in a dress she had found. It was a ruffled pink ballgown, with various layers, each growing darker pink the further it went down. The bust had very detailed flowers embroidered into it, along with glittering green and blue sequins. Around the waist area, were four light pink bows, with a pink rose bloom in the the center. It had a silky feel to it, something that she really liked about it.

"What do you think Carla? Should I buy it?" she asked, holding the dress out to her friend.

"What do you need a ballgown for? It's not like we'll be invited to a formal party." she replied, looking away from her.

"Yeah...you are right...but I like it, and it's not that expensive." she said. Carla sighed, brushing some hair behind her shoulder.

"If you like it, you can buy it...you'll at least be prepared in case we do end up going to a ball someday."

"Great! Thanks Carla!" she said, walking up to the stand owner. After a few minutes, Wendy paid the woman for the dress, which had been put in a large gift box to keep it protected from getting dirty. She looked around, seeing a store that was selling shoes.

"Some pink heels will go great with this, though I've never really worn them before." she admitted.

"Can we please get back on topic child? Answer my question, I know you are avoiding the topic." Carla said, making Wendy stop. She sighed, looking back at her friend.

"I don't know Carla. Aiden is...special to me...he's my friend. He listens to my problems and understands me..I mean we're both dragon slayers, around the same age. He knows what it's like to be abandoned by your dragon parent." she said.

"So...it's purely platonic then?"

"I'm not sure...it's all so confusing Carla...mom never explained to me what these emotions are...I'm not sure if it's love or not...I guess all I can do is give it some time and see where it goes. But if someone kisses him again I will beat them to a pulp." she added, walking toward the shoe store. Carla cringed, a shiver going down her spine.

"She said that without even thinking about it...Jeez that boy is a bad influence on her!" Carla said to herself, following her friend toward the shoe store.

"Goddamn it!" Aiden shouted, trying once more to break the barrier. He didn't know how long it had been, but he was growing annoyed. The sounds of fighting seemed to die down, at least in the area he was at. He had also seen a bright flash in the sky, when those weird floating orbs had appeared all at once. He didn't know what it was, but he was scared it was something dangerous. He frowned and walked to the other end of the alleyway clutching his stomach. The hunger pains had gotten worse, it was driving him insane. The smell of food drifting through the area was making him even hungrier. He dropped to his knees, pounding his fist on the ground.

"What I wouldn't give for a burger right now, or a hot dog...Christ I would even it that horrible butterscotch popcorn they sell at every festival. Like really...why do they always have that specific one? Never caramel corn or even rainbow corn. Those are always sold out." he said to himself, dropping onto his side. He must have looked like an idiot, thankfully though no one could see him. He took a deep breath, inhaling the food around him. His eyes widened a bit when he cause a familiar scent in the air. He took another whiff, smiling a bit.

"Strawberries and Sky magic...Wendy!" he called out, cupping his hands over his mouth.

The blue haired girl stopped and looked back, hair whipping behind her. She looked around, brown eyes scanning the streets for the one that called her, but she didn't see anyone. Shrugging, she continued walking, only to hear the voice again.

"Did you..hear that Carla?" she asked.

"Hmm? Hear what?" the white haired girl replied, turning back from the stand owner she was talking too. She had found her gift for Yamato and was in the process of paying for it. Wendy handed Carla the boxes in her hand.

"Take those back for the hotel for me, I'll be back later." she said. Carla sighed.

"Yeah sure, just hand me all your stuff." Carla replied sarcastically. She finished her transaction with the stand owner and took her purchased item, summoning her wings, she took off toward the inn.

"Wendy, over here. In the alleyway!"

"Aiden?" she called out, standing in front of the alley, seeing her partner and friend standing there. He had a look of relief on his face.

"Thank the Gods you heard me. Listen, I'm trapped inside a barrier right now, that guy Freed from Fairy Tail wrote them all over the town and I can't get out." he said.

"Why would he do that?" she asked.

"I'm not sure, but look up there." he said, pointing to the sky. She looked up, seeing all of the small floating orbs high above the city. Squinting a bit, she saw the floating lightning bolt contained inside.

"Those are...lightning lacrima...but who put them up there?" she asked.

"I'm not sure, would you mind doing me a favor? Go to the guild hall and see what's going on. Try to find Levy for me...and if you see Yun, kick him in the nuts for me." he said.

"Um...okay." she said, turning around and heading back toward the guildhall. He just hoped Wendy returned fast enough...he knew there were more pressing matters at hand, but being trapped behind a barrier didn't leave him much options. With nothing else to do, he leaned back against the wall, and continued to wait.

He caught something out of the corner of his eye, and looked to his left, eyes widening when he saw a figure standing there. They were wearing a thick black cloak, shielding their face and body. He couldn't even tell if it was a man or a woman, but the sole fact that they had gotten past the enchantment was impressive. He took a whiff of the air, but was unable to find a scent. He ignited his fist, glaring at the figure.

"Who are you? And what do you want?" he called out. The figure flicked their hand forward, dissolving the enchantment that was keeping him trapped. Aiden turned his attention back to the figure, seeing them oddly close.

"If you want to defeat him, you'll need the gem, for when the time comes." they said, voice sounding clearly feminine. The woman handed Aiden a rolled up piece of parchment, which he looked at oddly. He looked back, only to see that she was gone. He shook his his head a bit, feeling immensely tired.

"Sleep, everything will make sense soon."

That was the last thing Aiden heard before passing out.

xxx

Aiden awoke several hours later in a daze. He groaned in pain and looked around, seeing he was actually back at the inn. He sat up, rubbing his eyes with the back of his hand. Just then, the door open and Wendy walked in, holding a tray of food. She gave him a bright smile.

"Aiden, good to see you're awake!" she chirped, happily as always.

"Um...what happened? How did I get here?" He asked, trying not to sound sluggish.

"Well, you were found by Carla and Phoebe passed out in that alleyway. You were just sleeping, but ended up sleeping for two days straight...the Fantasia Parade already happened." She said.

"Huh...I missed the parade?" He snapped. She gave him a nod, placing the food in front of him. He just stared at it, disappointment written on his face.

"Carla also found this in your hand, I've been holding it for you. There's a funny seal on it, unlike any I've seen before. It doesn't look like it belongs to a guild." She said, handing him the rolled up parchment. He took it from her, looking it over, seeing the seal she had mentioned. He ran his finger under it, tearing the seal.

He was surprised to see weird runes inscribed onto it. He furrowed his brows, eyes scanning the paper...his eyes widened a bit when he realized what they were.

"These are...Dragon Runes...the ancient tongue of dragons." he said.

"Seriously? Can I see it?" she asked. He nodded, handing her the paper. She looked it over, her brown eyes widening with each line she read.

"Can you understand it? Atlas Flame never taught me how to write these, but he did teach me how to speak it. Sadly that doesn't help me in this situation."

"Grandeeney taught me how to read and write this when I was six. She didn't think I would need it, but felt the need to teach me anyway...here's what it says." she said, taking a deep breath.

 _"This may sound a bit farfetched, but I am someone you know. I am not telling you who I am until the time is right. However, there will come a time when you will face a powerful opponent. When that time comes you will need to be ready...the gem located in Fogbound Lake will help you. Find it, you'll need it sooner than you think."_

"Fogbound Lake? That place is nothing but a myth...people have been trying to find it for hundreds of years and no one has ever even seen it." He said.

"Whoever wrote this letter must seriously want you to find it. It must be important if they went through the trouble of writing this." She said.

"I suppose...but the person who gave this to me...it was a woman...she sounded so sad when she spoke. Like she was in emotional pain." He said.

"Hmm...maybe you do know them...and this is a means to help you. A warning...their trying to give you help!" she said, giving him a grin.

"Heh, if she wanted to help she should have outright said it, not given me a damn riddle. The Gem of Fogbound Lake, for all I know there could be hundreds of them, not to mention getting to that Lake will be impossible." He said.

"But think about it...What if we do end up discovering it? It would be so amazing...so much unseen treasure, it would be wonderful. Come on Aiden, please tell me we're going to find this place?" she asked, giving him a cute look. He looked away from her, glaring out the window.

"This isn't just your normal fetch quest or milk run Wen, this is an Exploration mission. One where you could very well lose your life, who knows what kind of shit we'll face?" he said.

"But that's the fun...we'll all be exploring, making noise, sweating like pigs and spending time with family! It sounds so awesome." She said, pumping her fist in the air. He looked at her, brow raised.

"Man, what bug bit you in the ass? You've never been this adamant about something." he said, crossing his arms.

"I know...but I want to get stronger...I've been shy all my life..but ever since you and Phoebe joined Cait Shelter, I've been pushing myself harder than ever. I want to grow strong, so that I can be a better partner. Finding this treasure, discovering Fogbound Lake...it's definitely something we can do. It will give me a great sense of accomplishment. So please...let's go find this place." She said, a firm look on her face. She wasn't giving him a cute look, she was giving him a look of determination, a look that told him she would get the job done, no matter how long it took. He smiled, giving her a nod.

"Aye...let's find us a lake!" he said.

"Yes! We are so going to find this lake...it's gonna be so awesome!" she cried, hugging him tightly. She pressed her lips against his cheek, giving him a kiss. She jumped back suddenly, face flushing.

"Um...sorry about that!" she said.

"No no...it's fine." he squeaked, his face was flushed a bright cherry red. He grabbed his glass of orange juice and focused on drinking it, taking slow sips from it. Just then, Carla and Phoebe walked into the room, both of them looking relieved that their friend was awake.

"You gave us a scare man...what the hell kind of napping spot did you find yourself?" Phoebe asked.

"Sorry about that...I'll explain that later..but listen...I'm setting up an expedition. Me and Wendy decided to try finding a place of legend, Fogbound Lake." He said.

"Fogbound Lake?" Carla asked curiously.

"I know that place. Supposedly, Treasure hunters and mages of all ages have tried finding it and never successfully found it. It's a place that's mostly spoken about in myth. They say there's a large treasure trove of jewels hidden there, but no one has ever found the lake. People have faced many dangerous monsters and terrains, only to come back empty handed. It's the ultimate place for treasure loving fanatics!" Phoebe cried out, already thinking about all the money she could make with a single jewel from that place.

"Dangerous Monsters? Rough Terrains? I'm sorry, but you can't go Wendy. You'll get hurt!" Carla cried.

"Oh come on Carla, thinking about this adventure is getting me excited! I can't sit around on my ass forever. I want to grow stronger so that I can handle tougher missions. I've already agreed to go, and Aiden approved it!" She said.

"She wants to go Carla, and I can't stop her."

"Well too bad, I am not letting her go. She could get severely hurt, lost, or eaten by a monster. There's no guarantee that treasure even exists, she's just risking her life!" She snapped back.

"She isn't a baby Carla. She's the one that decided to go on this expedition, and honestly as her friend you should let her go." Aiden snapped back. Carla grit her teeth, looking at the ground.

"Ever since you joined, you've been putting her in so many dangerous situations, I can't take it. I just want Wendy to stay safe, I want our peaceful times back at the guild like we used to have them." she cried, tears slipping from her eyes.

"Carla...I understand where you are coming from. I've been in various missions and gotten hurt several times, I have a scar on my leg that reminds me of that day constantly. But even though I got hurt, I made it out alive. My heart still beats, and as long as it keeps on beating, I'll keep taking missions. I want to see the world, I want to have adventures. I want us all to experience all of the great things this world has to offer, so please...let's just all go together." Wendy pleaded, placing a hand on her friend's shoulder. Carla looked up, giving her a sad smile.

"I always wished for you to grow out of your shy attitude...but I didn't think you would turn into this brave young woman I see before me. You are a Dragon Slayer, and a mage. I can't change that...but please...if you are going on these missions, at least tell me first. Don't just head out on your own...that goes for you two dunderhead." she said, looking directly at Aiden, who just looked at her in confusion.

"I...care about you...I know I sound spiteful sometimes, but you are my friend, my best friend, just like Phoebe is my best friend...you mean much more to me than you think. So if we're going on a mission...then tell me too. We'll all agree to go on it together, as a team...as a family!" she said.

"I'm sorry Carla...I didn't know you felt this way. I promise that I will ask everyone what they think before jumping the gun, I haven't been a good team leader. Guess being an independent mage all these years drilled it into my mind. I'll try harder from now on. Speaking of that, we'll have to tell Yun and Flare about it too." He said.

"Actually, Yun, Flare, Repede and Eterna already left for home. Yun is going to start his own team, he said it would be better for us to travel in a small group. Plus he wanted to see if he qualified for S-class." Wendy said.

"Oh...alright that makes sense. It would be more convenient, besides we have Chelia and Yamato on our team, so we're pretty well rounded already...good for him, I hope he becomes a good team leader." He said happily.

"Alright then, how about as soon as Chelia comes back, we head back to Clover Town and start finding some information?" Wendy asked.

"That's a good idea, we should look up the Fogbound Lake accounts, the ones written by Yuri Dreyer, Precht Gaebolg and Warrod Sequin all seem very detailed, they were the ones that found the hidden temple deep in the mountains north of here. They might have found something." Phoebe suggested.

"Good idea Phoebs. Me and Carla will handle the information at the public library...after we gather information, I'll head out on a couple requests, we'll need to make money for supplies and other stuff that we'll need. We'll be ready for anything that we'll face." Aiden said firmly.

"Yeah...it's gonna be so much fun...I'm gonna make something to commemorate it! But I'm not showing anyone until we leave for the Expedition, I want it to be a surprise." Wendy said, smiling brightly. Aiden couldn't help but smile. The Young Sky Maiden looked so adorable when she was happy. There was just something so alluring about that smile and those brown eyes that had Aiden hooked. He glanced away, earning a curious look from Carla, but he just brushed it off, giving her his signature grin.

They didn't know it yet, but they would soon head on their first adventure. And not even the Foggiest of mysteries would hold them back.


	20. Fogbound Lake Arc : Off to Margaret Town

**A/N: Hello everyone and welcome to Chapter 20 of The Hellfire Dragon Slayer. Just as a heads up, I took down the previous update which I had written post Chapter 19. If you have already read that chapter as it is currently, then ignore this part, but if you read that chapter and didn't read the update, then I recommend you go back. Due to my dumbass, I had to add some stuff at the end of that chapter to make this chapter make sense. The original chapter 20 had a lot of information on it, but I didn't want to rewrite it. Some stuff from this chapter won't make sense, but I will write some flashback parts to fit those pieces of the puzzle into the story. So do not fret.**

 **This is the very first chapter in the new story arc, The Foggy Mystery of Fogbound Lake. The last chapter's ending served to sow the seeds, and not this is the very beginning of that. This story arc will span several chapters, eight or so and it takes place before Oracion Seis. Aiden and friends will test their bonds of friendship and grow as a family as they go on the adventure of a life time, to discover a place only talked about in myth, the legendary Fogbound Lake, a place shrouded in Fog. What mysteries await them there? Will they find it? And what's so important about that gem that Aiden has to find? Just who is that woman who gave the note to Aiden in the first place? And why is she adamant that he finds it? Those questions will be answered in this story arc, so please enjoy this first chapter!**

 **This chapter is brought to you by riddles. Here's one that I haven't solved yet, if you have the answer, please leave it in the reviews. If there's a sink on a ship and that ship is sinking, is it a sinking sink?**

 **Here's another one for the road. What do you call a door when a door is ajar?**

 **Final one, I promise. If two witches watched two watches, which witch would watch which watch?**

 **Here's chapter 20, hope you like. Bootyslap that review button and type me a review, short, long, it doesn't matter. And guests, please get an account, it makes it so much easier to reply to questions. I hate getting a question on a guest review, because I can't answer back. I would rather PM you than answer them in the A/N of the next chapter as your questions may contain spoilers. Its free so do think about it.**

 **Shout outs to Chance Green G King, check out his Fairy Tail x Teen Titans story, the Last Dragon Slayer. It's still in its infancy but it has potential to be something great.**

The Foggy Mystery At Fogbound Lake Arc

Chapter 20

Off To Margaret Town

Having gathered information from various sources, Aiden had grown quite confident that he had everything he needed for his team's expedition to Fogbound Lake. Over the last week and a half, he had been taking missions that would yield high amounts of money in order to get the supplies they would need. Thankfully, he had been able to get a few extra knapsacks, which had been enchanted with their own spacial pocket, allowing them to store enough food and clothing for themselves, without having to carry it around.

Aiden had also gone as far as changing his outfit entirely. He now wore a sleeveless blue shirt, which hugged his lean body nicely. Over it, he was wearing a black vest, with bright orange outlines. He wore a pair of black Tripp shorts, with crossing violet belts and chrome colored chains. The shorts had a scale like pattern, much like Wendy's dress. He thought it was rather cool, since it made him feel more like a dragon. He wore his scarf around his waist as a sash now, having sown a Cait Shelter patch onto the front of it. He was wearing a pair of black leather combat boots, which were polished to a shine. His hair had grown a bit longer, though he kept it styled in his usual spiky style. Around his neck was the fang he had gotten from Atlas Flame, which he had changed a bit to fit his new home at Cait Shelter.

While the necklace had been on a simple leather chain, he decided to add a little flare to it, so he took the fang and slipped a few beads onto the leather necklace, using the colors associated with his friend's guild marks. He made a small pattern around it, making it stand out a bit more. In turn, it made it more special, something he would never take off.

He was walking back home after coming back from another solo mission. With his team working hard to find all the information necessary, he had been the only available mage to take requests. He had just come back from a joint mission with a guild named Scarlet Lillies, one of Fiore's female only guilds. He sighed happily, finally seeing his guild come into view. He couldn't help but break into a sprint, closing the distance.

"I'm back!" he cried, as he passed through the entrance.

"Welcome back son, how was the mission?" Master Roubaul asked, earning a grin in return from the fire mage.

"It was really easy. The Lillies are really strong, I'm surprised they were able to handle themselves in battle, especially against those pesky wyvern. I was also able to bring back some Water wyvern pelts. Think Mona can make use of them?" he asked, pulling the rolled up bundles from his pack.

"Let me take a look at them." the woman in question asked. She wasn't much older than him being around nineteen years old or so. She was always seen wearing a white cloak, her face being barely visible, though the red markings on her face made her stand out a lot among the others.

"These look pliable...I can make some water resistant garments out of them, for sure!" she said excitedly. He smiled, handing her the rest of the pelts.

"Well there you go, consider it a gift for the new clothes you made for me." he said, giving her a smile.

"Aw, thank you Aiden...that's so nice of you. I'll get to designing right away!" she cried, heading toward her table. Nobal chuckled, shaking his head.

"There she goes, already thinking about all the new dresses she's going to make!" he said.

"So, you gonna ask her out yet or what? I see how you look at her." Aiden said, taking a seat the bar.

"No...what are you crazy? She's so much younger than me." he said.

"You know what they say, age is but a number!" he said. Alana set down a mug of water in front of him, along with a plate filled with flaming food.

"There you go. One Aiden special."

"Thanks Lana...hey, where's the rest of the team?" he asked, looking around the guildhall.

"Well, Yun and the newly formed Team Mystic Artes, decided to go on their first official S-class mission. Master named Yun S-class after beating him in a game of chess."

"Seriously?" Aiden asked, looking at the guild master, who took a swing from his bottle.

"Aye, he seems to be a natural at the game. I knew he has what it takes to be an S-class mage, but I wasn't aware that he has a keen intellect too. He deserves the title." he replied.

"Hmm...what about my team?"

"Well, Wendy and Carla are out training, and Phoebe is back home taking care of Chelia." she said. He nodded, finishing his food. He grabbed his pack from the bar.

"Thanks Lana, your food was awesome as always. I have to call a team meeting so we can figure out this expedition." He said.

"Okay, if you need anything else just call." she said, giving him a wave. Aiden nodded and gave her his signature grin, stepping outside. The mid morning sun felt amazing on his skin, and he welcomed the heat. While it wasn't as hot as his home in the Sun Village, it was still decently warm. He walked around the guildhall, going toward the training grounds. He stopped at the edge of the building, keen on watching his friends train.

"Come on Carla, you aren't trying!" Wendy said, giving her friend a firm look. The exceed turned human groaned, flicking a strand of hair behind her head.

"I don't want to hurt you Wendy."

"Yes, but how are we going to get stronger if we don't train harder? I know I dislike fighting. But we need to be prepared, especially for this expedition. I promise we can take a break from missions and fighting after we come back." she said. Carla sighed, getting into her fighting stance.

"Okay, you're right. I'm coming at you with everything I've got." she called out.

"Good to hear. Fast Wind That Run The Heaven, Vernier!" Wendy chanted, her body started glowing a light blue as she increased her physical speed. She raced forward, pulling her fist back, a funnel of wind swirling around it.

"Fast wind that rules the heaven, weave together to form the gales of truth. Sky Dragon's Breakdown Fist!" she chanted, throwing her fist forward. A violent gale whipped around her small fist as she threw it forward, sending Carla flying back several feet. She grit her teeth, summoning her wings to stay aloft. She shot down, her leg glowing brightly.

"Moon kick!" she cried, slamming her foot into Wendy's chest. She slammed down hard, gasping a bit for breath. The Sky Dragon easily got up, punching the white haired girl in the face.

"Sky Dragon's Wing Attack!" she cried, racing at the girl, funnels of wind swirling around her wrists.

"Blue Moon Crescent!" she cried, flinging her arms forward, she sent out large blasts of blue moon light which tore apart the winds swirling around Wendy. The white haired girl ran forward, throwing several swift punches at the blue haired girl, who easily dodged them all. She grinned, uppercutting Carla.

"Sky Dragon's Roar!" she cried, blasting her point blank with the swirling hurricane of wind. Carla cried in pain, being flung back by the attack. Aiden quickly reacted, catching the girl in his arms.

"Jeez, are you trying to kill each other!?" he asked, looking at the two girls. Both were panting a bit, their bodies littered with scratches and bruises from the fight.

"A-Aiden? When did you get here?" Wendy cried out. He set Carla down, making sure to keep her weight against him.

"About fifteen minutes ago. I just wanted to see how you were progressing, but clearly you are coming along just fine without any help." he said, looking at the damaged battlefield. He sighed, knowing they would have to fill up all the craters again.

"Clearly you missed the start of this little bout. We were just having a debate about the extra member we requested." Carla said.

"Extra member? Wait...you put out an ad?" he asked, earning a nod from the white haired girl.

"Carla kept insisting we needed a Water mage to come along, so we put out a request with the council, however since we said we were heading to Fogbound Lake, no one responded saying it would be a waste of time. They weren't able to get anyone at all. We asked Master Makarov if they could send Juvia, but she's on a mission with Gajeel right now." Wendy said, wiping off some sweat with her torn shirt. He sighed, shaking his head.

"I love that you two are trying hard and training each other, but tone it down a bit. We need you at full health, we leave tomorrow after all." he said.

"He's right, we shouldn't have gone so hard at each other. My apologies Wendy."

"It's okay Carla. We both got a bit carried away." Wendy said, rubbing her neck, a habit she had picked up from Aiden. The young boy swept Carla into his arms, much to her dismay.

"Let's get you back to the house. Chelia will heal you girls up...we can also talk about your technique and what you can improve." he said, earning nods from the two.

A few minutes later, they entered the house. Phoebe was laying on the ground, with Chelia sitting on her back, her arms being high in the air. She was laughing joyously, a bit of black wind swirling around her small body.

"I win big sis, that means I get the last cookie!" she cried.

"Okay, I give...you've gotten stronger. I didn't know you could turn into wind like that." she admitted, swirls in her eyes.

"What the fuck is going on here?" Aiden cried, gaining their attention. Chelia jumped off the orange haired girl, running off into the kitchen.

"Aiden...it's been torture...please don't leave me alone with her again!" Phoebe cried, reaching out to her friend. Aiden shook his head, setting Carla down.

"Chelia has been practicing her magic a lot too. She hasn't been able to solidify her God Bellow yet, but she learned to turn her body into wind." Wendy pointed out.

"Hmm...that's rather convenient. Anyway, Phoebe would you mind helping Chelia out with healing these two? They were out training and kept slamming each other with massive amounts of magic." he said. Phoebe quickly stood up, checking them over.

"So that's what that noise was. I thought someone was slinging rocks at the watch tower again." she said.

"Wasn't that you?" Carla asked, earning a head shake from the girl.

"Absolutely not. I would never sling rocks at anything." she said, an incredulous look on her face.

"Big sis, where do you want me to put this sling shot?" Chelia asked, holding a black Y shaped sling shot, which was black in color. Phoebe shook her head, silently telling the girl to run off.

"Give me that, kids shouldn't be playing with stuff like this." Aiden said, taking the toy away from the pink haired girl. He shoved it in his pocket, shaking his head in disdain.

"I'm gonna take a shower, you girls go get changed. You shouldn't be walking around in tattered clothes." he said, giving them a wave before heading into his room. Wendy looked at herself, seeing her tee shirt was torn in various places, and was barely clinging onto her body. Carla's shirt and skirt were much in the same state.

"He's right...wanna go take a bath together?" Wendy asked, earning a nod from Carla.

"We'll go too, that way we can heal you guys up." Phoebe said.

"Remember to wear your cap, or else your hair will frizz up." Carla reminded, earning a nod from the orange haired girl.

Aiden sighed contently as he left the bathroom, fully dressed in a pair of his new clothes. He walked into his room, laying down on his bed. After being gone for three days on a long mission, it was good to come back home and unwind. He sat up and looked at his desk, seeing all of the information he had collected regarding Fogbound Lake. He stood up and walked over it, reviewing everything he had collected.

"Okay. So Yuri's accounts state that he and his team went through the Craggy Coast path, a small dungeon filled with various monsters who use water and earth magic. After that, they went to Mount Horn, a mountain that took two days to climb. There's a base camp located near the summit, the sight of an abandoned village. After getting off Mount Horn, it took half a day to make it to the Foggy Forest. That's the last known location that they searched, sadly there's no map." he muttered, setting aside the map and journal entrees he had collected.

"Alright, so we decided to go to the southernmost part of Fiore, over the great fissure and to the entrance of Craggy Coast, we'll follow the path exactly like Yuri and his team and set up camp at the Foggy Forest...but how will we dispel the Fog?" he muttered, looking up at the ceiling.

He had been thinking about that for a long time.

Carla was adamant about there being a volcano in the area, but that just didn't make sense. If there was an active volcano in Fiore, then surely the magic council and the kingdom would be aware of it. They would want to contain it to make sure no one was hurt, so it just wouldn't make sense for there to be one. But he couldn't discard the fact that the fog was so dense you could barely see in front of you. He sighed, rubbing his eyes. He opened another book, looking at weather conditions and how certain weather anomalies started up.

"Hey Aiden, we've already packed everything for the trip." Wendy said, catching his attention.

"Oh did you? That's good...are you sure you have everything we need? Tents, Sleeping bags, food and water?" he asked.

"Yes, me and Carla made sure to pack the essentials." she said, entering his room. He noticed she was wearing a new sundress, similar to the one she had been wearing when they met. It was blue and orange in color. She was also wearing a pair of flip flops as opposed to her brown sandals. She took a seat at the edge of his bed, looking at the far shelf on the wall.

"Did you seriously keep that?" she asked, gesturing to the shelf. He looked over to it, seeing all of the things he had collected from his adventures. Next to the glass case where he kept his Yo-yo, was a small scale from the white wyvern he defeated. He had painted an A and a W out of the left over berry juice and blood. He gave her a grin.

"I wanted to mark our first adventure together. It means a lot to me you know." he said.

"I see...maybe I should start keeping things too. We all still have those crystals after all."

"Right...anyway, I wanted to have a team meeting to explain our expedition. Let's go down to the kitchen alright?" he asked, earning a nod from her. He gathered his things and stood up from his desk, following the girl out of his room. Everyone gathered at the kitchen, taking a seat around the dining room table. He set down everything he had gathered, including maps and tomes that held legends surrounding the lake.

"Okay, so regarding this expedition, I've conducted a bit of extra research, going as far as asking some people around various places I've been to for info. While most said Fogbound Lake was just a myth that didn't exist, others believed it was as real as magic itself. Others said there's a reason why Fogbound Lake continues to elude discovery." he said.

"So, what's the reason?" Chelia asked curiously, munching on a cookie, earning a glare from Phoebe as she did so.

"Apparently, there's someone or something that lives in Fogbound Lake, and they have the power to wipe peoples memory clean." he said.

"Huh? Are you serious?" Phoebe asked, unable to believe what her friend and partner had said.

"It makes sense. Why is it that Fogbound Lake has never been discovered and is only talked about in legend and myth? If someone found it, then it wouldn't be a legend. People would flock to it, it's treasure meaningless. Whoever is protecting the lake is doing so for a reason." Carla replied.

"You mean the gem right? The thing that woman spoke to Aiden about." Wendy added.

"I believe so too, strongly. The fact that the forested area is so foggy and the fact that the lake has been undiscovered are two points of interest. The third point is the fact that no such Volcano exists near the area. I believe the fog is all part of an illusion, probably to through people off." Aiden said.

"But who has the power to make an illusion that big?" Chelia asked curiously.

"A dragon?" Phoebe asked.

"Perhaps...but I think I would know if it was a dragon. I've never heard of Fog or Steam related dragons, and illusion dragons are just absurd. A Wind Dragon maybe?" He shrugged.

"I doubt it, my mother was the last one. Sky magic closely relates to wind magic and she never made mention of another dragon of her kind." Wendy added.

"So that's that then. I guess we'll have to figure out how to get rid of the fog on site then; that makes things much more exciting." Phoebe said, already imagining the treasure that was hidden.

"Don't get ahead of yourself. Remember that mind wiping creature is out there; we won't be able to successfully retrieve the gem unless we take them out." Carla added, earning a frown from Phoebe.

"Okay, so what's the general plan? Are we following the map you and Carla found?" Wendy asked.

"We are, we'll be leaving from Margaret Town by carriage to the Great Fissure, after that we'll have to cross over it and head through the Craggy Coast. We'll make a camp at the base of Mount Horn and rest for the night, after that we'll tackle the mountain itself. There should be a village somewhere near the mountain top, so we can rest there if need-be. The town is abandoned so we aren't going to find anyone. After we make it down the north face of the mountain, we'll be at the Foggy Forest. We'll make a base camp there and explore the remote area for signs of the lake." Aiden said, pointing to the locations on the map. All of them seemed to agree.

"What about me big brother? Do I get to go?" Chelia asked.

"Well, I was planning to leave you with your cousin in Margaret Town, I think this might be a bit too dangerous for you." he said.

"Aw, but that's no fair. I'm part of the team too!" She cried, a pout on her face.

"I know sweetheart, but this is a bit too much for you. I would understand a simple mission, but we'll be going through dangerous bluffs, climbing tall mountains, not to mention face tough monsters. I don't think you are ready for that." he said.

"Um Aiden...maybe she should come with us." Phoebe said, earning a curious look from him. Carla nodded in agreement.

"I agree with her too. This is the perfect chance to see what Chelia can do, besides we'll be there to protect her. She has to put her God Slaying magic to use at some point. Also, being high up in the mountains would be good for her, since there's fresh clean air for her to eat." She added.

"Just the sound of that makes me even more excited. Fresh mountain air is the best for strengthening Sky Magic. This is a perfect opportunity for her, say you'll let her, please?" Wendy asked, giving him her famous Puppy eyes. He cringed a bit, trying not to fall for it, only to sigh.

"Goddamn it, fine she can come. But Phoebe I'm putting you in charge of keeping an eye on her. Wendy you'll also be responsible for her well being as well as her training."

"Aye sir!" Phoebe cried out.

"Understood, I'll do my best." Wendy replied. Chelia smiled, hugging the older girl's arm tightly.

"Thanks big sis. I told you the look would break him!" she said.

"Ugh...so it was you who taught her that?" he snapped, crossing his arms in annoyance. She gave him a sheepish grin.

"Sorry big brother...us girls need to stick together." she replied, giving him a giggle. He rolled his eyes, leaning into his seat.

"Alright, so it seems we have our plan of action set. We've got our supplies, money for the road and everything else we might possibly need. All we have to do is go." Aiden said. There was a sudden knock on the door, causing everyone to jump a bit. They all shared a laugh, with Aiden standing up from his seat. They had all been so focused that they hadn't been expecting visitors. He quickly opened the door, coming face to face with Alana.

"Hope I'm not bothering you guys. I know you were having a meeting and all, but it seems four people have replied to the request the girls put up. They're all waiting at the guildhall."

"Four people?" he asked curiously.

"All of them seem rather interested in the proposal and are asking for information." she said. He shrugged and looked over his shoulder.

"Wendy, would you mind coming with me to check this out?" he asked.

"Not at all. We'll be back Carla, double check everything for me, alright?"

"Consider it done Wendy, you run along now." she said. The two Dragon Slayers left the house, following Alana back toward the guildhall.

When they entered the guildhall, they noticed all of the members were looking toward the center of the guild. Master Roubaul was standing to the side, also looking in that direction. When they entered, he looked at the two mages, a smile on his face.

"Aiden, Wendy, you've got visitors." he said.

Indeed, there were four people standing the middle of the crowd.

The first of them was a young man, who was 24 years of age, with bright purple hair, that had white streaks running through it. He was wearing a long sleeved purple shirt, with a white vest over it. He was also wearing a pair of black slacks tucked into brown colored boots. He had a shotgun strapped around his shoulder.

The second was a man of 22, who was a bit big for his age. He was shorter than the first man, being around five feet even. He had messy black hair and was wearing a pair of thin glasses. He was wearing a black jacket, along with a pair of blue jean shorts and some tennis shoes. He had a war hammer in his hands.

The last man was the youngest, being 20 years of age. He had light blue colored hair that fell down to his face, covering his onyx colored eyes. He was wearing a blue tee shirt, with a matching pair of blue skinny jeans and some sneakers. He sported a battle axe.

Aiden found them a bit odd, especially since they were wielding weapons. He couldn't sense any magic power from them, something that stood out quite a bit to him. He glanced at Wendy, who was most likely thinking the same thing. It wasn't long before the leader stepped up.  
"You must be Aiden Flame, I've heard quite a bit about you. My name is Doku, and these are my friends Koffman and Zuke. We're an independent team, and happened to see your request." he said.

"Ahuh...an independent mage team you say?" Aiden asked, looking rather weary. The man nodded nervously.

"Yes that's right. We're nothing more than wannabe treasure hunters...so being able to discover a place like Fogbound Lake would make us decently popular." he said.

"Tell me, none of you have any magic of your own. You do know we sent out a request for a water mage. Right?" Wendy said firmly, arms crossed. Aiden was rather impressed with her judging demeanor, and had wondered where she even got it. He gave a nod.

"My partner has a point. None of you are water mages, so we can't take you on board." he said.

"Aw but we came all this way. Please let us join." Koffman said, earning a nod from Zuke.

"Yeah man, we have our own supplies. We'll even travel there on our own. You have to admit, the Foggy Forest is a huge area, a small team of mages isn't going to cut it, you need professional explorers. Come on kid, we've been doing this since were teenagers." Doku said. Aiden narrowed his eyes. There was something here that he didn't like..but he didn't know what.

"He does have a point Aiden. Having extra eyes searching for the lake would be helpful." Wendy said. He sighed, giving her a nod.  
"Alright, you can come along. But you will travel there on your own and will be responsible for your own supplies and food. If we do end up finding the lake the discovery will be shared. 75% of the finding will go to Cait Shelter, and the last 25% will belong to you...is that understandable?" Aiden asked, holding his hand out. Doku muttered something under his breath before giving him a nod, shaking his hand.

"You've got a deal. As long as we get a cut of the treasure it doesn't matter how much we get. Let's go boys, we got things to gather up in Clover. We'll meet you at the Foggy Forest." Doku said, leaving the guild with his friends.

"Hey wait a minute...weren't there four of you?" Wendy asked curiously. Aiden nodded in agreement.

"That's right. Alana said there was a forth person here."

"Nope, it's just us three...we move better on our own. Again, we'll meet you at the Foggy Forest. Good luck!" Doku called out, leaving the guildhall. Aiden and Wendy watched the three go, curious looks on their faces.

"Um...didn't you say there were four of them here?" Wendy asked, looking at Alana.

"Yes, there was girl too...but where did she go?" She asked, looking around the guild.

"Wait...if you are looking for her, I saw her heading to the back room with Mona." Nobal said, pointing to the back of the guild. As if on cue, the hooded woman walked out, chatting amiably with a young woman. A young woman that the two dragon slayers were familiar with.

"No way...Iona is that you?" Aiden called out, catching her attention.

"Ah, it's been quite awhile Aiden Flame of the Sun Village. You have a very nice family. Greetings daughter of Grandeeney." She said politely, greeting the both of them.

"You were the one who answered our request?" Wendy asked curiously.

"Indeed, some kind mages from Fairy Tail pointed me to your guild. I saw some independent mage requests at the train station and was rather interested in joining the expedition party. You need a water mage, and I happen to be one." she said.

"Hmm...she is rather experienced and we know what she's capable of...what do you think Wendy?" Aiden asked.

"I think she would be a great addition for this expedition. But there's no reward, you'll have to split 25% of the treasure with those other guys...unless." Wendy trailed off, giving Aiden a smile. He looked at her in confusion, but understood what she was implying.

"Unless what?" She asked curiously.

"Well...would you like to join Cait Shelter? If you do, you won't just get part of the treasure, but you'll get a family too. I know you're traveling around alone, so it must be hard for you. With us you'll be able to take requests and join our missions." Aiden said.

"I had originally come here seeking to join...but I'm not sure if I can pass the tests required to join." she said.

"Tests, what tests?" Alana asked curiously.

"There's no tests to take sweetheart. You just need my approval, and you'll be part of the family." Roubaul said. Iona looked at him curiously, feeling a weird aura around him. She decided not to say anything about it.

"I heard rumors of guilds conducting special entrance exams. I wasn't aware that you could just..join up." she said.

"Most do, but we believe in letting anyone join. Everyone needs a family, and if we can be yours, then we'll be doing our job and our civil duty. To prevent people from being alone!" Alana said firmly.

"She's right...this guild is more than just a building, we're a big happy family. We may argue and we may do stupid things to each other, but in the end, we're still family." Aiden said.

"Alright...um...would you mind...letting me join then?" She asked, her face flushing a bit. They all laughed, making her blush even harder.

"Why not? The more the merrier I always say. Alana, give her the stamp." Roubaul said, earning a nod from Alana, who grabbed the magic stamper from below the counter. She walked over to the blue haired girl, a smile on her face.

"Where would you like your mark and in what color?" she asked.

"Oh uh...could I have it on my hand please? In sea green." she said. Alana nodded, taking her right hand in her own. She pressed the stamp over it, pulling it away a second later. The Cait Shelter mark appeared on her skin, in a bright sea green color. Iona looked at it, with wonder in her eyes.

"Well...now that that is settled, we can move on to the next phase of our expedition." Aiden said firmly.

"And that is?" Alana asked curiously.

"Dick around until it's time to go!" he exclaimed, earning blank looks from everyone. He sighed shaking his head.

"Alright, that was joke, don't all laugh at once. We're leaving for Margaret Town, we'll rest there for the night as our carriage will be leaving for the Great Fissure at ten tomorrow." Aiden said.

"Okay, Iona do you have anything with you?" Wendy asked curiously.

"I did gather some provisions in case we needed them. I have enough food and water to last us two weeks. Those magic traveling bags are quite impressive." She said, grabbing a brown messenger bag from one of the tables near the front.

"If we're all set, then we should hit the old dusty trail. We don't know when we'll be back old man, wish us luck." he said, giving Roubaul a grin.

"Good luck everyone, make Cait Shelter proud!" he said happily. Everyone cheered loudly, breaking into applause. Aiden smiled.

" _I'll do just that Master, just you wait and see."_

Roubaul watched them go, a frown on in his face. He looked at his hands, seeing them starting to fade a bit. He took a deep breath, focusing his magic power, fixing his illusion up a bit. His frowned deepened as he looked around the guild.

" _There isn't much time left...I'll have to make preparations, for when that time comes...it's a shame Yamato turned my offer down. This has become such a wonderful guild as of late."_

"Master, are you alright?" Alana asked, looking at the old man. He gave her a grin.

"Of course, Just disappointed that they're gone again. They barely spend time here these days."

"I agree, but they're growing up, and people always have a thirst for adventure. They'll be fine! Fogbound Lake has another thing coming if it thinks it can hide from them!" She said firmly.

"Ahahaha! Quite right Alana, serve me some of the best sake, I want to celebrate our guild's success!"

"Coming right up master. I think I'll join you this time around." she said, leaving for the back room. He sighed, looking at the ceiling.

" _I'm so sorry everyone...you'll all be forced to leave...I hope you can forgive me."_

 _xxx_

Aiden groaned in pain, finally leaving the train and entering Margaret Station. He had taken some pills on the train ride there, but they had lost their effectiveness part way through the ride. Thankfully he was able to hold his lunch long enough to leave the train. He leaned against one of the support beams of the station, looking out into the large town.

Margaret Town was one of the more popular towns in the southern part of Fiore. Being thirty two miles away from Magnolia, it gave the local guild enough time to gain fame. The third largest guild in Fiore was located here, and it was named Lamia Scale.

Being sort of rivals with Fairy Tail, Lamia Scale had many similarities. They had strong mages and a good track record. They also had a Wizard Saint among their ranks, who was said to be stronger than Master Makarov of Fairy Tail. Since the council lost two members recently, he had gained popularity for being the fifth strongest member. Aiden didn't even want to see how strong the fourth strongest member was. Whoever that person was, they were bound to be as strong as a god.

The town had traditional style buildings, with most of them being made from stone. There was a large river running right through the town, splitting it in half. Bridges were placed all along the river, with one big bridge being in the center of town. It was named by the townspeople, who called it the Marvelous Bridge, mostly because it lead right to the Guildhall, which was located on the Westernmost part of town.

Iona looked at her friend with concern, standing right in front of him, a hand tightly wrapped around her messenger bag. Phoebe and Chelia stood beside her as well, while Carla and Wendy grabbed a map of the city.

"Are you alright Aiden? You look ill." she said.

"I'm fine...dragon slayers get sick on transportation...it'll pass." he said, taking deep breaths.

"I still don't get why it happens. How come Wendy doesn't get motion sick?" Chelia asked curiously.

"She's a Sky Dragon, so I assume due to that, she doesn't get sick. How would she heal people if all she could do is puke all over the place?" Aiden asked. He pat his stomach, finally feeling better. He looked around the town, seeing it was early afternoon. The sun was just starting to set, giving the town a beautiful otherworldly glow.

"We should go check into the inn...where was it again?" He asked, scratching his head.

"Aiden, this is our first time in Margaret Town. We have to be careful about where we stay!" Phoebe cried out, earning a look of confusion from him.

"Since when do you care where we stay?"

"Hey, I'm an impressionable young woman who wants to keep her purity!" she cried back. He rolled his eyes.

"Guys, we got the map. It says here the most popular inn is near the town center. It's called the...Viper Inn...and it was named in honor of the Viper Princess." Wendy said, eyes widening as she read that. Aiden snagged the map from her hands, reading it himself.

"I'll be damned. Maybe we can get a discount!" he said happily.

"As if. I doubt they would give us a discount...how do they know we know Yamato?" Carla asked firmly.

"Duh, we're part of Cait Shelter, a guild that she's currently in. There's no way they'll turn us down." he said cheerfully.

xxx

"Sorry, No vacancy!"

"Huh? Come on man isn't there anything you can do?" Aiden asked, looking at the owner of the inn. The older man sighed in annoyance, slamming his hand on the counter.

"I said no vacancy. We're booked up for the whole week and we ain't getting any empty rooms, so you guys are gonna have to bunk somewhere else. Now get lost." he said.

"Now hold on sir, we happen to be friends of Yamato Sakatonaka, the Viper Princess. Can't you see our guild marks?" Phoebe asked, lifting her shirt sleeve to expose her golden Cait Shelter mark. The man leaned in close, glaring right at the girl.

"No...Fucking...Vacancy. Now leave before I _make_ you leave!" he said firmly.

"Come on, let's get outta here. I am so telling Yamato about this." Aiden said, turning around. Everyone filed out of the inn, leaving Iona behind. She shook her head, bringing her hand from behind her back.

"What a shame, we were going to pay you very nicely too. Oh well." she said, placing an uncut sapphire back into her pack. The man's eyes widened in shock.

"No wait...I'm sure we can work something out." he said, only for Iona to slam the door in his face.

"What a chode!" Aiden said, kicking the dirt.

"Big brother, where will we go now?" Chelia asked, tugging his shirt. He shrugged, pulling the map from his pocket.

"Hmm...there has to be another inn or hotel around here." he said.

"Maybe we should go get some food, it is close to dinner time." Wendy suggested, earning a nod from Iona.

"Alright, there's a restaurant not far from here. It apparently is rated four stars and it's popular with tourists." he said, leading his teammates through the town. They crossed one of the many bridges, heading into the western half of town. They quickly spotted the restaurant and started heading for it.

"This place reminds me of 8 Island." Iona noted, looking around the interior. It was bustling with activity, being filled with many tables and and booths. Aiden walked toward the front counter, getting the attention of the manager.

"Good Evening and Welcome to Danny's, how many are with you tonight?" he asked.

"Six." he said simply.

"Right this way." the man said, leading them into the restaurant. They walked past a few other people, most of them muttering things under their breath.

" _Whoa, are those the Cait Shelter kids?"_

" _Is that The Blue Flare? He's so much cuter in person."_

" _The Sky Maiden is so cute! Look at her hair."_

Aiden beamed a bit, walking with a spring in his step, while Wendy ended up blushing at all of the comments. Carla just ignored all of the ones thrown at her while Phoebe blew kisses to some of the boys that were talking about her. They finally arrived at one of the booths, near the other end of the restaurant.

"Here you are, I'll start you off with some water. Would you like the kids menu?" he asked.

"I want the adult menu, thank you very much." Aiden said, taking a seat near the middle of the curved booth.

"I didn't mean to insult sir, I noticed you had a child with you so I have to ask. Just so you know, kid's eat free on Tuesday, so she can have anything she wants. I'll be back soon to take your order." he said, giving them an apologetic bow before leaving. Carla frowned, looking at some of the people around the restaurant.

"They just keep looking over here." she said.

"It's alright Carls, we're famous that's all." Aiden said, giving her a nudge on the side. She sighed, rolling her eyes. One of the boys waved at her, and she just looked away from him, holding her nose up high.

"You know Carla, if you don't like the attention from the boys you could shake them off your back." Phoebe said.

"How would I go about doing that?" she asked curiously.

"That's simple, take some Cherry Chapstick, rub it on your lips, and give Aiden a big wet kiss!" she said.

"Absolutely not!" she screamed, slamming her fist against the table.

"I agree with Carla, It would be totally weird. Not to mention, cats have rough tongues, and I don't want to feel sand paper on my perfectly smooth tongue." Aiden added. Carla grabbed a handful of his shirt, pulling him close to herself, anger written on it.

"You are lucky we're in a restaurant. If you say something like that again I will rip your nuts off and shove them into your eye sockets!" she hissed. He nodded, shuddering a bit. He subconsciously grabbed his jewels, fearing for their safety.

"Are you always this...how should I put it...rough around the edges?" Iona asked.

"Of course, our team is always rough with each other. At least for Carla, she can be a big meanie sometimes, but she gives the warmest hugs!" Chelia said happily, earning a blush from the girl.

"Um guys, not to alarm you or anything, but look who just showed up." Wendy said, pointing toward the entrance. Aiden's eyes shifted in that direction and he inhaled deeply, though it sounded like a screech. He grabbed his menu and quickly hid his face.

"Don't let her see me. Please." Aiden said. Everyone suddenly started talking about the new arrival, mages of the Lamia Scale guild, which also happened to be the same people who Aiden had met in Galuna Island, Lyon and his team.

The so called Emperor of Ice hadn't changed much since the last time they had seen each other, and neither had Yuka. Toby of course had to wear a shirt inside, and was hugging his precious sock tightly to himself. The one that had the most change was Sherry, who was no longer wearing her Gothic Lolita dress. She was actually wearing a pink formal dress, which looked to be made of silk. She was also wearing a pair of open toed heels. Aiden had to admit, she looked better like that than as a GothLoli, not that he had anything against that style.

"Are you all ready to order?" a waiter asked, standing before the table. Aiden hissed under his breath, glaring daggers at the man, though he was still using the menu as a shield.

"Yes, I'll be having The Touchdown meal." Carla said, not even looking at her menu.

"Would you like extra bacon with that?" the man asked.

"Yes, could I also have a glass of sweet tea?"

"You got it, how about you little miss?" he asked, looking at Chelia, who was still looking at the menu.

"Um...could I just get a club sandwich please?" she asked.

"Are you sure?" he asked.

"Mhmm...I want some cherry soda too...oh and some crayons! I want to draw something." she said.

"Of course, I'll get those right away...what about you sir?"

"Um...could I have some Filet mignon, with extra mint sauce?" Aiden asked, not even looking at the man.

"Sir we don't serve that here."

"Oh uh...I'll just have a Cheeseburger then, and if you could bring me a Strawberry Milk shake, that would be lovely. Oh...and set it on fire." he said, earning a weird look from the man.

"Alright...what about you two?"

"I'll have a Touchdown as well...and some iced tea."

"Me too." Phoebe said.

"Okay, I'll have those our for you in a few minutes." He said, taking the menus from them. Aiden frowned as the man took the menu from him. And he happened to do it just as Lyon and his friends were walking by.

"What are you guys doing here?" Yuka asked, stopping in front of their table.

"We're just passing through...nothing that should concern you." Carla said, quick to respond as always.

"Aiden, pleasure to see you again." Lyon said.

"Same to you Lyon...this is a nice town, glad to see you guys are keeping it safe." he said.

"Of course we keep it safe my love. We wouldn't dare let any harm come to it." Sherry added.

"Don't call me that." he groaned. He was glad to be in the middle seat now, at least she wouldn't be able to reach him. She knelt down before Chelia, giving her a hug.

"Hi sweetheart, how are you doing?" she asked.

"I'm doing fine cousin Sherry. I'm showing my friends a lot of love." she said.

"So that's where she got it from." Aiden muttered dryly. Sherry gave her a bright smile.

"We don't want to bother you, so we'll speak later...how long will you be in town?" Lyon asked curiously.

"Until tomorrow, we're leaving early in the morning." Wendy replied.

"Yeah, we're on an expedition! We're going to Fogbound Lake!" Chelia cried out. Aiden cringed when he saw the horrified look on Sherry's face.

"F-Fogbound Lake? Are you insane? You are taking a little girl to a place that dangerous?" She snapped, causing some of the patrons to look in her direction. He took a gulp from his glass of water.

"First off, don't snap at me. She was the one who asked to join, secondly, this is a Cait Shelter affair so you can't interfere, third...wear a bra...jeez." he said, looking away from her. She blushed a bit, but ignored the comment overall.

"Sweetheart, I can't in good conscience let you go knowing it's a dangerous place. Would you like to stay with me?" she asked. Chelia shook her head.

"I'm going with big brother and big sis to Fogbound Lake. I want to get stronger and have an adventure!" she said happily.

"See? You aren't going to change her mind. Don't worry, we'll be taking extra care of her, Phoebe is going to watch over her the entire time. If there's danger near us, she's going to fly her away from us." Aiden reassured, earning a nod from the orange haired girl.

"That's right! I'd never let my cute little sister get hurt! Even if she stole my last cookie." she said, muttering the last part under her breath.

"If that's the case, then she's in good hands. Let's go Sherry, we don't want to disturb them anymore." Lyon said, grabbing her arm. She pulled it out of his grasp, looking into his eyes.

"You can't be serious. She's eight years old, do you think she has the strength to actually do this?" She asked.

"How old were we when we started fighting? Remember Deliora? We were around her age when that bastard destroyed our lives. She can handle it, besides she's in good hands." Lyon countered, making the woman hiss in anger. Aiden cleared his throat, taking a sip from his water.

"Hmm...well perhaps we can reach an agreement. You see, we were prematurely evicted from the Viper Inn due to them having no vacancy. We require a place to stay for the night, let us crash at your place and you can tag along on our mission." he said.

"I thought you hated her, why are you inviting her along?" Carla cried.

"I don't hate her per se. I find her annoying as hell with her love crap, but if she's going to hinder us before we start, it's better to let her tag along. That way I don't have to deal with her shit this early on." he said.

"So..you just want a place to stay?" She asked curiously, ignoring the insults he had thrown at her. He gave her a nod.

"That's right Sherry. Let us crash at your place and you'll be part of the expedition. Lamia Scale will get no recognition for the discovery of this treasure however. Is that understandable?" he asked. She sighed, giving him a nod.

"As long as I can spend some time with my cousin, it will be fine. I'll teach her how to spread love throughout the world."

"No, no you wont. From now on, you are forbidden to talk about love, it will hinder the mission." Aiden said.

"Are you sure about this Sherry?" Lyon asked, earning a nod from the pink haired woman.

"I'm sure. Let's just go eat, I'll show you to my house after we're done." she said, earning a nod from Aiden and his team. He grinned as they walked off.

"And that is how you avoid sleeping under a bridge." He said, fist bumping Phoebe who ended up knocking over a salt shaker. She quickly grabbed the spilt salt, tossing it over her right shoulder and into a man's eyes. He screamed in agony, dropping to the floor in pain. Aiden sighed, it was going to be a long journey. That was certain.


	21. Fogbound Lake Arc: The Craggy Coast

**A/N: Good Mythical Morning! This is the Celestial Sky Dragon and I claim no ownership of that greeting!**

 **Welcome to the latest chapter of the Hellfire Dragon Slayer! Last chapter set the bar for this new story arc, and this chapter will get the ball rolling. Team Flaming Skies will be going on their adventure starting off at the Craggy Coast. What new things will they find? Read on and find out.**

 **So, as we approach this adventure, I've been mulling over a few things. Most importantly, future enemies for Aiden to take down. I was going over some ideas for the Edolas arc. At first I wanted to have the Aiden Flame to fight his Edolas counterpart, known as Aiden Spitfire, a gun for hire who kills off those who oppose the kindgom. It would fit in nicely with Erza Knightwalker, the Fairy Hunter, but I also started having some other ideas. I'm not sure which I like more, Edolas Aiden being killed by Erza Knightwalker, or him being a gun for hire. Either way, there's going to be a fight between them.**

 **Eventually, Aiden will end up fighting his brother in a climax battle to the finish. But I haven't decided what kind of magic I'll be giving him. Brandon does have Earth magic, but I was thinking of either making him an Artificial Dragon Slayer, giving him the Element of Ice, or making him an Ice Phoenix Slayer. The third option I have is making him an Ice Angel Slayer, but that magic was only used once by Angel in my previous story, though her element was Sky Magic. It would be interesting to see an Angel Slayer vs a Dragon Slayer though, so it isn't out of the realm of possibility.**

 **As for the rest of this story...I'm not sure if I'll continue it as a whole story. There are still so many arcs left to write, that I don't want to make it too lengthy. I mean, if I keep going at this pace, by the end of the Oracion Seis arc I'll be at around 40 chapters or so, at the end of Edolas, around 60 due to the mini arcs in between, and around the Tenrou Arc, most likely nearing a hundred. If that's the case, I'll most likely cut it in half and start part two at around the time skip and proceed to the Grand Magic Games, which I'm excited to write about since there's going to be a lot of changes.**

 **I've also just found out that Fairy Tail is in its final arc. I'm so freaking sad, just yesterday I was reading chapter one and getting whisked away to a world of magic and adventure and now I'm being told it's ending. It's sad, but nothing lasts forever. I've stuck around for so long, that I just want to see how it will all end. And there's still the anime, so I'll have that for however long it is. It is sad, but I don't want it to turn into One Piece. That fucking series needs to end already. I mean Naruto ended, and it was fucking great. Bleach is shit, it always was shit, the ending is shit and it will always be shit, I don't mean to offend anyone, but I never got into it. Dragon Ball Z keeps getting resurrected somehow, and there's still a bunch of long running anime that need to end. I just hope it isn't anti climactic. I haven't been that happy with the Alvarez arc as a whole. there are some good parts, but there are some really stupid parts too.**

 **Heres to hoping for a Second Fairy Tail manga. they could call it, Fairy Tail, the after years and it could be years in the future. As long as Wendy doesn't end up with Romeo, I'll be fine. If there's a ship in this fandom that I absolutely detest with every fiber of my being, it's RoWen, I just absolutely hate it. Just because their the same age doesn't mean they belong together. They have little interaction...hell I'll be happy if Wendy x Chelia becomes canon, I find that shipping adorable. And please for the love of God, make Carla x Happy a thing, I've been waiting since day one.**

 **Anyway, I'll leave you guys with this chapter. If you like it, leave a review, if you hate it, then read something else, or tell me whats wrong, I don't mind hearing to critisism, as long as its constructive.**

 **This chapter is brought to you by Flaming Cheetos, for when you want regular cheetos but your friend leaves the hot ones behind, and you eat a handful and are then screaming like a bitch because its too spicy. Fuck you!**

Fairy Tail

The Foggy Surprise At Fogbound Lake Arc

Chapter 21

A Dangerous Walk Through the Craggy Coast

Having left early in the morning, Team Flaming Skies was making it's way toward the Great Fissure via carriage. Thankfully, it wasn't that far from Margaret Town, so Aiden wasn't worried about his motion sickness. In fact he felt absolutely fine, thanks to Wendy's Troia spell. The ride was a bit bumpy, but it wasn't so bad. In fact Chelia seemed to be enjoying it, giggling every time the cart hit a rock in the road.

Aiden had spent most of his time judging the distance from Margaret to the fissure on his map. He wanted to stick to his self made schedule, arriving to the fissure at noon would allow them to make it to the Craggy Coast path at around one o'clock PM. He looked at his pocket watch, a frown on his face.

"Something wrong Aiden?" Wendy asked curiously, catching everyones attention. He closed his notebook, shoving it in his pack.

"We're off schedule by twenty minutes. I wanted to be across the fissure by 1 so we could rest up and have lunch. Traveling through the Craggy Coast path is going to be rather challenging." he said.

"What's so dangerous about it? It's just a pass between two mountains." Sherry said, looking up from her hands. She had been filing her nails for most of the journey, having grown bored of the scenery outside.

"Well for one, it isn't just a path through two mountains. The path is actually really rocky and slippery due to the water from the ocean. There are large gaps on the ground that could lead to your death if you walk in the wrong direction. Oh, and there are monsters there who specialize in water magic." Carla said, summarizing a bit of the book she was reading. She had been able to find some interesting books in the Margaret Library before leaving, thankfully ones that had the information they would need.

"One of the reasons we requested a water mage was to deal with the water magic of these creatures. Their apt water control will help us greatly, and in Iona's case, she can eat the water and turn it into magic." Wendy replied. Sherry gave the girl a glare, and looked back at Aiden, a loving look on her face.

"You'll keep us safe, right my love?" she asked.

"Sherry, I'm a fire mage. I'll be at a disadvantage in a water dungeon, the best I can do is turn the water to steam. I'll do my best, but you have to worry about yourself. And don't call me that." he cried in annoyance. Sherry bit her lip, trying not to say something love related as per their agreement. The cart suddenly came to a stop, causing them all to jerk forward from the sudden action. Confused, Aiden looked out the window, but since he was unable to see anything he hopped out.

"Hey kid, this is as far as I can take you. There's a landslide blocking the rest of the path." the driver said. Aiden walked in front of the cart, looking far off into the distance. He was able to see some rather large boulders blocking the way. He hissed in anger.

"Shit. Of all damn things to happen." he muttered. He shook his head and turned to the driver, giving him a firm look.

"Thanks for the ride sir. Here, full payment." he said, handing the man two stacks of Jewels. He looked at them, eyes wide.

"I can't accept this, I didn't take you all the way."

"Don't worry about it, the landslide isn't your fault. We're off by two miles so we can handle the rest." he said.

"If you're sure. I wish you luck, you kids are crazy, going after Fogbound Lake like this." he said. Everyone slowly filed out of the cart, walking a ways up the path. They all watched as the cart turned around and sped off, heading back toward Margaret Town. Aiden slung his pack around his shoulders, walking up the path.

"Whoa, why didn't we just keep going in the cart?" Phoebe asked, matching pace with her partner.

"Landslide took out the road, we're gonna have to cut around it. There aren't any towns around here so we'll most likely have to cut across the forest." he said.

"Um...what do you think caused the landslide in the first place?" Sherry asked curiously. She was holding Chelia by the hand, much to the girl's dismay. Aiden took a deep breath, inhaling the air around them. He closed his eyes, mentally separating all of the scents. He smiled a bit when he caught Wendy's strawberry scented shampoo. He shook it off, looking back at his friends.

"Earth Lizard-men. A heard passed by here on a hunt, most likely used powerful earth magic to wipe out the road in an attempt to find food. We'll have to be careful, those particular monsters are tough to deal with." he said.

"H-how tough?" Sherry asked. He looked at her, brow raised.

"You ever see someone get split in half with a single swipe of a hand?" he asked, earning a quiet no from her. He gave her a smile.

"Well, try not to fuck up if you do see one. It ain't pretty." he said. She swallowed hard, tightening her grip on Chelia's hand.

They remained quiet for the better part of an hour, keeping their eyes peeled for anyone or anything. The path started getting more rugged as they approached the landslide. Tall boulders towered over them, along with bent and broken trees. Sharp tree trunks stuck out from between the boulders, a few innocent creatures stabbed into them, blood dripping all over the ground. Aiden wasn't affected much but it, but Wendy did get a bit squeamish. He walked up to the corpse of a Black Boar and looked it over. He lifted it's foreleg, seeing the large gaping hole in the chest cavity.

"This seems recent, couple hours at best. Keep your eyes peeled, we're walking around it." he said, heading down the embankment into the forest.

"Jeez, he looked at that like it was nothing." Carla said, her face had grown a bit pale and she was sweating. The heat wasn't helping her at all. She unbuttoned her blazer, fanning herself a bit. Iona brushed past her, a blank look on her face.

"It's just a dead boar...nothing to be scared about." she said simply.

"How can you just accept that? I'm still getting used to it." Wendy said. She shrugged.

"I've been hunting fish deep in the crystal lake for as long as I can remember. I only ventured out of the cavern when mother was around, so I did get used to hunting land creatures. Death just comes with the territory, I suppose." She replied.

"Cousin Sherry, are we gonna end up like those boars?" Chelia asked, looking at her older cousin, who's eyes grew wide.

"Absolutely not! I won't let it, we won't let it, right Aiden?" she cried.

"Yup, I'll kill them before they reach you guys, so don't worry about a thing." he said, finally reaching the tree line. He heard a loud screech coming from the forest and ducked just in time to avoid a stream of rocks being fired at him. Everyone quickly scattered, avoiding the attack.

From the forest emerged a green scaled lizard, who had thick green scales. It stood almost four inches taller than Aiden did, and had a long snout, making it look crocadillian in nature. It had a sharp looking tail with sharp spikes on the end. Four of them had jumped out of the forest, following their leader. They all hissed loudly, the leader giving a loud screech before launching at Aiden. He jumped back, getting some distance from it.

"Get back, Wendy and Carla take the ones at the sides, Phoebe take the back, Iona you get the straggler."

"Right!" they cried in unison, breaking off from the main group. He raced forward, igniting his fist.

"Hellfire Dragon's Iron Fist!" he shouted, punching the leader across the face. It hissed in pain, backpedaling a few feet. It screeched loudly, causing Aiden to cringe from the loud sound. It spun around, launching its tail at him. He groaned in pain as he was sent flying back.

"Aiden!" Sherry cried out.

"Don't just stand there cousin, do something!" Chelia cried, running forward.

"Chelia!" the pink haired woman cried out. Tears welled up in her eyes as she watched the little girl running into the fight. Aiden was just about to stand when the Lizard-man swung its tail at him. He blocked the hit, screaming in pain as the spikes slammed into him. Chelia jumped onto its back, wrapping her small arm around its neck.

"Chelia, what the hell are you doing?" Aiden cried.

"Get him big brother, hurry!" she cried. His look of shock turned into a grin. He raced forward, slamming his fist into his open hand.

"Fire Make: Lance!" he cried, launching the attack forward. Instead of creating several lances, he made a single one that pierced the creature right through the chest, thankfully Chelia had jumped out of the way. She took a deep breath, sucking in the air around her.

"Sky God's Bellow!" she shouted, unleashing a swirling funnel of black wind and feathers, much to her surprise. The Lizard-man howled in pain as it was sent flying high into the air. Aiden smirked, doing a quick hand sign, making a blue magic seal appear before him.

"Switch Style: Fire Make Hummingbird!" he cried. From the magic seal emerged a beautiful sapphire hummingbird made of flames. It zoomed after the lizard-man, flying right into its open mouth. It howled in pain from the heat, exploding shortly after. He whooped for joy, holding his hand out to Chelia.

"Yeah, you finally did it!" he cried.

"Yatta! Did you see me? It so awesome!" she cried, slapping his hand in a high five.

"Moon Slash!"

"Sun Kick!"

The lizard-men cried in pain, the attacks landing on their already weakened bodies. Phoebe grinned as she ran forward, bright orange light swirling around her fist. She formed a small sun in her palm which she slammed into the creature's chest, a smirk on her face.

"Solar Eruption!" she chanted, willing the ball to explode. The creature howled in pain as the ball burst into a thick orange beam of sunlight, which practically disintegrated the creature. The only thing that remained were the hind legs and the tail of the creature, which fell to the ground with a dull lifeless thud. She glanced at Carla who successfully decapitated the one she was fighting, her hand still glowing white.

"Nice job Carls!" she cried.

"Same to you!" the white haired girl called back.

"Wendy, let's get them together!" Iona cried, grabbing the Lizard-Man she was fighting by the tail. She swung it overhead, throwing it at the one the Sky Maiden was fighting. They shared a nod, both of them inhaling deeply.

"Sky Dragon's Roar!"

"Water Basilisk's Breath!"

The bright green jet of swirling water melted together with Wendy's swirling gale turning into a greenish white beam of water and wind. It slammed into the lizard-men with such force that it sent them flying high into the sky. Iona pulled her hands back, forming a medium sized orb of green water in her hands.

"Water Basilisk's Bubble Jet!" she shouted, pushing her arms forward with great force. The beam exploded into a swirling mass of bubbles that slammed into the two lizard-man, the bubbles exploded, sending body parts and blood in all directions. Iona let out a breath, finally happy that the battle was over. Aiden scanned the area for a few seconds, giving them a nod.

"Good job guys, the area is clear. I don't smell anymore of them." he said.

"What...what just happened?" Sherry asked. All she had been doing was watching them. They were all moving in sync, combining their attacks, minding each other and making sure no one was getting hurt. Sure they took a few hits but overall they had moved in unison. It was like watching a military unit, all marching into battle. She just couldn't describe what she had seen. Chelia's cheers filled the area, as she celebrated her successful God Bellow.

"If you want an answer, it's rather simple. We move as a unit, even with someone like Iona who hasn't even been on a team, we were able to take on these creatures. We just...trust each other." Aiden said, shrugging it off.

They continued onward, walking into the forest making sure no monsters were in their way. They walked around the landslide, sticking mostly to the edge of it. As they were walking around it, they ended up reaching the edge of the Great Fissure that cut across the southernmost part of Fiore. It was a large gaping crevice, which had been created when the landmass was still being formed. According to scientists, Ishgar was actually two continents that slammed into each other to crate the continent known today. The fissure is what remains of the edge of the old continent. Looking down into it, all you could see was darkness, and very sharp spikes sticking out from the edges a hundred or so feet down. The wind had picked up a bit, which was a bit welcoming, especially with the heat.

"If we follow the fissure west, we'll be able to cross to the other side. And if we keep going that way, we'll be able to reach Craggy Coast." Aiden said, looking at his map. He marked the spot where they were at before rolling it up, placing it in his pack.

"Isn't it dangerous to walk next to this fissure? What if there's another landslide?" Sherry asked, peeking over the edge. She swallowed hard, trying not to imagine how painful it would be to hit the bottom.

"I got you covered with that. Phoebe, Carla would you mind giving us some aerial cover?" he asked, looking at the two girls.

"Leave it to us!" Phoebe said, summoning her wings. Carla followed suit, silently taking off after the orange haired girl. The rest of the team continued onward, walking well away from the edge of the fissure. The last thing they needed was for someone to fall into it.

Around an hour later, they were finally able to cross the fissure using one of the natural land bridges that connected the two sides to each other. Finally on the other side, they all decided to take a break, next to a few trees that were growing on the other side. Right behind them spanned a tall mountain range, which was still a long ways away. The distant smell of the sea was drifting through the winds. Aiden sighed, laying down on the soft grass.

"Oh man, I could take a nap here." he said, stretching his limbs. He popped his back, groaning in pleasure as the strain from walking washed away.

"Well don't, or else we won't be able to stay on schedule." Carla cried, standing before him. He rolled his eyes. Wendy and Phoebe were busy setting up the blanket while Iona went to find some fire wood. Sherry found herself a fallen log and sat down, after making sure her dress wouldn't get ruined. He frowned and sat up.

"Aren't you going to do something?" he asked.

"Why would I do that my love? You're taking a break and so am I." She said. He hissed under his breath, choosing to ignore that. He stood up, cracking his neck.

"We're all doing stuff. I took two minutes off but I'm going to get us something to eat from the woods. I want to save some of our rations since we don't know when we'll reach the lake. So don't sit around, at least help Wendy out." he said. She sighed, standing up from the log.

"Fine, I'll help the little girl set her little blanket." she said.

"Don't worry, I don't need your help. I am more than capable." Wendy replied, venom laced in her words. They both glared at each other in anger.

"I swear to god." Aiden muttered dryly as he walked off into the woods. Carla followed suit, arms crossed in annoyance. Once they were out of ear shot, she decided to speak.

"Why did we bring her along? She's a hindrance to the group." she said.

"I know she is, but she wouldn't shut up about letting Chelia come along, and she gave us a place to stay for the night." he replied.

"Ugh...I would have gladly slept under a bridge if it meant her not coming along. She's just antagonizing Wendy." she said.

"How so?" Aiden asked, brows furrowed in confusion.

"Seriously? Are you this dense or are you faking it?" she cried.

"I have no idea what you are trying to tell me, Christ you know I hate Charades." he said. Carla's eyes widened a bit. She brushed some sweaty locks from her face, shaking her head.

" _My god, I cannot believe he is that dense. Can't he see Wendy likes him? Hmm..maybe I can probe him a bit."_

Aiden stopped by one of the younger trees in the woods and snapped one of the thin branches off. He drew his Lightning dagger from the sheathe on his hip and ran the blade across the end of it, slowly sharpening it to a point. He twirled the dagger in his hand before sheathing it to his side.

"So Aiden...I have a question for you."

"I may have an answer." he replied simply. He took a whiff of the area, pinpointing the area with the most pheromones. He started heading off the small path, taking note of the area so he wouldn't get lost.

"You're surrounded by so many girls on a daily basis I just had to ask...are you attracted to anyone?" she asked curiously. He rose a brow in curiosity, looking away from the white haired girl. Her ears twitched a bit as they walked, hearing the sounds of nature.

"That's a rather odd question coming from you. I didn't think you'd give a shit about my love life." he said.

"Remember what I said back in Magnolia? You're my best friend, so I have to make an effort to get to know you. You trust me right?" she asked. He looked back at her, a blank look on his face.

"Does a bear shit in the woods?" he asked back.

"Okay then, so answer the question."

He sighed, kneeling down next to a boulder. There was a bit of a drop off that lead down into the lower part of the wooded area. He could hear the sounds of movement and closed his eyes, trying to search for it. He tightened his grip on his spear as he opened his eyes, focusing on the area where his target would come from. He remained silent for a few seconds, the only sound being Carla's steady breathing. In a fraction of a second he snapped his arm forward, shooting off the spear with an added blast of fire. A loud squeal filled their ears, as the spear hit it's target. He licked his lips, slowly standing up.

"To answer your question Carla, I'm not sure I'm ready for a relationship right now. I'm focusing on too much right now." he said.

"Too much? What else could you possibly be focusing on?" She asked curiously. He hopped down the ledge, holding his hand out to her. She landed a bit harder than she wanted, but she shook off the shooting pain that went up her legs.

"For one, I'm focusing on finding my father. On every solo mission I go to, I tend to listen to stories. I listen to all the rumors I can in case someone saw him. Atlas Flame isn't just a huge dragon, he's also covered in hellfire, so if someone was talking about that, I would definitely follow up on it."

"Alright, one thing. Wendy is focusing on that too...whenever we go on missions she asks around to see if someone has seen Grandeeney. She's been focusing less on that, I guess she's just trying to have fun while being in the guild." she replied. They reached the now deceased black boar, spear sticking though its side. Aiden yanked it out, only to stab it through its eye, making sure it was really dead. Carla looked away from it, not wanting to see the blood.

"So, what are the other things that you are focusing on?"

"Finding my brother...I want to find where he is, so I can kill him." he said, twisting the spear out of the boar. He knelt down before it, pulling his dagger from its sheathe.

"Are you sure you can do it? Are you sure you can kill family?" she asked curiously.

"It isn't about being family. That bastard died the second he killed my parents. That fucker...I only wish I could see him again so I can wipe that smirk off his face. It's ingrained in my head, I just can't forget it. I've had so many nightmares over the last few years. I can see his face, his maniacal grin as he stabs my parents. I can hear his laughter as he stabs my sister to death with stone spears...I just...can't forget it." he said, stabbing the dagger into the boar's side.

He felt tears rushing down his cheeks. He took a deep breath, wiping them away. He started cutting into the shoulder, keen on bringing that back to camp. His hand shook a bit as he closed his eyes.

"I'll never forgive him. For him, there's only death. When he meets whatever god is out there, only he will judge him for his transgressions. I've since stopped believing in religion. He just better hope I get to him first." he said, severing the shoulder off the boar. He set it aside and moved onto the leg.

"I didn't know you had nightmares. Don't you ever talk about them with anyone?" Carla asked, taking a seat beside him. Normally she wouldn't even think about sitting down on the dirt, but right now she didn't really care.

"Not really. I mean...Phoebe is aware of it, but I don't talk to her about it. I put a spell on my room so that it's completely soundproof, that way no one else can hear me whenever I'm having one. I just...don't feel like talking about it. The fact that I'm telling you this right now means that I have immense trust in you. So I have to ask you to keep it between us."

"But why? You know we can help you...Wendy can help you." she said, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Tch...well unless Wendy has some nightmare healing spell, she can't do shit. 'Sides, I don't want to worry her. She has enough shit on her plate." he said, cutting off the leg of the boar. He grabbed a towel from inside his pack and placed both cuts of meat onto it, using it to wrap the meat up. Once he was done, he stored it in his requip pocket.

"She cares about you, you know...more than you think." Carla said.

"Who Wendy?" he asked, using a bit of water to wash away the blood on his hand and dagger. She gave him a nod.

"I hate to admit it, but she looks up to you. She sees you, and she sees bravery, charisma, confidence. All of the things that she strives to be...once she met you, she swallowed her shyness and broke out of that shell she put herself in. She went outside more, talked more...hell she even laughed more. Seeing her taking her magic so seriously is endearing. She always told me she was weak, nothing but a supporter...but now she's told me she can handle herself in battle, that she's just as much of a Dragon Slayer as you, Natsu and Gajeel. For that I can't thank you enough...so please...if you have a nightmare, talk to us...or at least to me." she said, placing a hand on his shoulder. He frowned, placing his hand on her own.

"Alright Carls...I'll talk to you if I have another nightmare." he said, standing up. He hesitated a bit, before wrapping his arms around her, pulling her into a hug. Carla blushed a bit, but hugged him back.

"Thanks for this talk, I really needed it. Now let's go back before those two tear each other apart. I can hear them from here." he said, walking back toward the ledge. They took their time heading back, just enjoying each others company. Carla's ears twitched a bit, hearing parts of the argument Sherry and Wendy were having. She rolled her eyes in annoyance.

"So...you have nightmares, are searching for your brother and your Dragon, those things are important. But are they really stopping you from being in a relationship?" she asked.

"I don't want to get whoever I get involved with into my problems. It'd just be too...I dunno...how can I explain to some girl over dinner that I'm trying to find my dragon father, and that I want to kill the shit out of my brother for what he did? No girl would be interested in a guy like that."

"You'd be surprised...or is it that you have someone in mind?" She asked, adopting a catty grin. He furrowed his brows, eyes widening a bit.

"Aha, I get it now. Phoebe put you up to this...she's the only one who gives a fuck about my love life. She's trying to set me up, but I see right through your plot." he snapped.

"Ha, real funny. I'm not involved with her at all...I just want to know if you like anyone back home, or if you like anyone else. Do you think I missed those subtle glances you gave Lucy back in Magnolia." she said, making the teen blush.

"I do not like Lucy. She's hella cute, and really intelligent for a girl her age, but she's clearly into someone else. And no I don't like Mira either, she's beautiful, way out of my league and really fucking scary when she's pissed. I'm more keen on finding someone my age...besides why do you care so much? Unless you like me." he said.

"What?" she snapped, her voice echoing through the woods. He broke into laughter, wiping some tears from his eyes.

"Man, the look on your face was priceless. I'll admit Carla, you are really cute, but I can tell you aren't interested in a relationship right now. You just want to keep a watchful eye over Wendy and make sure she's fine. I'm not looking for anyone right now either...maybe down the line, who knows? I might take you out for a night on the town." he said, giving her a wink.

"That is not what I was getting at. I would never fall in love with a guy as reckless as you, you buffoon." she snapped, quickening her pace. She just wanted to get out of that awkward situation as quick as she could. He rolled his eyes.

Reaching the edge of the forest, the two of them had returned in time to see Sherry and Wendy, who were still glaring at each other.

"I have no idea why he's even friends with you! You are so annoying!" Sherry cried out.

"Oh really? You're the one who's being annoying. Why are you even here? You're holding us back!" Wendy cried out.

"Jeez, calm down girls. We don't want to let this escalate." Phoebe said, stepping in front of them.

"I agree with her. Sherry stop antagonizing Wendy, you are an adult so behave like one, and Wendy just ignore her." Aiden said firmly. He noticed the bundle of sticks Iona had prepared for the fire, the girl having placed the final stick inside the pit. With a flick of his wrist, he shot a fire ball into it, a bright blue flame taking shape within. He requipped the boar meat he had gotten and set it down.

"I'll cut this up. You can take a break if you want Aiden." Phoebe said, effortlessly lifting the two cuts of meat. He gave her a gracious nod.

"Wait...we're eating that?" Sherry asked, looking at the black boar meat that Phoebe had started to cut up. Aiden gave her a nod.

"We eat this stuff all the time back home. It's not as bad as it looks." He said.

"Ew, I'd rather eat something else." she said, digging her hand in her pack.

"Suit yourself." he said with a shrug. He turned back to the fire, content with watching it burn.

Xxx

A few hours had passed, and Team Flaming Skies was making excellent headway on their journey. They had made excellent time with reaching the Craggy Coast. The sound of the ocean water lapping the cliff-side filled their ears. Looking over the edge, you could see the white water slamming hard into the rocks below. The beautiful ocean spanned for miles, glittering a beautiful blue.

The entrance to the water dungeon spanned before them. The cavern was large, and deep, could most likely span several thousand feet underground. It's gaping maw looked dangerous, and the stony spikes coming forth from the ceiling made it look like the mouth of a monster, foaming at the mouth and waiting for its pray to enter, so it could snap its jaws shut. It was dank and humid in the cave, and if anything a bit cold, the air gushing from inside carried the humidity and saltiness of the area. High above them, were some seagulls, cawing loudly. Next to the entrance was an old wooden sign, the name Craggy Coast written on it. Aiden looked down from his map, a smile on his face.

"Well, this place should take us all the way through. Once we're past this place, we'll be in a small wooded area. We'll make our camp there for the night and tackle Mount Horn tomorrow." He said.

"Okay. That sounds like a good plan." Wendy said. They heard a loud gasp behind them and looked back, seeing Chelia eating some of the air around her. Normally air isn't seen, but Aiden could see small tendrils of magic enriched air flying into her mouth. She smiled happily, letting out a little burp.

"Big sis, the air is so tasty here. You should try some!" she said, tugging on Wendy's hand. Aiden smiled and gave her a nod.

"Enjoy yourself. I'm gonna look for some logs so I can make us some torches." he said, walking off toward the cavern entrance. Phoebe and Carla were talking quietly among themselves, while Iona was overlooking the ocean, a look of longing on her face. Sherry was taking a break from their walk by the cave entrance. He saw a few broken pieces of wood next to the sign and grabbed them, looking them over. He frowned, seeing they were rotten.

"Shit...can't make a torch out of these." he muttered.

"Why bother making a torch? You're a fire mage, and the cats use Sunlight and Moonlight as their magic, isn't that enough?" Sherry asked curiously.

"I suppose, I just didn't feel like wasting magic. Then again if we do end up fighting something it wouldn't be convenient to be holding a torch." he said, rubbing his chin in thought.

"I've got a question for you. Why her?" she asked. He looked at her with confusion.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"What do you see in her? The Sky Dragon...she's just so..immature." Sherry snapped, crossing her arms in annoyance. He chuckled, shaking his head.

"Wendy isn't immature. She's sweet and kind, and extremely generous. She doesn't care about herself when it comes to healing. She's...an amazing friend...we might just have different views of her. Please stop antagonizing her, if you get to know her, you might see the same thing I see." he said, glancing at the blue haired girl. She and Chelia had been practicing a bit of wind control. The little girl was surrounded with her signature black wind, while Wendy was surrounded by her blue dragon magic. Her hair was blowing in the wind, the smile on her face just made her look alluring. Sherry frowned, shaking her head.

"You're in love with her aren't you?"

"What?" he asked, brow furrowing a bit.

"That look in your eye, I recognize it. Hell, that's the same look I give my Cold Emperor all the time, a look of pure love. You don't even realize it, which is what makes it so beautiful." she replied. He glanced back at the blue haired girl, who was giving Chelia a bright smile. He felt his cheeks growing hot as he looked at her.

"You should tell her." Sherry said.

"No...I'm not...I...I'm not ready for a relationship. I'm not sure if I even love her." he said.

"You do...the faster you admit it to yourself. The better."

"Whatever, girls we're going in. Phoebe, Carla I want you guys to use your magic as a light source, all of the wood around here is rotten." he said.

"If we must. I'll stick to the front, Phoebe you get the back." Carla said.

"You got it!" she said cheerfully.

The cavern spanned several hundred feet above them, and was rather damp. All around them, water was dripping forming pools all over the place. Small cave dwelling critters could be seen running around, hopping from pool to pool in search for something to eat or drink. Aiden slipped a bit, as the cavern floor was rather slippery. He looked at his map, looking out for some landmarks.

"Alright, if we keep going for a thousand meters or so, we should find a large white boulder. There's a fork in the path, so we'll want to take the left path." he said.

"Are you sure?" Iona asked, stepping away from one of the pools. He gave her a nod.

"The right path leads off towards another part of the Craggy Coast, it would just lead back to the entrance. Apparently, Yuri and his friends took that path three times in a row thinking it would lead to a different place." he said, rolling the map up.

"Those guys are morons then." Carla noted.

"Hey they got us this far right? It was them that discovered the path to Mount Horn after all. They say the village that once made the mountain their home were living in secret for generations, until they ran into them." Aiden said.

"What happened to the village?" Wendy asked curiously.

"Supposedly there was a dragon attack in the year x700 that ended up wiping the village out. It is plausable, seeing as our dragons were still around. I'm willing to bet it was Acnologia." he said. Wendy shuddered a bit at hearing that name. Sherry gave him an incredulous look.

"Big brother, who's Acnologia?" Chelia asked curiously. He licked his lips, looking up at the cavern ceiling.

"Acnologia is the Black Dragon of the apocalypse. A dragon so powerful that no one dragon slayer can take it down. Legend has it, he started his life as a human being. He ended up slaying the dragons during the great dragon war of x400. He bathed in the blood of the fallen, and ended up turning into a dragon himself. So far, he's the only dragon still left. Though he's merely just a myth. No one has seen him in over three hundred years." Aiden said.

"H-He killed dragons...and bathed in their blood?" Phoebe asked, shivering a bit at the thought.

"Yeah, my father Atlas Flame said that bathing in the blood of a dragon makes you a true dragon slayer. I was never brave enough to kill him, even though he suggested it many times. He wanted me to make the best of my abilities...but he was my father...I just couldn't do it." he said.

"It's the same for me. Grandeeney told me about the dragon blood ritual as well...I just couldn't kill her either. I was only five years old when she left me...that thought never even crossed my mind." Wendy replied.

"Do you think...do you think Illgardia ran into Acnologia?" Iona asked. She had remained quiet for most of the trip, not really saying anything.

"I doubt it. Like I said, no one has seen Acnologia in 300 years, and I truly doubt he was around when your mother disappeared. Though it does beg the question, why did a Basilisk disappear in the same year as our Dragons? And could there be more Basilisk Slayers out there?" he asked.

"My mother once said there was a Lightning Basilisk Slayer wondering the world, who was three years older than me. But I'm not sure if he truly does exist. She never mentioned his name." Iona said. Aiden smiled, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"It'll be alright Iona. Maybe your mother is with our parents somewhere." he said. She scoffed, looking away from him.

"As if, my mother wouldn't dare hang out with those overgrown lizards!" she said. He cringed, giving him an apologetic look.

"My apologies...I forget that you are the son of a dragon. I don't mean to offend."

"It's alright, we're not so easily offended. Dragons and Basilisks don't get along, there isn't a reason why we can't get along. We're family now." Wendy said, giving her a bright smile.

"Heads up we have enemies!" Carla cried, forcing them all to stop. In front of them was a horde of slugs. They green and blue in color, and were of decent size. Aiden grit his teeth, getting into his fighting stance.

"Careful guys, these slugs use powerful water magic. They can also join together to make a larger slug, so watch out for that." He said.

"I'll take care of them. Now Rock Doll, take out our enemies!" Sherry cried, waving her hands. The nearby rocks joined together to make a towering rock monster. It roared loudly, slamming its fist into the slugs. All of them jumped out of the way, leaving a giant crater behind.

"Watch it, this cavern can fall on us at any moment!" Carla snapped, glaring at the pink haired girl. Aiden raced forward, trying not to slip on the wet ground. He slammed his hands together, doing a quick hand sign.

"Fire Make: Shuriken!" he cried, throwing the glowing sapphire star at the slugs. They hissed from the heat, their bodies melting a bit. Several of them lurched forward, opening their mouths. Large blasts of water flew from them, slamming into Aiden, sending him flying into the rock monster, both of them tumbling back.

"Aiden, are you alright?" Wendy cried.

"Never better!" he called out, climbing from the pile of rocks, as Sherry had dismantled the monster.

"I'll take care of this. Water Basilisk's Acidic Claws!" Iona cried, racing forward. Green water swirled around her hands, forming large sharp clawed gauntlets over her hands and fingers. She swiped at the creatures slicing them in half. She jumped into the air, a smirk on her face.

"Waters of the great seas, lend me your strength. Water Basilisk's Whirlpool!"

"No don't!" Aiden cried out. But it was too late. Iona formed a giant whirlpool from her hands. She threw it hard, slamming it into the horde of slugs. For a second, it seemed like they dissolved, only for them to reform into larger versions of themselves.

"What?" she cried in confusion.

"These slugs, they use surrounding water to grow in size. That's what makes them a threat, when they are in a big group like this." Aiden said, standing next to the girl.

"So how do we deal with them?" Sherry cried out.

"Easy, we just have to stop them from gaining more water. Phoebe, it's you and me." he said.

"Alright, I've been wanting to fight for awhile!" she replied. With a nod, the two of them ran forward. Aiden's pulled his fist back, slamming his palm into it.

"Fire Make: Gungnir!" He cried, forming a large sapphire spear. He threw it at the giant slug, hitting it in the chest. It cried in pain as steam started to form around it.

"My turn, Solar Beam!" Phoebe shouted, slamming her hands together. With a shout she threw the attack forward, a giant greenish orange beam of pure sunlight exploded outward, burning a hole through the slugs body. It hissed in pain, but quickly reformed.

"That didn't do a thing!" Carla cried.

"We need to help them. Fast wind that run the heaven, Vernier, stout arms that tear the heaven, Arms! Enchant!" Wendy cried. Magic seals formed below Aiden and Phoebe, covering them in the boosting magic. They fist bumped and ran forward, turning into blurs as they sped up. Aiden jumped up, kicking off the wall.

"Hellfire Dragon's Crushing Claw!" he shouted, slamming his foot into the slug's head, flames burst from its mouth as its body sizzled from the heat.

"Bright sun that guides us lend me your power! Solar Flare!" Phoebe shouted. A bright orange magic seal appeared before her, firing hundreds of blazing hot light balls at the slug.

"Now, Breath attacks!" Aiden cried, taking a deep breath. Phoebe stepped back, allowing Chelia and Wendy to come forward.

"Hellfire Dragon's Roar!"

"Sky Dragon's Roar!"

"Sky God's Bellow!"

The three attacks melded together into a strong spinning beam of sapphire blue wind and black feathers. The Slug howled loudly just as the attack enveloped it, dissolving its body into nothing more than steam.

"Yeah! Good job guys!" Aiden cried, giving his friends a thumbs up.

"You guys were awesome!" Carla cried, awed at the magic power she had witnessed. Sherry gave an agreeing nod, still not used seeing their team work flowing so easily.

"Aiden I'm sorry, because of my careless mistake I endangered everyone." Iona said, a frown on her face.

"Don't sweat it, you didn't know those slugs absorbed water. It's a mistake anyone can make. Let's just keep going." Aiden said, avoiding the piles of slug slime that had been left behind. They continued walking, passing the white boulder along the way. The path started descending a bit, as they continued doing deeper into the cavern.

"Are we almost out yet?" Sherry asked. Aiden sighed, glancing over his shoulder.

"Almost...we have at least another two hours ahead of us." he said.

"I can't smell the exit either...just salt water." Wendy said, her nose scrounging up a bit.

"I can smell salt water as well...there's also a large reservoir of fresh water deep within this cavern. It's rich in minerals as well...spans underneath Mount Horn."

"How do you know that?" Phoebe asked curiously.

"As a Basilisk Slayer, my senses are on par with those of a basilisk. Meaning I can smell all sources of water, fresh, salty, chlorinated, stagnant. I can also drink any source of water to replenish my magic energy, except stagnant water, that's poison to us." she said.

"Interesting...it's almost like dragon magic, can you eat your own water?" Wendy asked, earning a no from the girl.

"Due to the acid in my body, I cannot consume my own water. It would dissolve through my stomach and kill me in minutes. I would assume its the same for Dragon Slayers?" she asked.

"If I ate my own fire, it would burn my insides faster than a volcanic eruption. Ironically enough I can eat lava." Aiden said with a shrug.

"Doesn't that hurt?" Sherry asked.

"Not really...it's like eating soup." he said with a shrug.

"So, how much farther are we now?" Chelia asked curiously. Aiden reached for his map, looking it over. He looked around for anything that stuck out to him. He noticed several large stone formations nearby and looked at the map, making a small mark by its picture.

"It's a good thing Yuri decided to draw a detailed map of this place, we wouldn't be anywhere near here without it. Wish I had one of those maps that tracks your direction." he said, rolling it back up.

"Those are expensive though." Phoebe added.

"Eh, if it means I can walk around without worrying then it's worth every jewel. We'll have to be careful though, there are some water pits near here and they nest more of those slugs." he said.

They kept walking silently, taking in the beauty of the cavern. They noticed the path had started opening up a bit, as they were approaching their exit. Aiden however was treading careful, making sure no slugs snuck up on them. He took another step forward, only for the ground underneath him to give way. He let out a scream of shock as he fell into the pit.

"Shit!" he cried, grabbing onto the sides with his hands. He grit his teeth as he dug into the rock, slicing his fingers and hands the deeper he fell. He finally came to a stop letting out a breath of relief. He looked down, seeing the pit spanning further below.

"Is everyone alright?" Wendy cried out. Aiden looked up, seeing she was hundreds of feet above him. He also noticed Carla had fallen down with him. She was holding onto the sides of the pit, keeping her legs crossed as best she could.

"Don't look up here idiot!" she shouted angrily.

"We're fine Wendy, just took a bit of a fall." he said, looking to his sides rather than up. He blushed a bit, trying not to look at Carla's stripped panties.

"Hang on, we'll send some rope down. Carla can you fly back up?" Phoebe cried, shining some light down into the pit. It was bright enough with the natural lighting, but the extra light did help.

"I don't think so. It's a bit tight in here." she called back. As she said that, her foot slipped causing her to slide down a bit further. She thankfully stopped a few feet away from Aiden, but now it gave the boy an even better view of her panties, which he was trying to avoid. She looked down, catching the red on his face.

"You fucking pervert! I swear I'm going to kick your ass." She shouted.

"Oh like its my goddamn fault we're in a damn pit. Just start climbing!" he cried.

"I would if I could." the white haired girl snapped back. She sighed angrily and looked around, trying to find a handhold. She reached up, grabbing a stable place, pulling herself up. Aiden gave her a bit of space before he started his climb up.

"Just reach for the rope, we'll pull you out." Phoebe encouraged, tossing the rope down. Carla reached for the rope, her fingers almost grabbing it when she slipped. She let out a yelp as she grabbed the rope, holding onto it for dear life. However she ended up kicking Aiden in the face which resulted in him loosing his hold on the rocks. He grabbed onto her leg, knocking a few rocks from the sides.

"Gah...what are you doing?"

"You kicked me and I slipped." he cried back. She looked down, seeing the footprint on his face. She tightened her grip on the rope, but due to the weight she ended up slipping down it.

"Aiden, if you don't let go, I'm going to fall." she replied. He looked around, reaching for the wall. His hand slipped, due to the blood he wasn't able to get a good grip.

"We're gonna pull you up!" Wendy cried out. She handed the excess rope to the others, giving them a nod.

"Alright, Pull!" Sherry cried. The four girls pulled as hard as they could, only pulling their friends up by a foot. They pulled again, slowly bringing them up.

"Carla, this may be a bad time but...I'm slipping." Aiden said, he was trying not to, but the blood on his hands was making his grip tougher, especially when he was trying to hold on to someone's leg.

"Me too." she said. As if on cue, the rope ended up snapping. She let out a scream as the two of them fell down into the pit.

"Carla! Aiden!" Wendy cried, eyes wide in shock. She teared up, dropping to her knees.

"No...shit, I should have gone down there...in my normal form I would have fit. Why didn't we think of that?" Phoebe snapped, punching the nearby wall.

"Don't worry, there's an underground well underneath the mountain. It has to open up somewhere, we'll just find them there. If not then I'll just go myself, thankfully due to my magic, I can breathe underwater." Iona said.

"Okay...they'll be fine. It is Aiden after all." Wendy said reassuringly, wiping her tears away. They jumped over the gap, quickly running away from the pit. Wendy had to reach the end of this tunnel, she had too if she wanted to save her friends.


	22. Fogbound Lake Arc: Next Stop Mt Horn

**A/N: Ohayo Minna-san! Welcome to the latest Chapter of the Hellfire Dragon Slayer! This chapter is the third of the Foggy Mystery at Fogbound Lake arc. It is by far the longest chapter, being 39 pages long, and I know you guys will absolutely love it. You'll know why when you read it.**

 **The best part of this chapter for me, is definitely the fights, yes there is going to be a fight later on, and I know you guys will definitely enjoy it. Tell me how I did in the reviews by the way. I want to hear it all, I worked super hard on this particular chapter, so I hope you like it.**

 **We're nearing the middle part of this arc now. In the next chapter, everyone will arrive at the Foggy Forest, so this journey is almost over..It won't be long until we enter Oracion Seis territory, which reminds me, I have yet to watch that arc, and I really have to get on that, but since I've been working on this for the last few days, I haven't had time. I've also been drawing a lot, as I want to better myself in that aspect. If I can learn to draw better, I might be able to make this story into a manga. But so far I can only draw things I'm looking at, so I can't draw Aiden yet nor Phoebe. I can draw Wendy, Carla, Happy and even Natsu, if I have an image to look at, but I can't draw an original work...silly me.**

 **Also, for perspective...I think one of you asked what Aiden looked like, well have you seen Blue Exorcist? Well Aiden looks a bit like Ren, except a younger version of him, and regular human ears as opposed to his demon ones. that's the best I could come up with for a general look on what I see Aiden as in my head. Feel free to interpret him how you like!**

 **So, without delay, let's head on into the chapter...I hope you all like it.**

 **This Chapter is brought to you by convienient plot devices, for when you want an awesome thing to happen in your story. Seriously, This happened in this chapter, not gonna lie.**

 **Shoutout to RedBurningDragon, for catching my mistakes, giving me good ideas and yes, those Goddamn wayfinders are in this chapter. I would have forgotten them without your constant reminder, so for that, I applaud you good sir.**

The Foggy Mystery At Fogbound Lake Arc

Chapter 22

Next stop, Mount Horn!

He didn't know how long they'd been falling, but Aiden was really not having a good time. After awhile, their fall turned into a slide, due to the water welling deep under the cavern, a sort of underground spout had been made. He was soaking wet and his feet couldn't get a good grip due to the water. Finally, after some time, he and Carla saw a bright light ahead of them. Aiden shielded his eyes a bit, the feeling of weightlessness hitting him. He screamed as he looked down, seeing nothing but a large pool of water. He slammed into it seconds later.

Carla dropped in right after him. The water was cold and it was dark, but he could tell there was a bit of water flow. He grabbed her hand and swam to the surface, breaching the water. They both let out a breath, happy to be able to breathe.

"Fucking shit! That sucked!" he said, glancing back at the white haired girl. She glared at him.

"This is just great. We ended up falling from the main path, I'm cold, soaking wet and we're lost! Nice job!" she said. He rolled his eyes and started looking around. His eyes widened a bit.

They were in a large underground chamber that spanned thousands of feet above them. There were some holes in the cavern ceiling, letting the sunlight in, illuminating the entire chamber. He noticed some rock formations on the other side of the room, sticking out of the water. He smiled a bit, gesturing to them.

"Let's get out of the water, we need to rethink our exit plan." he said. She nodded and followed his lead, swimming toward the rocks. Aiden climbed out, hissing a bit as his cuts grazed the rocks. He held his hand out, pulling out the white haired girl, who immediately wrung out her hair. He looked at his hands, seeing the deep cuts across his palms and fingers.

"Shit...that's gonna leave a scar." he muttered. A bit of blood was still oozing out of the cuts. Carla looked them over, a frown on her face.

"Those rocks were sharp, no wonder you slipped." she said, holding her hands above his. They glowed a brilliant white as she used her moon magic to heal his cuts. They took a bit of time to fully close up, but since her healing magic wasn't up to par with Wendy's, it left a few scars on his skin, not that he minded.

"Thanks...I'm sorry about all this, I should have been paying attention."

"It isn't your fault Aiden. It could have happened to anyone...I'm glad it was us, so long as it wasn't Wendy or Chelia who get hurt. Sort of wish Iona had fallen with us." she said, looking at the large underground lake that spanned the entire chamber.

"We should get out of these wet clothes, at least for now." Aiden said, shrugging off his pack. He was glad it hadn't fallen off during his decent. He took off his vest and placed it down on the rock to dry off, followed by his shirt. Carla unbuttoned her blazer, taking it off. She wrung it out, a frown on her face.

"This is going to need so much ironing when I get back home." she said.

"I can iron it easily. Not here, but when we get out, all I need is a flat piece of metal and some fire." he said simply.

"As if we can find a flat piece of metal in this place." she said, gesturing to the cavern. She sighed, reaching for the hem of her shirt. Her eyes widened a bit.

"You better not look pervert."

"Look at what? I already saw your panties, what else is there to see?" he asked. He took his boots and socks off, using his magic to dry off his feet. Carla narrowed her eyes in anger, deciding to take her shirt off. She brushed her hair off her shoulders, feeling the cold water dripping on her back.

"Striped bra...hmm...it's true what they say about tsunderes." Aiden muttered under his breath.

"Don't make me slap you." she cried back. She opted out of taking her skirt off, but she did take her shoes off, along with her now shredded stockings.

"Fine, I'll give you a complement. You look cute wearing stripes, they make you look endearing." he said, though he laced it with sarcasm. Carla blushed, using her arms to cover up her chest. If Wendy were down there, she would be glaring daggers at her, especially since Carla had slightly bigger breasts than her. She shook it off, looking at the water.

"So, what exactly is the plan?" she asked. He grabbed some sand from the ground, tossing it into the water. It dissolved almost instantly, but it was enough to show him in which direction the current was flowing. He looked to the far end of the cavern, but didn't see anything.

"There's an underground river that's flowing in that direction. If we follow it, I reckon it will get us out. Thing is, I'm not sure how far it will be, and there might not be any air pockets." he said.

"Dammit, that's the last thing I needed to hear." she cried. She sat down on the flat part of the rock, crossing her legs. She looked at her torn skirt, frowning a bit.

"Eh, it isn't so bad. I got a good length of rope in my pack, we just have to find where the water flows." he said simply.

"How do you plan to do that?" she asked, glancing at the blue haired boy. He shrugged, throwing a rock into the lake.

"I'm gonna tie the rope around my waist and swim down into it. You'll be attached to the other end of the rope. If I find an air pocket, I'll give you a tug. If I don't I'll swim back." he said.

"I suppose that's a good plan as any. But what happens if you don't find an air pocket?" she asked.

"Well...the other option we got is going back the way we came...right up there." he said, pointing up to the medium sized waterfall that was falling from above. Looking at it now, they both realized just how high they had fallen.

"That's a high climb, I would have to fly all the way back, I doubt I could get us back to where we were before." Carla said.

"Which is why we need to swim out of here." he said, standing up. He grabbed his shirt and shoved it in his pack, grabbing his vest and hastily putting it on. He grabbed the bundle of rope that he had packed in there and handed it to Carla. He requipped his pack, allowing it to disappear into his spacial pocket.

"Aiden are you sure about this?" Carla asked, looking at the rope in her hands.

"Not really, but we're out of options." he said, grabbing the rope. He untied it and grabbed a section of it, wrapping it around Carla's waist. He tied it in one fluid motion, giving it a few firm tugs to make sure it wouldn't come undone.

"Wow...you know how to make knots?" she asked curiously.

"Atlas Flame said if I didn't learn how to tie knots he would drive his fire coated claws so far up my ass that I would shoot into space like a rocket. Suffice it to say, I picked them up really quick." he said. Carla rolled her eyes, grabbing her blazer off the ground. She frowned a bit and decided to just shove it in her pack, along with her shirt. She placed it around her shoulders, making sure it was snugly around her shoulders. She put her shoes on, leaving the stockings behind. She noticed something sparkling on the ground, something that looked like it was made of crystals. She grabbed it, holding it up to the light.

"A key?" she muttered to herself. She heard a loud splash, Aiden having jumped into the water. She decided it wasn't important, and she shoved it in her pack, diving into the water after her friend. Both of them swam to the other end of the underground lake, which thankfully wasn't too shallow.

Aiden took a deep breath, facing the cavern wall. The current could be felt now, and it was flowing straight ahead. He turned back to the white haired girl, giving her a nod.

"If I'm not back in five minutes, pull me back alright?" he asked, handing her his pocket watch, which thankfully was water proof.

"Okay...be careful alright?" she asked, concern laced in her voice. He grinned, giving her a wink.

"Take what you can."

"Give nothing back." she replied, giving her friend a bump on his fist. He turned around, taking a deep breath before diving into the water.

He blinked a few times, getting used to the water. It was a bit dark, but he was still able to see. He thanked his dragon senses for that. He held his hand out and ignited it. It was a bit hard to keep fire going underwater, but he didn't use it often. He just used it every few seconds or so to see ahead of him. His throat started to sting a bit, and he felt an outward pressure on his lungs, the need to breathe was making it harder for him to focus. He saw a bright light ahead of him and pushed himself harder, finally surfacing inside an air pocket.

"Jeez...that was a lot shorter than I expected." he said, sweeping his wet locks away from his face. He grabbed the rope and gave it a firm tug, hoping Carla could get there on her own. He started pulling on the rope, getting a bit of slack as she made her way to the pocket. After a minute or so, the white haired girl breached the water, coughing a bit. She shook her head, trying to get water out of her ears.

"Cat's aren't underwater swimmers you know." she said, pulling on her ears.

"Yeah I know. Look up there, a way out." he said, pointing up. There was a large hole in the cavern ceiling, which gave them a good view of the reddening sky.

"Fine, now it's my turn." Carla said, untying the rope from her waist. She was about to summon her wings, but she stopped herself.

"Something wrong?" he asked.

"I won't be able to fly if my wings are wet." she said. He hummed to himself, looking around for something. It was a good way for the bottom so he couldn't exactly give her a boost. His eyes widened a bit, a grin working its way on to his face.

"Put your foot in my hand and get ready to fly." he said.

"Uh...are you sure about that?" she asked curiously.

"Yup, trust me would you?" he asked. She sighed and nodded, lifting her foot as best she could without going under. He held it tightly in his hand. He took a deep breath, willing his magic to his finger tips.

"Fire Make: Launching Pad!" he cried, lifting the girl with all of his strength. The fire burst out from under her, launching her high into the air. She screamed a bit in shock, but was able to summon her wings. Water splashed in all directions from the explosion, steam even gathered around them.

"You could have hurt me you idiot!"

"It was the only thing I could think of...do you see anything?" he asked. She flew up to the top of the hole, looking over the edge.

"Uh...I see the ocean...and in this direction...I can see some mountains." she said.

"That's better than nothing. Let me gather this rope up and we can go." he said, pulling all of the rope out of the water. He tied it up as best he could and shoved it in his spacial pocket. Holding his arms out, Carla grabbed them tightly, only for them to slip out of her grasp. She sighed.

"Wrap your arms around my waist, I won't be able to hold you by your arms." she said, lowering herself a bit into the water. He wrapped his arms tightly around her small frame, making sure not to get in the way of her wings.

Her winged glowed a bright gold as she flew up and out of the hole. The added water weight was a bit tough to deal with, but she was able to get them out of the hole safely. They landed near some trees, seeing a lengthy path extending toward the mountains. Aiden sighed, finally feeling solid ground for the first time in hours. He walked toward the middle of the path, looking at the mountains ahead of them. Among them was a rather tall mountain, which was mostly brown in color. It stood high above the rest, with a sharp looking peak, covered in white snow.

"Mount Horn...we made it out of there at least." he said. He looked behind him, seeing the path spanning several miles in the opposite direction, toward the Craggy Coast.

"Where are Wendy and the others?" Carla asked curiously.

"Probably looking for us. If she was smart, then she would have asked Iona to look for a source into that chamber. She'd follow the river into the cave itself. The river flows hundreds of feet under this path, that means there must be an exit flow somewhere around here. I'm willing to bet that's where she'll be." he said, requipping a towel from his pocket. He handed it to the girl, who started to dry off.

"Let's get going then, I'm getting a little cold." she said.

"Well don't, I don't want anything to harden." he said.

"I'm gonna kick your ass!" Carla cried, urging the boy to break into a run. She raced after him, hands glowing brightly with her moon magic.

Xxx

It had been around an hour since leaving the Craggy Coast, and the rest of Team Flaming Skies were searching the area for an underground river. They had already set up camp at the base of Mount Horn, and had been looking around the forest area. Wendy had a worried look on her face, her hands firmly clasped together. Phoebe was hovering high above them, looking as far as the eye could see for signs of water. Iona had decided to search the nearby woods with Sherry. Her keen sense of smell would allow her to find a river or lake easily.

With nothing to do, she decided to just stay put at base camp. Chelia was sitting nearby, having set up the fire pit. The girl had been scared, seeing her friends disappear like that without warning had really startled her. She had remained calm and decided to let her cousin find her big brother, seeing as Wendy needed her more. She grabbed the final rock, placing it in the open space around the pit. She grabbed one of the bundles of sticks and placed it in the pit, making sure they stayed tied together.

"Big sis, are you okay?" she asked curiously. Wendy looked up at her, a look of worry etched on her face.

"I'm fine...just worried. Aiden and Carla must have fallen pretty deep, I just hope they aren't hurt." she said.

"Big brother is tough as nails! Didn't you see how he handled that slug? He can beat anyone!" she cried, throwing her hands in the air. Wendy giggled at her antics.

"That's true...Aiden can defeat anyone, no matter how strong they are...that's one of the things I admire about him." she said, letting out a sigh.

"You liiiiikeee him!" Chelia cried, rolling her tongue. The girl eeped, and looked away, her face flushed a bright pink.

"I do not! You don't know what you are saying Chelia. Ugh...Sherry is corrupting your mind." she cried out.

"No she's not. Okay then, if you don't like him, then I'll like him instead! When I grow up, I'm going to marry big brother!" she cried out.

"I'm sure he would love to have you as a wife Chelia...but you'll have to grow up big and strong first!" Wendy said, almost in a motherly tone.

"Of course! I'll grow big, have a nice figure and bigger boobies than you!" she said. Wendy cringed, her eye twitching.

"You meanie!" she cried loudly.

"Hey, anything yet?" Phoebe asked, landing before them, letting her wings disappear. Wendy shook her head.

"I don't smell them." she said.

"I didn't see anything up there, I kept looking up the path but nothing yet. They should be here soon, so don't worry!" Phoebe said, sitting down on the ground. Wendy nodded, looking up at the sky.

"I hope so." she said.

Xxx

"Let's take a break. Falling through that hole and landing in that lake really tired me out." Aiden said, earning a nod from Carla. They both sat down at the base of a tree, happy to have some time to rest. The sky was growing orange now, as the sun was starting to set. He guessed they had around an hour and a half of daylight left.

"I didn't think this journey would be this hard." she said, leaning back against the tree. They had dried off a bit, but their clothes were wrinkled and a bit faded due to the water. Aiden didn't really mind it, as long as he didn't get sick; which was nearly impossible. Since he had the immune system of a dragon, he rarely got sick.

"I'm having fun though. I didn't expect a huge reservoir of fresh water underneath the Craggy Coast, that's a momentous discovery. If there's ever a water shortage or something, then we can access that water. We'll be fine." he said.

"Provided we deliver said information to the King." she added.

"Don't worry, I'll tell the princess. After all I did promise her maid I would visit her again, plan on doing that after this journey. Imagine her look of surprise when I tell her we discovered Fogbound Lake! It's going to be so awesome!" he said. She rolled her eyes.

"What do you think this trip is truly for? What do you think the gem does? And what makes it so important?" she asked curiously. She noticed the ribbon on her tail was missing, and frowned deeply, since it was her favorite one.

"The trip, well it's for us to grow stronger as a family. Look at how well we work together, I doubt other teams in other guilds work as fluidly as we do. We trust each other, and that's what I'm aiming for. As for the other two...I'm not sure I have an answer yet. I don't know what the gem is for and what it does."

"I guess we'll find out together." she said, a small smile on her face. A look of realization washed over her face, and she dug her hand in her skirt pocket, reaching for the object she had found inside the cave.

"Hey Aiden, what do you know about magic keys?" she asked.

"Magic keys? You mean Gate keys right? They allow Celestial Spirits into our world. Wizards like Lucy use them to summon spirits into our world, they fight for them through contracts. It's one of the oldest magic types in the world. Why the sudden interest in gate keys?" he asked.

"Well, while we were down in that cavern, I saw this and decided to pick it up." she said, handing him the key.

It was a light blue in color, and looked crystalline, almost like it was made out of diamonds. The bow of the key was in the shape of a dragon's head. It had an etching of a dragon on it, much like the one on his Yo-yo. The handle of the key was long and thin, and had a scaled dragon tail coiling around it. The blade extended into a claw of swords, each claw glittering a soft blue. Aiden had never seen a key like this.

"This is a rare key...I can tell. It's magic isn't like the one I felt from Sagittarius." he said, remembering the golden key from the Galuna Island reward.

"So, it's stronger?" Carla asked curiously.

"It might be...I'm not sure. Sort of wish I brought my magic tome with me, it has information on a lot of things, including Gate keys."

"Maybe Lucy knows about it, we should take it to her." She said.

"We should...but I'm sort of curious to see what spirit is tied into it. I'm willing to bet it's the spirit of the dragon constellation. Draco." he said.

"A Celestial Dragon?" Carla cried out, eyes widening.

"Mhmm...but it isn't like Atlas Flame and Grandeeney. If there was a Celestial Dragon like them, I'm sure they would have told us. But I guess we won't know until we try it." he said standing up. He held the key forward, channeling magic into it.

"Let's see if I remember this correctly. I am connected to the Celestial Spirit world through this key, now pass through the gate! Open, Gate of the Celestial Dragon, Draco!" he chanted. A loud chiming filled the area as the key glowed a bright gold. A loud roar echoed through the area as the celestial spirit passed through the gate. Aiden and Carla shielded their eyes as the dust kicked up a bit.

The dust cleared after a second, both mages thought they were going to see a humongous dragon standing before them, but instead they were greeted by a little girl.

She looked like a five year old, with pale white hair that had a lavender tint to it. Two small horns stuck from the sides of her head, her bangs falling over her azure colored eyes. She had a dark purple ribbon in her hair, tied into a small bow. Her hair fell down to her waist and was held in two ponytails with purple ball like hair ties. She was wearing a white dress, with a small white and pink cloak over it that fell down half way and had flurry white fur around the hem. It was pink in color, with small buttons on it, the skirt was ruffled around the edges. She was wearing a pair of white stockings that were of thigh length, along with a pair of pink heels that had inter crossing laces. A small tail was flicking around behind her, it had a small ball at the end, which had several sharp spikes.

She had a blank look on her face as she looked at the one who had summoned her. Aiden just stared at her, mouth wide, key still pointing forward. He shook off his initial shock, blinking a few times.

"I was expecting something bigger...I don't know how to feel about this." he said. The girl tilted her head, looking around the area she was in. She saw some bugs walking around on the ground and knelt down, watching them intently.

"Well, aren't you going to make a contract with her?" Carla asked.

"I suppose." he said. He walked up to the small girl, kneeling down in front of her. She looked up for a second, holding a black beetle in her hand.

"You must be Draco, the celestial dragon correct?" he asked.

"I am...my friends call me Kanna, please do the same." she said, holding the beetle close to her face. She sniffed it a couple times, before shoving it in her mouth. Aiden cringed a bit as she chewed the black bug, the crunch of its exoskeleton would be forever ingrained in his mind.

"Okay...Kanna...my name is Aiden, and I guess I'll be your contractor from now on. What days are you available?" he asked.

"I'm available all day, everyday, even on the weekends. Since I'm a dragon I don't need to return to the celestial spirit world." she said simply. She stood up, brushing the dirt off her stockings.

"Tell me, what kind of spirit are you?" Carla asked curiously, standing next to Aiden. The little girl looked at her, giving her a few slow blinks.

"I'm the spirit of the Dragon constellation. I'm the leader of the Diamond Gates, Celestial Spirits far stronger than the Golden Zodiacs. It is a miracle that you found my key." she said.

"I would say so..you're pretty special then." Aiden said, giving her a pat on the head. She held her arms out, giving him an expecting look.

"I want up." she said.

"You...want up?" he asked. She gave him a nod. He looked at Carla in slight confusion as he picked the little girl up. She instantly snuggled against him, placing her head in his shoulder.

"I'm so confused right now." Carla said, not understanding the spirit's actions.

"Me either. Let's just go." he said, cradling the little girl in his arms. As they were walking up the path, they noticed a few figures a good distance away. Aiden squinted a bit, recognizing a familiar head of blue. He smiled, holding his hand up, making sure Kanna didn't fall out of his grasp.

"Finally, where we're you?" Phoebe cried, worry laced in her tone.

"Sorry about that, we got out of that cavern around an hour ago, but we had a long walk. I figured you'd be looking for a water source, where we would eventually turn up." Aiden said, a blush on his face.

"So, who's the little girl?" Wendy asked, looking at the girl in his arms. She looked away from her, burying her face in Aiden's shoulder.

"This is Kanna, she's the Celestial Spirit of the dragon constellation." he said.

"Really? That little girl is a dragon?" Phoebe asked, not believing her eyes.

"Yup, Carls found her key in that underground lake we landed in. Kanna, would you like to play with Chelia?" he asked, setting the girl down. She looked at him curiously.

"Um...okay." she said softly. He smiled, gesturing for the pink haired girl to come over.

"Chelia, this is Kanna. I want you to be friends okay?" he asked.

"Okay...I brought some coloring books with me, wanna color together?" she asked. The little girl nodded sheepishly, a small blush on her cheeks. Chelia took her hand and they walked over to where the tents were, disappearing into one.

"Are Sherry and Iona okay?" he asked curiously.

"They're out looking for you. I'll go tell them you two are alright." Phoebe said, flying off into the woods. Wendy gave Aiden a hug, making the boy blush.

"You had me so scared! When that rope snapped and you and Carla fell...I thought the worse." she said.

"Sorry, it was my fault that we fell down there in the first place. But I don't regret it. Carla wouldn't have found Kanna if we hadn't." he said, letting the blue haired girl go. She turned to her friend, giving her an equally tight hug.

"I'm just happy you two are okay."

"We'll try not to fall into anymore pits." he said jokingly, earning a punch on the arm from the girl. He howled in pain, rubbing the new bruise that would surely form on his skin.

 _xxx Day 2 xxx_

Team Flaming Skies stood at the base of Mount Horn, looking at the large mountain that seemed to span into the heavens. The mountains next to it were puny compared to that behemoth standing before them. Aiden looked at the map in his hands, nodding to himself.

"Alright, there's only one path in front of us. If we have a good pace, we'll reach Kaena Village by noon." Aiden said.

"Ugh...why couldn't we sleep a little longer?" Sherry asked, rubbing her eyes.

"By all means, sleep all you want, but you'll have to reach the Foggy Forest on your own." Carla said, crossing her arms in annoyance. She was still miffed about the day before, her best blazer had been ruined beyond saving. Aiden sighed, looking at the sky. It was early in the morning, around seven am or so. He figured the earlier they started, the earlier they would get to the village. He started walking forward, only to feel a tug on his pack.

"Wait Aiden, I have something for all of us. I was supposed to give you these before we left Cait Shelter, but I wasn't finished making them." Wendy said, pulling a small pouch from her pack.

"What, did you make charms or something? How lame." Sherry said.

"That's not nice cousin." Chelia said. Kanna merely looked at the older woman, not really knowing how to feel about her. Honestly, she just wanted to color some more.

Ignoring the older woman, Wendy opened up her pouch, pulling out the charms that were inside. She handed the first one to Aiden. He looked it over, realizing what it was.

"Wait...is this made from the Paopu fruit skins?" he asked.

"Yeah, I had to wait awhile for them to dry out, but I finally got around to making them." she said, a smile on her face.

The charm itself was only around the size of his palm, and in the shape of a star. Each point of the star was painted a delicate blue. He could see a bit of crystal shavings mixed in with the paint, which actually made it glitter in the light. In the very center of the charm, there was a metal pin, in the shape of Cait Shelter's guild mark, which was colored a bright blue, to match his own. There was a leather strap on the top point of the charm, which was quite lengthy. At the end of it was a star shaped charm, which looked to be made out of crystals.

He noticed Wendy handed one to Carla, which was pink in color. Phoebe had an orange one and Chelia had a green one. She herself kept the sky blue one. The final one she pulled out was a crimson color, which she handed to Iona, who looked at it oddly.

"What's this for?" she asked.

"A symbol of friendship. I made several of these since I had some left over skin, I have one for Yamato too but she's still on her mission. So I can't give it to her until she comes back. This is just a small token of my appareciation. Without you guys...I wouldn't be as brave as I am today, as strong as I am today. So let's keep these for as long as we live." she said.

"Aye, and we'll make each day count, no matter what we do." Aiden added. He held his fist out, everyone mimicking his motions.

"Take what you can." he said.

"Give nothing back!" they all said in unison, bumping fists. Kanna just looked at them oddly, not understanding the gesture at all. Sherry huffed in annoyance, most likely because she wasn't included in their little chant.

Eventually they started walking toward Mount Horn. The elevation started showing as they started to climb higher and higher. The trees around them started changing a bit, instead of looking lush and green they looked dead. The area itself just didn't look alive overall, like everything had been destroyed.

"Do you feel that? It's like there's no life here." Phoebe said, feeling a bit nervous.

"Maybe the legend about Acnologia is true." Aiden said. He glanced over his shoulder making sure everyone was keeping up. Chelia and Kanna were holding hands, talking about something. Sherry overall looked bored, but she kept a watchful eye on her cousin.

"Don't you even joke about that shit!" the orange haired girl snapped, earning a chuckle from the fire dragon slayer.

The ground suddenly shook under them, making them all stop in their tracks. They looked around, not seeing anything.

"What do you think that was?" Sherry asked curiously.

"A really huge fart." Aiden replied, earning a slap on the arm from Wendy.

"Be serious. That must have been some creature just now." Carla snapped, glaring at her friend.

"Master, enemy coming from the west." Kanna said, pointing her small hand to their left. They all looked in that direction, seeing a large monster heading toward them.

"Harpy, everyone get down!" Aiden cried, instantly dropping to the ground. Everyone else followed suit, just in time for the creature to fly above them. It cawed loudly as it came around for a second swipe.

It was a ghastly creature, with vibrant purple feathers. It had long pale talons, with sharp claws on each toe. It had a long white neck with an ugly face and a sharp beak. It landed on the ground a few feet away from them, cawing again. With a flap of its wings, it sent them flying back. Aiden slammed his hand into the ground, grasping onto the sand as best as he could.

"I'll show you! Hellfire Dragon's Sword Horn!" Aiden shouted, shooting toward the creature like a bullet. A sharp drill of fire formed around him as he slammed into the large avian. It howled in pain and shot into the sky.

"Where the heck was that thing even hiding?" Iona cried out, already in her fighting stance.

"I dunno. It must be nesting nearby...be careful, these things can shoot their feathers at high speeds!" Aiden cried.

"Sand Doll!" Sherry cried, swiping her hand before her. A large sand creature appeared before them, roaring loudly. It ran forward, swinging its fist at the harpy who easily dodged it. With a loud caw, it swung its wings as hard as it could, sending large feathers right at the doll. They stabbed into its body, making the creature roar in pain.

"Jeez, this thing is strong. Not many can take down my sand doll like that." Sherry called out.

"I doubt your dolls will do anything against it, it's too agile. We have to ground it first." Aiden said.

"I got it. Betelgeuse!" Phoebe cried, forming a large red sun in her hand, with a firm throw, the sun sailed toward the harpy, exploding on contact. The creature cried in pain, slamming into the ground with enough force to make a crater.

"Fire Make: Chain Whip!" Aiden cried, slamming his hands together. He threw his hand forward, forming a lengthy chain that wrapped around the creatures body, stopping it from moving.

"Now Wendy!" he cried.

"I got it, Sky Dragon's Wing Attack!" she cried, racing forward. Large gales whipped around the girl's wrists, forming large wings that sliced right through the creatures neck. The body fell to the ground lifeless.

"Good work guys...you handled it well." Carla said.

"Master, three more enemies incoming!" Kanna said. They all glanced to where the little dragon girl was pointing, seeing three more harpy's flying at them, though those three looked larger than the first one. He grinned, igniting his fist.

"Alright, now we're talking!" he said.

xxx

Team Flaming Skies panted a bit as they finally made it to the abandoned Kaena Village. After fighting a horde of Harpy's, they were just looking forward to a break. Aiden looked around, seeing all of the destroyed buildings in the area. The town had been abandoned for nearly a hundred years. It was clear that there had been a fight in that place, a fight that had most likely been the end of the small village.

"Well...we finally made it. How much longer until we reach the summit?" Iona asked.

"Not long. Another hour and we'll reach the top, after that we'll have to scale down the north side of the mountain and we'll be in the Foggy Forest." he said.

"We took...a bit...longer to get here...damn harpy's." Sherry cried, looking at her tattered dress. She had a few scratches and cuts on her skin, but was none worse for wear. Chelia and Kanna were leaning on each other, literally about to pass out.

"We can't afford to waste time here. We leave in thirty." Aiden said, earning nods from everyone. He walked further into the town, looking around for something interesting. The houses were nothing more than piles of wood and broken bricks. All of the streets were still marked, though the signs had long since fallen apart.

"Wonder what happened here?" he muttered, kneeling before the broken remains of a porcelain doll.

"Do you really think it was Acnologia who did this?" Wendy asked, standing beside him. He shrugged, shaking his head.

"Honestly, I don't believe that whole legend, about this village and what happened. It's more likely that there was an attack of some sort. Those harpy's are pretty strong in packs, but I doubt they would have all been killed by them. No...something big did this...what I don't know." he said. He stood up, heading toward one of the houses.

"Do you really think we'll find Fogbound Lake?" She asked curiously.

"We're bound too..nothing eludes discovery forever Wendy. We just gotta look hard enough...maybe we should find a spell that conjures up a giant magnifying glass." he said, making the girl giggle. They walked a good way into the town, trying to find the exit that would lead toward the summit. It was a bit colder now since the top of the mountain was the highest part. He could see some of the snow that was forming a good ways away. Due to his magic, he didn't feel the cold, but he could tell Wendy was shivering.

"Get a bit closer to me, I'll raise my temperature so you don't get cold." Aiden said. Wendy nodded, getting a bit closer to him. She had a blush on her face, feeling the warmness coming from his skin.

"Thank you Aiden, for being a good friend."

"Anytime. Hey, I got a riddle for you, what's round but isn't always around, It's light sometimes; dark sometimes. Everyone wants to walk over me, what am I?" he asked. Her brows furrowed a bit as she adopted a pensive look.

"Um...is it a rock?"

"Close, there are rocks all over the place though." he said. She looked up at the sky, noticing a few puffy clouds. She gasped in realization, giving him a grin.

"It's the moon isn't it?"

"That is correct, a prize for the winner." he said, handing her a piece of chocolate from his pouch. She smiled, unwrapping it from its decorative foil.

"Here's another one. You will always find me in the past, I can be created in the present, but the future will never taint me, what am I?" he asked. She chewed on her chocolate, loosing herself in thought. She was about to answer when they heard something snap next to them. Growing curious they decided to investigate, only for them to be blasted with powerful shards of iron. They slammed into the side of a building, falling inside. Aiden groaned, looking around.

"You alright?" he asked, looking at his friend who had a dazed look in her eyes.

"I'm fine...but that felt...almost like Gajeel's dragon roar." she said. They stood up and walked outside, a sudden flash blinded them, a trail of pink runes rose up behind them, blocking their path to the others.

"About time you showed up!" a firm voice said.

"Show yourself coward!" Aiden shouted in anger, fist bursting into flames.

At that moment, various mages appeared before them, all of them wearing black cloaks, with vibrant red hoods. They all looked like second rate thugs, but Aiden could feel they had decent magic power. There were ten of them, including the leader, which seemed to be the strongest of the group. He was the only one who didn't wear his cloak.

He stood a few inches taller than Aiden did and had bright crimson hair that fell down to his mid back. He had several piercings on his face an ears. He had a grin on his face.

"So, Cait Shelter finally appears...we've been lying in wait for you kitties!" the man said.

"What do you want?" Wendy cried out.

"Watch it little girl, I don't want to cut up that pretty face of yours." he snapped his fingers and all of his goons ran at them, quickly surrounding them. He pulled Wendy behind him, both standing back to back.

"Be careful Wendy, these guys are from a dark guild. Red Hood, one of which I've dealt with in the past."

"That's right, the Blue Flare injured many of our mages in the past, and tossed them all in jail. When we heard Cait Shelter was mounting an expedition to Fogbound Lake, we decided to make our move. A revenge squad if you will, and now we're going to kill you both. Men attack!" he cried.

"Solid Script, Blizzard!" one man shouted, swiping the air in front of him. The word Blizzard appeared before him, bursting into a violent snow storm. Aiden shook his head.

"You actually think this is going to stop me? I've felt ice colder than this! Fire Make: Explosion!" he cried out, sending a large orb of fire at him. He howled in pain, being sent flying back into one of the buildings. He ran forward, slamming his hands together.

"Switch Style: Fire Make Sparrows!" he cried, launching several flaming sparrows at the dark mages. They all hopped around, trying to get away from them.

"Are you scared little girl? We won't hurt you...not if you submit to us!" one man said.

"Ugh...you disgusting pigs! Sky Dragon's Crushing Fang!" she cried, swiping at the mans face with tendrils of solidified wind. He cried in pain, gripping his bleeding face.

"You little bitch. Blinding Flash!" he howled, creating a bright flash of light, forcing Wendy to shield her eyes. Two mages raced forward, throwing a simultaneous attack. Wendy cried in pain, slamming hard into the ground.

"Wendy!" Aiden cried, taking hit to the face. He wiped his lip, about to attack, when he felt someone strike him from behind. It was the leader of the group, who was holding an iron bat in his hand.

"I wasn't expecting to see another Maker mage here. I thought the Blue Flare was just a dragon slayer. Pfft, you must be the weakest one I've met!"

"Ha! You think you can scare me with that puny bat?" he asked.

"Solid Script: Acid!" one of the mages cried, throwing the spell at Aiden. He howled in pain as it slammed into his back. Tears ran down his face, the pure pain of his skin sizzling was driving him insane.

"Aiden! You bastards! Sky Dragon's Elbow!" Wendy cried, slamming her elbow into one man's jaw, breaking it in a single hit. She swept him off his feet, knocking him out by slamming his head into the ground.

"Oh, the Sky Maiden can actually fight? This will be fun...Iron Make: Metal Storm!" the man shouted, sending a spiraling stream of iron shavings at Wendy. She crossed her arms, the iron shavings sliced her skin open, but she didn't care for the pain at that moment.

"Is that all you got? Arms, Armor, Vernier! Enchant!" she cried, flinging her arms forward. A bright green gale burst from her arms, enveloping herself and Aiden with the boosting magic. The man smirked.

"An enchantress, how cute! But that isn't going to stop us. Iron Make: Metal Slugger!" the man cried, launching the attack at Aiden. The giant spiked metal ball flew at the teen. He smirked standing up with great speed. He punched the iron ball, breaking into millions of tiny pieces.

"So, you think throwing acid at me is going to stop me? It hurts like shit, but that won't be enough to take me down. Let me show you what maker magic can truly do. Fire Make: Blooming Roses! Fire Machine Gun!" he shouted, throwing several flaming seeds at the ground. They sprouted high above them, firing large balls of flame in every direction. It was enough to wipe out the other dark mages, leaving only the leader behind. He grit his teeth, sending a metal burst to destroy the fire plants.

"I'll make you pay for that! No one belittles Red Hood!" he shouted.

"Oh really? Come at me then, but make sure to give it your all!" Aiden said, giving him a cocky wink. With a nod to Wendy, the two shot forward like speeding bullets. The man did his best to track them both but was instead pulled into a flurry of speedy punches. He did his best to avoid and redirect them, but he took a double punch to the face from them. He flew back a few feet, crying in pain.

"Now Wendy!" he cried, racing forward.

"Sky Dragon's Roar!" she cried, throwing the spell right at Aiden. He jumped into the air, fire swirling around him.

"Hellfire Dragon's Sword Horn!" he shouted. The wind coiled around the flames, giving them even more power. The man smirked, placing his hands together.

"Iron Make: Baseball bat!" he shouted. The giant iron bat formed in his hand and he took a swing, sending Aiden flying back several hundred meters.

"Aiden!" Wendy cried. The teenager slammed through a building, which fell on top of him. She felt a sharp pain in her heart, she grinded her teeth together, anger flowing through her.

"Grand Slam! That fucker is outta here!" the man shouted, letting his metal bat disappear.

"You're going to pay for that!"

"Oh really? I'm so scared of a little girl!" he said, breaking into laughter. Wendy zoomed forward, using the last of Vernier's effects to close the distance. She pulled her fist back, swinging it as hard as she could.

"Sky Dragon's Breakdown Fist!" She shouted, slamming her wind coated fist into his chin. A twister of sky magic burst from the ground, sending the man flying into the air. She jumped after him, doing a front flip in mid air, leg swirling with wind.

"Sky Dragon's Crushing Claw!"

"Iron Make: Shield!" the man cried, forming a metal sheet in front of himself. Wendy's leg slammed into it, causing her to scream in agony. The man smirked, grabbing her arm.

"Iron Make: Anchor Shot!" he cried, throwing the girl down as hard as he could, an Iron anchor formed above her, slamming her to the ground. She cried in pain, the air leaving her lungs. She was in so much pain she couldn't even scream. The anchor above her broke into tiny particles, disappearing into nothingness.

"You know, maybe I shouldn't have wasted my time with these mages. They're all recruits. I should have brought someone from the top...Blue Note would have been a great addition to our party." he said, grabbing the girl by her neck. Wendy glared at him, one of her eyes was shut, and her lip was bleeding. She had a hard time breathing, and she was sure her ankle was sprained, if not broken.

"Fuck...you!" she choked out. She gasped a bit as he tightened his hold around her neck.

"I fucking hate kids." he muttered dryly.

Wendy could feel her consciousness leaving her. Black dots swam in her vision. Her head was throbbing from the massive headache she had. She wanted nothing more than to sleep.

" _No...I can't...Aiden...wouldn't...give...in."_ she thought to herself. She felt her magic flowing into her. She couldn't use a breath attack and her right leg was still injured. She smirked inwardly, pulling her left foot back.

" _Sky Dragon's Nut Shot!"_ she chanted in her mind, swinging her leg as hard as she could. The wind burst from her foot, slamming into the man's crotch, causing him to drop her. She took a deep breath, coughing loudly as she finally breathed. The man clutched his jewels in pain.

"You fucking bitch!" he cried, kicking her across the face. She flew back a few feet, slamming into a wall.

"You know, I fucking hate guys who hit girls."

The man looked to his right, seeing Aiden walking towards him. He was clutching something in his hand, a glowing orange orb. He recognized it as a fire lacrima, which were once used to light fire places.

"What..what are you going to do with that?" the man asked, hastily standing up. He was still in pain, but he got into his maker stance anyway.

"I'm going to shove my foot so far up your ass, that my steel toes will become your braces. No one ever hurts my friends, but most of all, no one hurts my Wendy!" he said, taking a bite out of the lacrima. A low guttural roar escaped his lips as he continued eating the lacrima, until all of it was gone. He let out a high pitched roar, a towering plume of flame erupting from the ground behind him.

Blue flames swirled around his body, enveloping his entire form. His spiky hair grew long, reaching down to his waist. His arms grew a bit bigger, blazing blue scales formed over them, his hands turning into claws. His back turned blue as scales started appearing over the seared acid scar that now blemished his skin. Around the edges of his face, scales grew, bursting into blue flames. The air around him pulsed with magic power, small wisps of flame dancing around his body.

"What the hell is that?" one of the mages asked, looking up at the teenager, his hair was shielding is face, eyes glowing crimson.

"I don't know!" the Iron mage cried, clearly scared. Wendy watched on, panting a bit from her loss of magic. The intensity of Aiden's fire could be felt all over the place. The rest of their team finally appeared, eyes widening at what they were seeing. Aiden took a step forward, melting the ground underneath him.

"I'll teach you what happens when you mess with Cait Shelter!" he cried, racing forward. He pulled his fist back, turning it into a flaming gauntlet.

"Hellfire Dragon's Iron Fist!" he shouted. The man cried in pain, flying several hundred meters back.

"Paul!" one of the others cried out. Aiden turned to them, a grin on his face.

"Alright, time to take out the fodder. Switch Style: Fire Make: Hell Hounds!" he chanted, slamming his fists into the ground. Three magic circles appeared on the ground, and three large wolves of bone and fire shot from it, racing toward the recovering mages. They all screamed in agony as the wolves clawed at them. Several cannon balls slammed into him, sending him back several feet. He grit his teeth, roaring in anger.

"It's gonna take more than that weak punch to take me down."

"Oh? So you wanna play rough? That's alright, I like it rough!" he said, flames burst from his feet, launching him forward like a speeding rocket. He grabbed the man by his neck and shot into the sky.

"Iron Make: Spikes!" he cried, pressing his palm into Aiden's chest. He shouted in pain from the intensity of the heat. Aiden cut off his fire, a smirk on his face.

"Fire Make: Vembrace!" he shouted. A Vembrace of fire swirled around his arm and he threw the man hard, slamming him into the ground. He took a deep breath, sparks forming on the corners of his mouth.

"Hellfire Dragon's ROAR!" he shouted. A thick swirling twister of flame shot out of his mouth, slamming into the ground with such intensity that it melted on contact. Paul had barely avoided it, screaming in agony from the heat of the attack.

"Wendy, what's going on? What happened to you?" Carla cried, racing toward her friend. She literally had to tear her eyes away from the intense fight to run to her friend.

"These guys...they were waiting...to ambush us. They're a dark...guild. Red Hood." she said.

"Oh my god...that's a guild that works under Grimoire Heart, one of the big three!" Sherry cried, kneeling next to the girl. Chelia knelt down beside her, hovering her hands over her.

"What's wrong with big brother? Why is he covered in scales?" she asked, looking at the teenager. He roared loudly, flinging streams of flames at the mages who just wouldn't give up their onslaught. Even with all of the magic they were casting, Aiden was easily handling himself.

"That Chelia is the strongest state a Dragon Slayer can achieve. He's been in that form once when he was younger and he lost control of himself. Why the hell would he even enter it willingly?" Phoebe cried, she was angry that her friend and partner would risk himself entering that state.

"Wait...you don't mean to tell me...that's Dragon Force?" Carla asked.

"Yes, by eating large amounts of magic, Dragon Slayers can enter this state. He ate a Fire Lacrima, that's how he was able to achieve it." Wendy said, trying to stand up.

"Don't move sis, you got four broken ribs and a broken ankle." Chelia said. She nodded, sitting back down. Aiden threw four men back into one of the houses, willing a flaming whip to slam into it, setting it ablaze. Most of the area was on fire now, large plumes of blue making the area glow like a giant sapphire.

Aiden smirked as he faced against Paul. The man was injured, but still willing to fight. He got into his maker stance, a smile on his face.

"Come at me Blue Flare. You may have taken out my men, but I will get revenge for what you did to our guild!"

"Try me!" Aiden said, glaring at the man.

"Iron Make: Cannon!" Paul shouted, forming an iron cannon before him. It fired its load, a giant cannon ball with spikes all over it. Aiden punched it with out hesitation, making it explode.

"Fire Make: Gungnir!" Aiden shouted, forming a giant spear of blue flames above his head. With a loud shout, he threw it at Paul. His pupils shrunk as he willed a giant wall of iron to block the attack. It exploded on contact, but the shield held true.

"You're fire isn't strong enough boy!" he said. He put his hands together, a smirk on his face.

"This is the end. Iron Make: Piercing Durandal!" the man cried, jumping right at the young man. A large great sword of pure iron formed in his hand, and he swung it at Aiden, a smirk on his face. Aiden back flipped out of the way, slamming his hands into the ground.

"Fire Make: Burning Ascalon!" he cried, grasping the hilt of his fire sword. He drew it from the ground, a beautiful long sword made of pure blue flames. He swung it hard, slicing right through the iron sword. Paul dropped it to the ground due to the intense heat. Aiden smirked, cracking his neck.

"This is it. Metsuryu Ogi!" he chanted. A brilliant blue magic seal appeared underneath Aiden's feet. Paul screamed in fear, and tried to run away. He didn't get far as a magic seal held him in place. All around him, towering plumes of blue flame shot out of the ground, all of them joining high above them to form a flaming dome over the man. He tried to move, but the seal wouldn't let him. Flames surrounded him, trapping him inside a tunnel of flame.

"No...no!" he cried.

"Hellfire, dark fire, now gypsy it's your turn, choose me or, your pyre, or you will burn~!" he sung, the flames increasing in intensity.

"Please...I'm sorry, just don't kill me!" Paul cried, dropping to his knees. Aiden smirked.

" _Jigoku No Moeru Hashira!_ " he shouted, slamming his palms into the ground. Paul looked into the circle, howling in pain as fire burst from it. All of the flaming pillars exploded at the same time, sending fire in all directions. The entire area rocked from the giant explosion, a towering plume of smoke soared high into the air. The smoke cleared a second later, Paul hovered in the air for a few seconds, his body covered in soot and burns from the attack. His clothes had been burned off, leaving him in his underwear. He let out a cloud of soot from his mouth, slamming into the ground. Aiden let out a loud roar, which echoed throughout the entire mountain.

He dropped to his knees, panting for breath. The flames around his face disappeared as his arms and back returned to normal. He dropped onto his back, coughing a bit from expelling all of that fire. He looked at the sky, seeing the remains of the smoke. He couldn't help but let out a laugh, looking around at all of the destruction he had caused. He heard foot steps approaching him, but was too sore to move his head. He saw Wendy, who instantly knelt down before him. She had tears in her eyes, and she was holding her shoulder.

"Hey beautiful, glad to see you aren't hurt!" he said.

"Aiden you idiot! How can you be so reckless!?" she cried.

"What? Oh, you mean the lacrima induced dragon force? I'm sorry...I just couldn't let them hurt you. I saw that guy holding you by your neck, just choking the life out of you and I just...snapped...I couldn't see you get hurt." he said. He reached his hand to her face, using his thumb to wipe her tears away.

"Don't cry...you look prettier when you smile." he said. She took a hold of his hand, squeezing it tightly.

"I thought you were gone. The acid, the baseball bat...you left me alone." she said.

"Sorry...that bastard knocked me out. I landed in the living room of that house and slammed into a support beam. The fire lacrima hit my head a few minutes later and I woke up, that's when I felt the heat from inside. I stood up and saw him strangling you, that's kinda when I blacked out." he said. She sighed, shaking her head. She was sore, in pain and felt like shit, but she was happy to be alive.

"Wait...before you ate that lacrima...you said something...you said no one hurts my Wendy...what did you mean by that?" she asked curiously.

"Come closer and I'll tell you." he said. She nodded, getting a bit closer to him.

"The truth is...I like you." he said.

"Huh?" she said, eyes wide in shock. He forced himself up a bit, capturing her lips in a kiss.

"What the fuck!" Sherry shouted in anger.

"YEEEEESSS!" Phoebe shouted, shooting into the air with her Aera magic. She whooped for joy, shooting Solar beams in all directions. Carla sighed, shaking her head.

"At least he admits it." she said, crossing her arms.

"Not bad for a skinny little spit fuck." Kanna said, earning wide eyed looks from everyone around her. She shrugged, giving them an emotionless look.

Aiden pulled away from the girl, licking his lips a bit. The taste of strawberries was driving him insane. Wendy just sat there, not really knowing how to react. Her eyes brightened up a bit and she giggled, her face flushing. She touched her lips, unable to forget the feeling.

"My first kiss...you took my first kiss." she said.

"Sorry...that was a bit unexpected...I understand if you don't like me back." Aiden said, a frown on his face.

"No no...I..like you too...I've liked you for awhile actually...I just didn't know how to tell you...or myself." she said. He grinned, taking her hand in his own.

"Great...how about we have our first date at Fogbound Lake? It will make this journey even more special."

"Okay." she said, squeezing his hand. She sat down beside him, hovering her glowing hand over his body. It wasn't long before Chelia joined them, pouring every ounce of magic into healing him.

"My back still hurts...I think that's going to scar." he said, remembering the acid that was thrown at him.

"It most likely will. But it's okay...now we have matching scars." she said, gesturing to her leg.

"Yes...that we do. You still look beautiful, even with that scar." he said, giving her a wink. Iona and Carla walked past them, both of them holding bundles of rope. They were going to tie the thugs up tight, thankfully they had a communications lacrima, so they could get in touch with the magic council easily. Aiden wanted nothing more than to see them rot in jail.

"Hey Aiden...I know the answer to the riddle." Wendy suddenly said, gaining his attention.

"Huh? I completely forgot about it. What was the riddle again?" he asked.

"You can find me in the past, I can be made in the present, but the future can't taint me. The answer is history." she said.

"That's right...I guess I have to give you a reward." he said, leaning up he captured her lips again in a kiss. Chelia blanched, finding the act icky. Sherry sighed to herself, looking away from them. She lost in love twice already, but this one hurt a lot more.


	23. Fogbound Lake Arc: Foggy Foggy Mystery

**A/N: YOOM-TAH! Welcome to another chapter of the hellfire dragon slayer! So, how did you all like that last chapter? It was lit wasn't it? Aiden fell into the heat of the moment, and delivered a sizzling defeat to his enemies. Now they know that if they mess with fire, they'll get burned! Okay, enough of those fire puns...this chapter will be the fourth act of the Foggy Mystery at Fogbound Lake Arc. Now that we're almost over the hump, we're getting closer to solving this mystery. How will everyone react when they realize Cait Shelter discovered a place of legend and myth? It's going to an uproar, that's for sure.**

 **Also, regarding last chapter, this is going to be a bit of a spoiler, so if you haven't read last chapter, which why would you be here if you hadn't, skip this part.**

 **Aiden went into a lacrima induced Dragon Force, which was done by his consumption of a fire lacrima. I thought of giving him magic poisoning, due to eating it, but that lacrima wasn't like Etherion, where it was made with many elements. This one only had fire magic stored in it, as it was a fire place lacrima. It was also a pseudo-Dragon Force, so he wasn't at full power since it wasn't natural. Eventually he will access his natural Dragon Force and when that time comes, all Hell will break loose. Damn it, there's another pun!**

 **Also, what do you think about Wendy and Aiden being together? is it a bit early? Or is it okay? It may be 22 chapters in, but they have known each other for nearly three months now, and I think its okay for them to date. I haven't thought of a timeline for this story, since I don't know how long its been. Lucy joined Fairy Tail early on in the year x784, most likely around early June. Aiden joined Cait Shelter at around the same time. So three months have passed, and we're nearing the Oracion Seis arc, that would put them at around August or September. Edolas happens a month after Oracion Seis, and Tenrou happens at around December, since I remember there being snow.**

 **I guess that will do for now, until I write a proper timeline. Comment your thoughts and tell me what you think, I'll need a bit of help crafting it, and you'll be forever in my debt.**

 **I've also decided on what to do with the Tenrou arc as a whole and who will be going there. I'll wait until that arc to name the candidates, but let's just say it's going to be brutal.**

 **Afterwards, I'm not sure if I'll continue into the Key of the Starry Skies Arc. Honestly, I like the characters in it, meaning Michelle and a couple of the Zentopia people, but I don't like most of the stuff that takes place. On the plus side, I enjoy when Gildarts is around, and him farting in Laki's face was one of my favorite moments in the series. But on the down side, I have more ideas for an original arc, so I might put my time into that. Besides, I hate the Jiggle butt Gang with a passion, seriously, fuck those guys.**

 **Anyway, enough rambling. I'll leave you with this, the new act in the Foggy Mystery Arc. Hope you like, Bootyslap the review button and leave ma review telling me what you think.**

 **This chapter is brought to you by unexpected packages. For when you are expecting a package and you got something totally different. Seriously, I bought myself a Coconut figure on the ebay, and I thought it was going to be big, the actual size was about the size of a nail polish bottle. I was so disappointed, especially since I paid 30.00 for it. But on the plus side, my Kurumi Tokisaki figurine comes in tomorrow and I can't wait to unbox it!**

The Foggy Mystery At Fogbound Lake Arc

Chapter 23

Foggy Foggy Mystery

Doku and his friends looked around their base camp, frowns on their faces. It was early in the morning already, but you couldn't even tell just by looking. The entire clearing at the edge of the forest was covered in a thick fog. The base of Mount Horn was barely visible. High above them was nothing but fog. The wind flew softly, moving the trees slightly. In the center of the clearing was their fire pit, the fire burning brightly. The heat shed light around the area, but it was still unable to provide sufficient light throughout their base camp. Still, it would have to do.

Koffman yawned loudly, poking at the fire with his stick, making the flames grow a bit in size. He looked at Zuke who was busy playing with a Rubiks cube. As long as he had known the man, he had always had that cube, always trying to figure it out. He shifted his vision back to his leader, a frown on his face.

"Do you think those idiots got the map yet?" he asked.

"Maybe...give them time, remember they're going up against two dragon slayers." Doku replied.

"Those two are just kids, they aren't shit compared to Paul." Zuke said, the clicking of the rubiks cube growing a bit louder. He smiled a bit as he finally got one of the sides done. He moved on, trying to get another side finished.

"But they aren't alone...they got that girl with her, the Basilisk Slayer."

"Yeah so? They're targets are the Blue Flare and the Sky Maiden. They have a script mage, I doubt they could get through an enchantment. It won't be long now. Red Hood will get here with that map and then we'll move on to locating Fogbound Lake ourselves. That treasure will belong to us, Team Skull of Sylph Labyrinth!" Doku said cheerfully.

"I wonder what it is? Undiscovered treasure? Jewels, Gold?" Koffman asked. Doku smirked, placing a hand on his friend's shoulder.

"That my friend is the greatest part of this little mission. Finding that treasure is going to make us famous, not only that the discovery of Fogbound Lake will be enough to make us go down in history. All because of a little boy's map." he said.

"Yeah, but Chief...couldn't we just get a copy of that map ourselves?" Koffman asked curiously.

"You heard that old bat back in Clover Town. Information of that magnitude is kept behind closed doors, nearly inaccessible. That little cat girl was able to get that information because she knew the librarian in that backwater town. We're lucky we overheard her talking about it." Zuke said, frowning a bit. He had gotten the blue side of his cube done, but that had messed up the green side. He sighed, starting over from scratch.

"Heh, those kids...they're something else. Taking on a mission like this, what's the reasoning behind it? I really wanna know." Koffman said.

"Doesn't matter, we're getting our hands on that treasure. Can you believe it, our team gets 25% of the discovery including the treasure. Ha! What a riot!" Zuke said.

The trio heard footsteps and ceased their chatter, looking over their shoulders. They smiled a bit, thinking it was their friends at Red Hood, only to grow shocked when they saw Team Flaming Skies, or at least most of them. They all groaned, tiredness written on their faces.

"Whoa, about time you got here! We've been waiting for a couple days already!" Doku said cheerfully, though inwardly, he was pissed off.

" _Why are they here? I thought Red Hood would take care of them."_ he shouted in his mind.

"Sorry about that, we had some trouble. We ended up running into a dark guild along the way." Phoebe said, setting down her pack.

"You did? What happened?" Zuke asked, feigning concern.

"Well, our friends Aiden and Wendy were exploring the abandoned village when they were attacked by a the dark guild, Red Hood. I wish you could have seen it, Aiden and Wendy wiped them out. Aiden even went into Dragon Force!" Phoebe cried cheerfully.

"Dragon Force?" Zuke cried, completely shell shocked. Doku swallowed the lump in his throat. He looked around, only noticing four people.

"Weren't there six of you?" he asked.

"Yeah, Blue Flare and the Sky Maiden aren't here."

"They're still pretty injured, so we left them back at the village with one of our friends. She's a healer so they'll be here real soon. In the mean time, we're going to set up our stuff. If you want you can start exploring, our goal is to map this entire forest so we can find the location of the lake. It has to be somewhere around here." Phoebe said, grabbing her pack from the ground.

"Alright, I suppose we can get started." Doku said gesturing for his friends to get up.

"Do you know when your friends will get here?" Zuke asked, looking at the white haired girl.

"In two days, and we have to get everything set up and ready by then." Carla said, brushing past them. Doku didn't say anything, instead he just walked away from the base camp, walking deeper into the forest. When he was far enough, he slammed his fist against the nearest tree, anger coursing through him.

"Goddamn it Paul! You had one fucking job!" he said.

"What are we gonna do now boss? We weren't expecting the kid to go into Dragon Force." Koffman said. Doku smirked, reaching into his pocket.

"We'll go with plan B of course. We'll need to round those girls up...after that we'll focus on waiting for the kids to arrive. When they do, we'll get that map." he said firmly. Zuke and Koffman smirked, laughing inwardly. It was going to be a good treasure hunt.

xxx

"Alright, here's an easy one. What is a seven letter word that contains thousands of letters?" Aiden asked, looking at the two girls beside him. Chelia adopted a pensive look, her lips pursed in thought.

"Is it a mailbox?" Wendy asked, earning a nod from him.

"That's correct. Man, you are getting better at these riddles!" he said cheerfully. She blushed giving him a smile.

It had been two days since their fight against Red Hood. Aiden and Wendy had been beat to hell by Paul, the Iron Make Mage. However thanks to Chelia's constant healing, they had been able to make a near full recovery. Aiden had a few cuts on his arm from the iron shavings, but other than that he had fully healed. Thankfully Wendy didn't have any new scars, which was a welcoming sight. The two were walking hand in hand, after admitting their love for each other.

It had taken them quite a long time to convince Carla to leave without them. She thought they would start doing naughty things the second she left. Aiden countered that he respected Wendy and would never do that without her consent. He had finally convinced her when Chelia volunteered to stay behind with them. Besides, he told her even if they wanted to do anything, they wouldn't be doing it with a kid nearby.

Sherry had been silent ever since Aiden and Wendy got together. She seemed to be ignoring the two dragon slayers, much to their relief. She hadn't spoken a word to them, only to Chelia who had been relaying everything to them.

Now, the three of them were walking down the north part of Mount Horn, descending into the fog. Their visibility had decreased a bit, but thankfully their other senses hadn't been affected. Wendy giggled, glancing at Aiden.

"I've had a good teacher...besides they've been easy. You've just been giving me the easy ones because you like me." she said.

"No, that's not true!" he called back.

"Ew, stop acting so lovey dovey." Chelia cried out. Aiden chuckled, wrapping his arms around the little girl. He lifted her up, placing her on his shoulders.

"Alright, I'll stop acting lovey dovey. You just want me to give you more attention though!" he said.

"Big brother don't drop me!" she cried, holding onto him as tightly as she could.

"I'm not going to sweetie. What do you see?" he asked.

"Fog...lot's and lots of fog." she replied. They had finally descended the mountain, reaching a rocky path that extended before them. They only saw a few hundred meters ahead of them. The wind was blowing slightly, but the fog wasn't even effected by it. It felt rather humid as well, most likely one of the causes of the endless fog. The smell of lush trees filled the area, oak and evergreen, mixed with the scent of burning wood. The base camp was near, he could tell.

"You know, I've noticed something Aiden. This Fog...it doesn't feel like fog...it doesn't smell like fog either." Wendy said.

"Oh right, sky dragons should be able to tell the difference between fogs right...I can't smell a thing, other than the trees and burning wood." he said.

"It tastes yummy!" Chelia said, gulping down a bit of the fog. The area cleared a bit, only for the fog to return a second later.

"Interesting." he muttered.

They finally appeared at the base camp, seeing all of the large tents being set up. There was a large fire pit in the very center of the camp, various packs had been placed about, along with cooking utensils. They saw someone leave one of the tents, and noticed that it was Doku, one of their partners for the quest.

"Yo, about time you showed up!" he said cheerfully.

"Hey, Doku right?" Aiden asked, earning a nod from him.

"Heard from the nekos that you got attacked by a dark guild. I'm mighty sorry that happened to you guys, but it's good to see you're alright." He said.

"Heh, nothing a couple of dragon slayers couldn't handle." Aiden said cheerfully, a bit of cockiness in his voice. Wendy rolled her eyes.

"Where's cousin Sherry? And big sis Phoebe?" Chelia asked, looking up at the purple haired man.

"Oh, you're friends were all excited about exploring the forest, so they've been hard at work searching the place up. Figured you would want a map of the areas already explored so you could avoid them. They left a few hours ago." Doku said.

"Hmm...alright...I didn't think they would want to explore without a debriefing. So long as they're careful." Aiden said.

"Even Sherry is exploring? That's odd of her." Wendy muttered under her breath. She shook it off, heading toward the white tent that was in the shape of a cat head.

"I'm gonna go freshen up a bit, we'll head out soon." She said, giving Aiden a shy wave before disappearing into the tent. Aiden yawned, heading toward the orange one.

"Me too. Come on Chelia, I'll help you get ready." he said, pulling his vest off his body. The two disappeared within the tent. Doku smirked, rolling up his sleeve to reveal his communications lacrima.

"Koffman, Zuke...they've arrived." he said quietly.

" _Great news Chief!"_

" _We still haven't found the lake. It's been nothing but fog."_

"You'll find it soon...but now I'm closer at snagging that map. The area that's been explored is marked inside it, we'll be able to find the lake with great ease!" Doku said, a grin on his face.

" _What about those mages? The potion will wear off soon, and they aren't going to sit still."_ Koffman said.

"Don't worry, I'll dispose of them when I get the map. I'll knock out those three kids and then toss them into the forest where they'll never be seen again." he said, biting back the urge to laugh.

Wendy smiled brightly to herself. She was glad to finally be in the Foggy Forest. She was sitting down on her cot, brushing her hair, humming a song. She remembered being taught how to sing it by her mother Grandeeney, but since she was so little she didn't remember the words.

She had changed out of her dirty clothes, putting on a light camisole. It was a light pink color with white ruffled layers. She had a black ribbon tied around her waist, and a white pair of shorts. She was also wearing her favorite pair of sandals. She finished brushing her hair, gathering her hair up behind her head and tying it up with a pale yellow ribbon. She smiled at her reflection, closing her pocket mirror.

"Well, I'm ready to explore. Just thinking about that treasure has me excited! Hopefully the others are doing alright!" she said, standing up from the cot. She looked around the tent, seeing it was oddly clean.

Carla normally kept their room clean, often times hounding the blue haired girl when there were piles of clothes everywhere. But this..it looked as if she hadn't even unpacked. Surely she would have set up her bed how she wanted it before exploring. She noticed a gold chain sticking out of her bed sheets, something she recognized.

"Is this...Aiden's pocket watch?" she asked, grabbing the trinket from the ground. She hadn't seen it often, but she knew that Aiden kept this close to himself whenever he was around.

She looked at the lid, seeing a beautiful rose bloom etched into it. There was a lot of detail, enough to tell what the flower was from a passing glance. Pressing the top button, the lid opened up revealing the clock face. On the inside was a small picture, Aiden's true family. His mother and father, and his sister Kurumi. Brandon wasn't in the picture, for obvious reasons. The watch seemed to have suffered no damage. She closed it and placed it in her pocket, keen on returning it to the owner.

She left the tent, just as Aiden and Chelia had left theres. The little girl was wearing lighter clothing, having shed the jacket she had been wearing near the mountain top for a tee shirt and some shorts. She ran over to Wendy, giving her a hug.

"Hey, either of you hungry? I don't mind cooking us up some grub before we go." Aiden said.

"Well, I am a bit peckish." Wendy said, placing a hand on her stomach.

"Ooo yes, please cook for us big brother! I've never tasted your food before." Chelia said. He smirked, flicking his wrist, making a frying pan to flash into his hand.

"Then hold on to your butts because it's gonna be a good one." he said, grinning. They walked over to the fire pit, throwing in some more fire wood into it, willing the small embers into a fierce flame. Aiden set the frying pan down on the rack, grabbing the food pack that had been placed there. He dug around it, noticing some stuff was missing.

"What the hell? Some of the canned stuff is gone." He said, looking up at Wendy.

"It is?" she asked.

"Yeah...most of the ready to eat food is gone, along with some water...maybe the girls took some with them in case they were too far from camp. It's weird, I'm sure they would have left a note or something." he said.

"Hey Mr. Doku, did big sis Phoebe say when she would be coming back?" Chelia asked. The man turned around, giving her a thoughtful look.

"Not really. She said, I'm gonna go find me a lake, then I'll rub it in Aiden's face and be the richest girl in the world! Then she just took off!" he said.

"That sounds like something she would say. Oh well." the blue haired boy said. Aiden pulled out a portable table from his requip pocket and instantly set it up. He grabbed some a water lacrima and channeled magic into it, filling one of the large pots with water. He set it atop the rack, next to the frying pan.

"Wendy would you mind cutting up the vegetables for me? I'm gonna make some stir fry as well." he said.

"Sure thing Aiden, I don't mind at all." she said happily.

"Can I help big brother?" Chelia asked.

"If you'd like. Here, you can cut up the meat, I need it in small cubes okay. Wash your hands first." he said, handing her a water lacrima.

"So kid, we're you really raised by a dragon? Or is it all make believe?" Doku asked, taking a seat on one of the logs. Aiden glared at the man, making him shiver.

"Of course I was raised by a dragon. I would never lie to anyone, especially about my father." he said, slamming the knife on the board a bit harder than he wanted too. Thankfully he didn't cut himself.

"Sorry, it's just...dragons are nothing but myths. So hearing about kids wielding their magic, it's hard to wrap my mind around you know?" he asked.

"I suppose so. Grandeeney said not a lot of people would believe us if we told them, but we try to explain it as best we can. I was only five when she left me." she said.

"I was six when Atlas Flame left. I was all alone, in a village of giants with only my sister Flare as my company. I was sad...so I decided to go searching for him, something I'll always regret." he said with a frown. He added a bit of oil into the pan, allowing it to heat up before throwing the vegetables into it.

"Sweetheart, if you hadn't left the village we wouldn't have met. Don't regret it, besides Flare forgave you." Wendy said, placing a hand over his own. He blushed a bit, turning his attention to the pan. Doku rose a brow, seeing how close they had gotten in the time he had known them.

"That's right I suppose. I crossed all the way from the other side of Fiore, and I found myself a guild, a place I can call home." he said, glancing at his guild mark, a look of pride on his face.

Not long after, Aiden finished cooking. It wasn't anything special, just a vegetable and meat stew, along with some white rice and some stir fried vegetables. The aroma of freshly cooked food wafted throughout the base camp. Aiden had been expecting Phoebe to come running, but he was surprised when she didn't show up. He was starting to grow a bit worried about his friends.

"This is amazing big brother!" Chelia cried out, already devouring her second plate. He smiled brightly.

"Glad you like it." he said.

"How'd you learn to cook like this kid? It's not half bad." Doku asked.

"Well, traveling around Fiore gives you enough time to pick up some things. I learned how to cook from my father, but beyond flame broiling things, I decided to learn about other means to cook. I picked up some spices in Veronica, a small country within Fiore, which is located north of here. I also learned mostly from books and from hands on experience. Not a lot of places are willing to hire a ten year old kid and his cat." he said, a laugh escaping his lips.

"Well, I gotta say you have impressed me. However, I have to get going. I promised my teammates I would help with the search. Will you be sticking to camp to wait for the others or search on you own?" the man said, placing the dirty dishes in one of the bins next to the water buckets.

"I think we're gonna search the area. We have to follow the areas that were searched by Yuri Dreyar, which is why I had told them to wait for us, but I digress. You go on, have fun." he said amiably. The man nodded and walked off, heading up the path that lead deeper into the foggy forest.

"Aiden...something is wrong here." Wendy said quietly, catching his attention.

"I know...somethings been bugging me, but I don't know what it is. The food issue is one...there's also the fact that the girls haven't been at camp at all." he said.

"They haven't?" Chelia asked curiously.

"No...well they have...but their scent is old. I thought it was the fog messing with my senses, but when I went inside our tent, I could tell Phoebe hadn't slept in there. She did change clothes, but aside from that, nothing." he said.

"Aiden, did you give Carla your pocket watch?" Wendy asked. He gave her a nod.

"When we were under he Craggy Coast, we had to swim through an underwater chamber, to find another air pocket or an exit. I told her if I wasn't back in five, to pull me out. I gave her the watch then, and I must have forgotten to get it back. Why do you ask?"

"Because, I found it under her cot. I know Carla, she doesn't leave behind important things, especially things like this." she said, handing him the watch. He looked it over, checking it for damage. He frowned a bit.

"This was my father's pocket watch. My real father, not Atlas Flame...I remember going back after the fires had died down. The bad people had left and all of the bodies had been removed from all of the unburned houses. I found this pocket watch underneath his pillow. He had it with him all the time. It's a family heirloom." he said, clutching it tightly in his hand.

"Aiden...I'm scared. What if something happened to them?"

"I doubt anything has happened to them. Doku said they had been here earlier. Maybe they didn't sleep here at all and just stayed in the forest, coming back for supplies and what not. We won't find out sitting around here." he said, standing up. He gathered the dirty dishes, placing them in the bucket.

"I hope you're right. For now let's just focus on finding the lake." she said. He nodded, taking a hold if her hand. The two of them walked into the forest path, keeping an eye around their surroundings. Chelia raced past them, laughing joyously.

"Jeez, such a bundle of energy." Aiden said, a smile on his face.

"She did eat two helpings of your food...won't be long before she's tired again." Wendy replied, giving him a warm smile. He blushed a bit, looking right into her eyes. He leaned forward, about to kiss her when...

"Big brother look! I found something!" she cried, grabbing his attention. He and Wendy quickened their pace, stopping next to the pink haired girl.

"What did you find sweetie?" he asked.

"This, it's a pretty rock!" she said. He knelt down, grabbing the rock from the ground. He looked it over, seeing it was in the shape of a heart, and it was pretty warm.

"This is weird...this rock...it's like it has a burning fire inside it." he said, handing it to Wendy. She gasped in surprise, not expecting it to be warm.

"Do you think this is a magic rock?" she asked, looking at him.

"I don't know, but it is a good find. Good job Chelia, you get to keep it, since you found it. Put it in your purse okay?" he asked.

"Okay big brother." she said, taking the rock back. She opened her green purse, placing the rock inside it. The three continued on their way.

xxx

"Man, I really jumped the gun this time!" Phoebe groaned quietly to herself. It had been two days since she had arrived at the Foggy Forest. In her excitement, she raced off into the woods with a small supply of food in case she didn't come back to camp. She wanted to help her partner out with the map, but she had just gotten herself lost.

She had been walking around the forest, not really knowing what direction she was going in. All she could see was the silhouettes of trees, fog and woodland critters scampering about. Nothing on Fogbound Lake, or any water source for that matter.

"Man, me and my big mouth. Maybe Aiden is right, I should focus less on treasure and more on getting stronger." she muttered to herself. She landed on the soft grass, allowing her tired wings to disappear. She stretched her arms, popping her shoulders. Her stomach growled a bit, and she groaned, looking at the ground with a deep frown.

"I shouldn't have eaten all that food...I should have left at least one can of Spaghetti." she cried out. Her ears twitched a bit as she heard voices. She smiled brightly and started prancing toward them, thinking it was her friends. She however stopped when she realized it wasn't Team Flaming Skies, rather Team Skull, the hired help. She pressed herself against a tree, trying not to be seen.

"So Chief, what's the plan now? Those kids are at their weakest right? We should hit them now!" Koffman said.

"We can't just attack them you dumb shit! We have to get them when they least expect it. That way when can use out strongest sleeping rounds." Doku replied.

" _Sleeping rounds?"_ Phoebe thought to herself. The three men passed by her, and she scurried behind them, using the fog as cover.

"Alright, so we wait for the brats to be unaware, but what about the other broads? That pink haired wench won't stop complaining, and the Basilisk Slayer has been trying to bite through the stone shackles all morning." Zuke said.

"She can try all she wants. Magic Seal Stone makes it impossible for them to use magic. That also renders her abilities useless." Doku reassured.

"Man, it's great not being susceptible to magic stones like those idiots. Sylph Labyrinth really does know how to get good toys!" Koffman said cheerfully, placing his hands behind his head. Phoebe's eyes widened in shock.

" _Sylph Labyrinth? The Treasure Hunting Guild? No...now it makes sense, why they don't use magic and their interest in the treasure!"_

"Idiot! Don't say that, they could be nearby!" Zuke said, slapping the man in the back of the head.

"Zuke is right, Dragon Slayers have extremely good hearing, even if they can't see us, they'll be able to hear what we say. We wouldn't want to blow our cover early would we?" Doku asked.

"That's right. Sorry Chief." Koffman said, glancing at the ground, an apologetic look on his face.

"There is something else, that white haired neko was able to get away. I got a good crack at her, but I'm not sure where she went after that." Zuke said.

"Don't worry, if you used the potent stuff, she isn't waking up any time soon. Those sleeping rounds usually last a week...we should have used those instead, but those girls dying of starvation isn't an option, oh well...if she dies that's her own problem." Doku replied. Phoebe grit her teeth, clenching her hands tightly on the trunk of the tree she was hiding behind.

" _I have to get out of here. I have to find Aiden and Wendy!"_ she thought to herself. She took a few steps away from the tree, trying to be quiet. She stepped on a tree branch, snapping it in two. She grit her teeth and jumped up toward the tree, reverting to her exceed form to hide in the foliage.

"What was that?" Koffman asked.

"Probably some animal." Zuke said, not really paying attention.

"No...I don't think so. Remember, that other neko is around here, she took off before we got a shot at her. She might be lost." Doku said, grabbing his shotgun.

"Oi, aren't exceeds like super rare? Do you think we can get money out of her?" the man asked.

"Pfft, who the hell would want a talking cat?" Zuke asked, glaring at Koffman.

"It isn't just a talking cat. It's a talking cat _girl_. Imagine all the fun people could have with her...especially those guys that have fetishes for things like that." the fat man said, a grin on his face.

"I like the way you think. Here kitty kitty...I promise we won't hurt you...that don't mean your next owner wont!" Doku said, taking aim into the trees. Phoebe was panting hard, trying not to be found. She grabbed her tail, making sure not to leave herself exposed.

"Chief, I don't think she's even here. Look at all this fog? How do you think she would find us?" Koffman asked. Doku lowered his shotgun, giving him a nod.

"You're right. Let's just focus on setting up that ambush, knowing those idiots, they'd probably stick to this path and hope to find something. It will be much easier on our end. We'll just wait by that statue we found earlier today." the man said, placing his gun on his shoulder. He and his friends walked off, disappearing into the fog. Phoebe let out a sigh of relief and summoned her wings, shooting into the air.

"I have to find Aiden...but...Carla is out there too...damn it. What do I do?" she cried, stopping in mid air. She wanted to warn her friend, but she knew she needed to find Carla since she was injured. She hissed angrily and spread her wings, shooting into the air. She had to find her friend, and this fog wasn't going to stop her.

xxx

Aiden and the girls had been silent since leaving the base camp. They had made excellent time with their exploration, but had yet to find anything. They had been sticking mostly to the main path, but were unable to discern a lot of things due to the fog. Aiden looked at the sky, not even seeing the sun, something that he found weird. Even if it was densely foggy, the sun should have been visible, if not entirely, then at least the disk. He stopped mid stride, deciding to take a bit of a break.

"Something wrong Aiden?" Wendy asked, looking back at her boyfriend. He looked at her, brows furrowed.

"I've been thinking about what you said. This Fog doesn't feel natural...normal fog feels a bit cool and moist. This feels like a thick blanket, like if I we're walking through a snowstorm."

"I've been thinking about it too. It doesn't feel like fog at all...it feels like something else." Chelia said.

"What do you think it is Chelia?" Wendy ask, looking down at the little girl. She hummed to herself, snapping her fingers.

"You know when you take a bath and it gets all foggy, and you can write stuff on the mirror? It feels like that." she said.

"Steam? You mean steam right?" Aiden asked. Wendy's eyes widened as she clapped her hands.

"Steam, of course! That's why it feels so different, it doesn't feel like fog because it isn't fog. It's the result of water being super heated, air that's filled with water particles!" Wendy said cheerfully.

"Carla was right...there has to be a ventilation chamber for a volcano around here, that would explain the thick amounts of fog. But...Fogbound Lake being near a volcano? That's a little odd." Aiden said. They kept walking along the path, eventually reaching the end. The area was devoid of plant life, unlike the forest they had been walking through.

It was a large clearing, with thick green grass and large pools of water all over the place. All around them large water falls fell, landing the pools of water with a great splash. They walked ahead for a few more meters, seeing a massive mountain ahead of them. Looking to either side, all they saw was the brownish red rock formation standing ahead of them.

"Dead end. Looks like we'll have to go back to base camp and look at this from another angle." Aiden said.

"What we need to do is get rid of this steam. If we could use the sunlight, we might be able to find the lake." Wendy said.

"Do you know how hard that's going to be sweetie? Look around, it's like a massive blanket. I agree that's what we have to do, but for now let's just go back. Besides the others might be waiting for us to return." he said.

"Big sis is right, let's at least try to get rid of the steam." Chelia said, tugging on his shirt. He sighed, knowing he couldn't disagree with her.

"Fine, but what do we do?" he asked.

"I think I have something." Wendy said, taking a couple steps forward. She took a deep breath, pulling her hand back.

"Sky Dragon's Crushing Fang!" she chanted, taking a swipe at the steam in front of her. The thick tendrils of wind magic sliced through the steam like hot butter, but it was instantly replaced. She frowned, scratching her head.

"My turn. Sky God's Boreas!" Chelia cried, jumping into the air. Thick blades of black wind and feathers swirled around her hand, as she threw it forward. It slammed into the mountain, breaking some of it into tiny pieces. The Steam remained the same.

"Muu...that was one my of strongest attacks!" Chelia whined, crossing her arms. Wendy smiled, placing a hand on Chelia's head.

"I have an idea. Let's combine our magic Chelia, we might get a better result that way."

"Okay." the girl said happily. Both of them took a deep breath, sucking in some of the surrounding air.

"Sky Dragon's Roar!"

"Sky God's Bellow!"

Aiden shielded his eyes as the girls unleashed their breath attacks. The greenish blue wind melded with the black wind, turning into a violent gale that shot high into the sky. The attack exploded outward, clearing most of the steam in the area, but it didn't do a thing to the surrounding steam. They all watched slack jawed as the steam cover was quickly restored.

"Aw man!" Chelia said, snapping her fingers.

"Maybe I didn't believe in myself hard enough." Wendy said with a frown, a dark shadow looming over her.

"Sweetie, that was amazing. A true dragon roar if I do say so myself. It's just his pesky steam, it's really pissing me off." Aiden said, leaning back against the statue that was near the edge of the rocky area. He crossed his left leg over his right, a pensive look on his face.

"Hmm...there has to be a water source creating all of this steam. If we can find the magma chamber and plug it up, then maybe that will stop the magma from making contact with the water. That should get rid of the steam!" he said.

"Look around you big brother. There are waterfalls all over the place...and where would we find magma?" Chelia asked, pointing to all of the lakes. Aiden sighed angrily. For an eight year old kid, she was pretty mouthy. He slammed his fist against the statue, a dull metallic sound filling his ears. He rose his hand, seeing three of his fingers were bent out of place. He screamed, dropping to his knees.

"FUCK!" he shouted. His shout morphed into a dragon roar, that ended up scaring all of the nearby wild life.

"Aiden, are you alright?" Wendy cried, concern in her voice. She dropped to her knees in front of her boyfriend who was still clutching his hand.

"My fingers are broken! I just punched this statue and I felt them all snap." he said, fat tears rolling down his face. She sighed, hovering her glowing hands over his own. He hissed a bit as her magic took effect. He could never get used to the feeling of his bones magically popping into place.

"Big brother, you totally discovered something! Look at this!" Chelia cried, looking at the statue. All three of them backed away from it, looking at it wide eyed.

In front of them was a giant metal statue, which seemed to be made from pure iron. It looked like it had been there hundreds of years, as evident from the slight rusting, but the amazing thing about it was the fact that it was a statue of a dragon. It looked like it was made purely out of Earth, its face looked rocky and it had thick boulder shaped scales along its back. Its tail was sticking straight up, and it looked almost like a spike.

"What...what is this?" Aiden said.

"It's a dragon...it's a dragon statue!" Wendy said, her voice barely above a whisper. The statue seemed to be half sunk into the ground, most likely from the weight.

"Atlas Flame never mentioned an Earth Dragon...this can't be real." Aiden said, his eyes were wide in shock as he stared at the statue. He felt Wendy take his hand, her expression was the same. Confusion, sadness, anger, disbelief...it was all swirling together into an endless pool of questions.

"Hmm...look, there's some funny letters on the side of it." Chelia said, kneeling in front of the side panel. Aiden knelt down next to her, seeing the runes written on it.

"The ancient word of dragons...this is written in Dragon Tongue." he said.

"Really? Then let me, I might be able to decrypt it." Wendy said, taking a look at the panel. Her eyes hovered over each rune, inspecting it closely. She went as far as tracing it with her finger tip, making sure she was seeing the correct one.

"Hmm...The beginning says...Reignite the life that burned within Desert Storm." she said.

"Reignite the life? What does that mean?" Aiden asked.

"Just a funny riddle. Hey, you're good at riddles right big brother?" Chelia asked. He smiled, giving her a nod.

"I am...maybe I can figure it out." he said, looking the statue over. He didn't see anything that stuck out to him. He did however see a slight gap in the center of its chest. It was oddly shaped too, almost like a heart.

"Wonder what fits in there." he muttered under his breath.

"I got the next part. The sky will blaze with the sun's heat, and the path to treasure will be revealed!" Wendy said, backing away from the statue.

"The path to treasure? That means Fogbound Lake...this statue is the way to clear the steam!" Chelia cried.

"Which means if we reignite it's life, we might be able to find the lake. This is so amazing Aiden...Aiden?" Wendy called out, looking around for the blue haired boy. She looked at the statue, seeing him slowly climbing up the statue. He got underneath it, inspecting the gap further.

"Hey girls, looks like something fits into its chest. But I don't know what!" he called out.

"Great, now we have to search the area for something...what's the general shape of the object." Wendy called out.

"Its a bit unorthodox...a heart maybe?" he asked. The girls nodded and split up, searching the area for heart shaped things. Neither of them noticed the three men hiding behind some boulders.

Xxx

"Gotta find Carla...I need to hurry...Aiden...in danger." Phoebe muttered, floating a few feet off the ground. She groaned, her wings finally giving out. She panted a bit, sweeping her orange locks from her eyes. She stood up, legs wobbling a bit as she grabbed onto a tree. Her ears twitched as she listened for anyone or anything.

"Damn it...I need to hurry...I gotta get back to camp...Aiden has that map of the areas already explored...that may help me." she said.

"Hnngg!"

Phoebe's head snapped to the right, the sound filling her ears. She raced in that direction, looking around the area. The trees grew thick as the forest got denser. She finally stumbled near a small drop, that lead down to a hot spring. Her eyes widened a bit as she hadn't been expecting that of all things in the middle of the woods.

"Wow, any other time, I would be totally ecstatic about this...but I need to find that sound."

"Hnng...Pho..be?"

She looked over the edge of the small drop, eyes widening when she saw her friend. Carla was laying next to the waters edge, her clothes tattered and covered in dirt and mud. Her face was covered in scratches and she had leaves and twigs in her hair. Her hands were brown from the dirt, and she looked like she had literally dragged herself across the ground. Phoebe quickly jumped down, landing next to the girl.

"Carls, what happened to you?" she cried.

"Doku...evil...shot me...sleeping...bullets." she said drowsily. She yawned, her eyes drooping a bit. She had bags under her eyes and looked like she had been forcing herself to stay awake.

"No...they said those bullets last a week...how is she?"

She shook Carla a bit, the girl forced her eyes open. They were glowing violet, a small magic circle was slowly spinning in the center of her eye.

"No way...she cast the Moon Drip ritual on herself? But the moon isn't even out!" she cried, looking up at the sky.

"Lunar...magic...I can...tell...when moon..is out." she said. She passed out a second later, probably due to the strain. Phoebe slipped her arms under her legs and around her shoulders carrying her bridle style. She she took off, she heard a loud roar not far away from where she stood. The birds that were nesting above them flew off, scared about the loud sound. Phoebe summoned her wings, flying in that direction.

"That was Aiden...he's going to help us...don't worry Carla, I'm not letting you die!" she said, hugging her friend close to herself. Carla smiled in her sleep, settling into her friends arms.

xxx

Iona shook a bit as she heard that roar. She had given up trying to get herself free. She and Sherry had been tied to a tree, with magic blocking stone. She had tried everything she could think of to get the stone shackles off, but nothing had resulted. The roar echoed through the area, sounding almost like a gunshot. She shook her head, trying to get her long hair out of her eyes.

She remembered how she got there. She had finished setting up her tent when she felt a sharp sting in her back. She turned around, about to fling an attack at the person who had shot her, only for her to take a second shot to the shoulder. She passed out instantly. She didn't know how long it had been, but due to the hunger and the adverse effects of dehydration, she guessed it was two days or so.

She heard a groan behind her, and looked over her shoulder, seeing Sherry had finally regained consciousness. She looked around, her eyes focusing on her surroundings. She felt the weight around her arms and legs and tried to move, only for her to reach the end of the chain. She shook them violently, trying to get herself free.

"Don't bother...these are magic sealing stones, we can't use magic." Iona said.

"Huh...the basilisk?" Sherry said, glancing over her shoulder. Due to how she was against the tree, she couldn't see much of the other girl's body, but she did see part of her hair and her leg. The chain had been wrapped around the tree several times, and both of them seemed to have tied together.

"Who did this?" she asked, her voice was a bit hoarse from not drinking anything. She felt hungry, thirsty and tired.

"Those uncouth ruffians, the ones that Cait Shelter hired to help us. They weren't helping us..they're part of another guild." she said.

"What...what guild?" Sherry asked.

"I don't know...their emblem...well it was stitched to the fat guy's shorts. It was a circle, surrounded by a few more shapes, rectangles I think...it almost looked like a target." she said.

"Like a target...no...that sounds like the mark of Sylph Labyrinth."

"Sylph Labyrinth?" Iona asked curiously. Sherry nodded, her pink locks falling over her face.

"A treasure hunting guild. They use no magic, and rely mostly on swords and firearms. They are well known for being the best treasure hunters in Fiore, and have many branches outside of the country as well. If that team is from that guild, then Aiden and the others are in danger...they don't care about us, all they care about is the treasure, finding Fogbound Lake, that's their end game!" she said.

"Well we can't do anything...Phoebe left long before I was attacked, and I don't know if Carla got away. By the sounds of it, Aiden and Wendy made it here already. I can't tell...my senses are all distorted because of this stone." she said, moving her arms a bit.

"We...need to get free but...how?" Sherry muttered. She swallowed the lump in her throat, the dryness bothering her a bit.

"Well...my shackles are a bit loose, but without a lubricant I can't attempt anything...I need something sharp." Iona said, looking around. She noticed Sherry's heel, her eyes widening a bit. She reached back for it, but wasn't able to grasp it.

"Sherry...push your leg back a bit...I need to reach your heel." she said.

"Why?" Sherry asked curiously.

"Just trust me okay?" Iona asked. The woman nodded and leaned forward a bit, pushing her leg as near as she could to the younger girl. Iona reached for it, her fingers wrapping around the sharp heel. With a flick of the wrist she snapped it off.

"Did...you just break my heel? Do you know how expensive these were?"

"Do you know how hungry I am? The last thing on my mind is how much foot ware fucking costs!" Iona snapped angrily. Sherry zipped her lip, not wanting to annoy the girl further. She grabbed the sharp end of the heel and brought it close to her skin, with a quick swipe, she slit her wrist. She tossed the broken heel aside, letting the blood pool around the shackle. She smirked as the stone started to sizzle and melt. It wasn't long before it snapped clean off. She wiped some blood on the other shackles, waiting for them to melt before breaking them off.

"I knew it. This stone gets rid of my magical abilities, but it doesn't get rid of my Basilisk traits. My blood is still acidic." she said. She noticed her wrist had already healed. Due to the nearby steam, she had been able to absorb water directly through her pores, using that to heal herself a bit. She grabbed Sherry's shackles and hocked a glob of spit at them.

"Ew!" Sherry cried, only for the shackles to break a second later. She helped the woman to her feet, though she ended up taking her heels off.

"We need to head back to base camp. We're starving and dehydrated, we won't be able to fight without energy." she said.

"Fine...but what about my love Aiden?" she asked.

"You're love? I thought Aiden and Wendy were a couple now?"

"Oh...right...let's just walk." Sherry said. She felt the warm grass on the bottom of her feet, reminding her that her heels had been rendered useless. She frowned, knowing she would have to get them replaced. For now she would focus on reaching the base camp and getting some food, she was starving after all. The faster she ate, the faster she could find that team and destroy them for what they had done.


	24. Fogbound Lake Arc: Steamy Surprise

**A/N: Hi everyone, this is the Celestial Sky Dragon bringing you Chapter 24 of the Hellfire Dragon Slayer. We're at the Climax of This arc, the mystery will finally be solved, and it won't be long before the lake is discovered. We're fast approaching the the Oracion Seis arc, which I'm actually watching right now. So it won't be long until Cait Shelter is fighting along side the Allied Forces.**

 **So, I'm going to skip the usual bullshit and deliver this chapter to you. I hope you enjoy it.**

 **This Chapter is brought to you by Cats! For when they want to annoy the hell out of you, Cats are always there.**

The Foggy Mystery At Fogbound Lake Arc

Chapter 24

Steam Cave's Steamy Surprise

Their search had resulted in nothing. They hadn't been able to find anything that was heart shaped, or that would fit within the indentation on the statue. Aiden groaned as he hopped down from the statue, feeling exhausted. Wendy sat beside him, as Chelia was still looking next to the pond. He gave her a tired smile.

"How long has it been?" she asked. He checked his pocket watch, frowning a bit.

"An hour or so. We've been here for three after descending the mountain." he said. She leaned into his shoulder, closing her eyes for a bit. He kissed the top of her head, making her smile.

"You know, I'm having fun...if we hadn't come here...I don't think I would have ever admitted my feelings to you." Wendy said.

"Really? I'm sure you would have at some point. You look like the romantic type...honestly...I didn't want a relationship." he said.

"Why not? You...aren't thinking of breaking up with me right?" she asked, looking into his eyes. He chuckled, kissing the tip of her nose.

"Of course not. It's just..I've been focusing on a lot lately, finding my father, locating my brother...getting over my sister's death...along with all of this...I'm still new to this guild, and I want to make it the best it can be." he said.

"You know...you don't have to do that on your own...I know getting over someones death is hard. I've never experienced something like that, and honestly I don't want to. But you don't have to look for Atlas Flame alone...we can look for him together. So long as you help me find Grandeeney." she said.

"Of course, I have to find her too. After all I need to get her blessing...how do you think she'll react if I call her mommy?" he asked. Wendy giggled, shaking her head.

"She would probably look at you in confusion before pulling you into a hug. She gives the warmest hugs!" she said.

"I'll bet...though Atlas Flame gives pretty warm hugs too." he said.

"He is a fire dragon." the girl added. He chuckled, the thought having gone over his head. They looked at each other for a few seconds, gazing deeply into each others eyes. Aiden swept some hair behind her ear, pulling her into a kiss afterward. She moaned into his mouth, returning the kiss with vigor. She was still a bit inexperienced, but the feeling was something she just couldn't forget. She was starting to get addicted to the feeling of his lips, and the taste of his tongue.

"Gross, stop kissing already!" Chelia cried, causing the two dragon slayers to pull away from each other. They were both blushing like crazy. Wendy glared at the little girl.

"I'm gonna get you for that! Here comes the tickle monster." she cried.

"NOOO! Not the tickle monster!" Chelia cried, trying to get away. Wendy jumped at her, tackling her to the ground. Chelia's laughter filled the area as the blue haired girl tickled her all over. Aiden rolled his eyes. He noticed the vibrant rock that had fallen from Chelia's purse. His eyes widened a bit as he saw it.

"Small, red...heart shaped...Girls! I think I found what we're looking for." he said, grabbing the rock from the ground.

"Huh? What did you find?" Wendy asked curiously.

"That rock that Chelia found...it's heart shaped, and it looks like it could fit in the dragon statue. I'm gonna try it." he said, climbing back onto it.

"Aw...but I liked that rock." Chelia said, brushing the grass off her shirt.

"It'll be okay...we'll be able to find more shiny rocks for you to have...we can start a collection, would you like that?" Wendy asked.

"Yes big sis...I want rocks from all over the world. Then I can pelt people that piss me off." she said, a dark look on her face.

"Whoa...maybe tone it down a bit?" the blue haired girl said, taking a few steps away from the God Slayer. Aiden groaned a bit as he pressed the rock into place.

A soft click was heart as the rock was finally in the proper spot. It glowed brightly as the magical energy flowed through thick veins all over the statue. It flowed toward the Dragon's eyes, making them glow a bright red in color. The entire statue glowed a bright gold, forcing Aiden to jump off of it. The light exploded from the statue, sailing right through the sky cutting right through the steam.

It kept sailing upward, almost as if it would slam into the sun. when it reached the highest point of the sky, it exploded, clearing the fog from the entire forest. The brightness died down a bit. The bright sunlight washed through the area, shedding much needed light everywhere. The three mages looked around in awe, seeing the lush greenery and vibrant blue water clearly for the first time.

"Oh my...this place is so beautiful!" Wendy said, her eyes sparkling.

"Impossible...a statue can't be the cause of all this steam...it just can't be. This is completely against everything I thought." Aiden said, looking back at the statue.

"Whoa...look at all the bright waterfalls. I can finally see the pools...we should go swimming!" Chelia cried, jumping into the air. She looked up at the sky, trying to see the puffy clouds above them, but instead she saw something else.

"Big brother...big sister...I think I know why we couldn't find Fogbound Lake." she said, tugging at their shirts.

"Hmm...did you say something Chelia?" Aiden asked. She pointed up with her small hand, causing the two Dragon Slayers to look up. They gasped, unable to believe what they were seeing.

Towering above them was a large rock formation. It looked like a giant bowl had been placed on a large mountain. The rocks were a deep brown in color, and looked to be made of the thickest rocks imaginable. The waterfalls were falling off the edge of it, and they could see lush green shrubs and trees near the edge.

"No way...Fogbound Lake...it must be on that plateau up there. No wonder we couldn't find it! We were just walking in circles ourselves!" Aiden cried.

"Look, sweetie there's a path that leads into the mountain. We might be able to get into Fogbound Lake that way!" Wendy said, pointing to a path that curved around the entire structure. He grinned, breaking into laughter. He spun the blue haired girl around, planting a kiss on her lips.

"We found it! We found Fogbound Lake! That's right, Cait Shelter Found the lake!" he cried loudly.

"Actually, you didn't find the lake." a familiar voice said. Aiden set Wendy down, looking over his shoulder to see Doku and his friends, bearing wide grins on their faces.

"The discovery of Fogbound Lake and its treasure will belong to us, Team Skull!" He said wickedly.

xxx _Before the Fog is lifted_ xxx

"You know...I feel..stupid."

"Shush! Just rest Carla, we'll make it. I'm sure they stuck to the main path." Phoebe said, trying to keep her friend silent. The two of them were dead tired, so much so that she couldn't even fly anymore. Phoebe had her arm secured around Carla's waist, making sure her weight was on her body. The two of them were surprised to still be in their transformed state.

"No...I am...I should have...been more careful." the white haired girl said, a yawn escaping her lips.

"Everything will be fine. We'll need to find the others and see what we can do about this fog." she said.

"Who goes there? Show yourselves!" a firm voice said. Phoebe's face brightened up a bit as she let out a tired laugh.

"Iona! Over here!" she cried out. From the fog, the basilisk slayer emerged, followed by a drowsy looking Sherry. The four girls smiled at each other, glad to be with their friends.

"What happened to you two?" Iona asked, looking at Phoebe and Carla.

"She was shot by those Team Skull douche bags. I'm just a little hungry from exploring the woods. We've been walking in circles for who knows how long. I tried going back to base camp but I can't find my way back." she said.

"We're in the same boat then. We should have been more careful." Sherry said, resting against a tree.

"Those men...they're from Sylph Labyrinth, a treasure hunting guild." Iona said. Phoebe grit her teeth.

"So I was right. I tailed them for awhile and they spilled their plans, they're going to ambush Aiden and Wendy and go after the treasure!" she said.

"We have to stop them." Iona said.

"I don't think we can...Carla is passed out, Phoebe looks about to drop herself and my magic hasn't fully come back yet. Iona you're the only one who can warn them now." Sherry said, brushing some of her hair out of her eyes.

"They took the main path...just stick to it and you'll find them. Look for a statue, I heard those asshats talking about it earlier." Phoebe said. Iona nodded and broke into a sprint, racing into the foggy forest.

She felt a bit tired, and the lack of food was really driving her insane. If only she could find some water, that wasn't the steam in the air; she would be able to stave her hunger, for however long she needed. Her prayers were answered when she found a small pond of fresh water in front of her, the sound of a waterfall not far. She knelt before the lake, dunking her head into the water. She took a deep breath, drinking all of the water she could. Feeling her hunger finally disappear, she pulled her head out of the water.

"There we go, I should be able to handle myself now that my magic is replenished." she said. As she stood up, she saw a bright flash not far from where she was standing. Her eyes widened a bit as the light shot into the sky, destroying the fog surrounding her. She blocked her eyes with her hands, just as the light pulsed by her and into the forest. When the light died down, lowered her arms, looking around. The lush greenery was brighter now that the fog was gone. She could see for miles now, noticing all of the waterfalls. She looked up, her eyes widening.

Standing before her high above the ground was a plateau. All of the waterfalls were falling from high above her, where Fogbound Lake was located. She felt a single tear fall down her face. She sight before was beautiful, the most amazing thing she had ever seen. She could also see large floating land masses next to the plateau, covered in lush vegetation, one of them was the source of a small waterfall, most likely having a small pond on it.

"Amazing...this is...unbelievable." she whispered to herself. She heard the sound of laughter not far from where she stood. Forced to tear her eyes away from the beautiful scene in front of her, she looked forward toward the end of the path, seeing her teammates facing off against Team Skull. She clenched her hands tightly, about to walk over...but instead, she jumped into the nearby pond, disappearing into the water.

xxx

"You...I should have known." Aiden said, getting into a fighting stance. Doku clicked his tongue, aiming his shotgun at Wendy.

"You do anything and I'll blow her head off." he said.

"It's in your best interest to listen to the Chief and stand down. This place, the treasure...it belongs to us. So, be a good kitty and don't move...also hand over that map of yours." Zuke said. Aiden hissed in anger. He couldn't do anything, not without risking Wendy's life. Chelia hid behind the blue haired girl, hugging her leg tightly.

"Fine...we'll let you do whatever you want. We got a kid with us so just let us go." Aiden said, holding his hands up.

"That ain't gonna happen. You kids are gonna go blab to the magic council as soon as we let ya go, just like you did to our friends from Red Hood." Koffman said.

"Dude, shut your fucking mouth!" Zuke cried, slapping the man in the head. He cried in pain, glaring at his friend.

"So...it was you bastards that called those fuck ups. You do know what happened to those guys right? I burned them to a crisp, so much so that most of them won't even be able to drink anything for the next few months. I'm not scared of you!" Aiden said.

"Yeah, well I'm not the one who's facing the business end of a shotgun. Now give us your map!" he said. Aiden tilted his head in confusion and shrugged off his pack, pulling out the rolled up map. He tossed it to the man, who caught it with ease.

"Yeah boy, we hit pay dirt. Now we'll be able to get the treasure of any place in the world!" Koffman said.

"What?" Wendy called out in confusion.

"What is this about? That map isn't special." Aiden said.

"Don't lie to me, we heard you had the map of Yuri Dreyar with you. That guy is legendary, a man who used to be part of our guild nearly a hundred years ago. He mapped out the places of most of the biggest treasure troves around, treasure that he was never fully able to get. Now that treasure belongs to us." Doku said, unrolling the map. His grin morphed into confusion as he looked at the map. It was a very well drawn map of Fiore. There was a thick red line going from Margaret Town, through the fissure, Craggy Coast, Mount Horn and finally the Foggy Forest. There was nothing else written on it.

"What...what is this?" He asked, looking back at the fire mage.

"You honestly thought I brought the map of Yuri Dreyar with me? Only four copies of that were made, and all of them are in the possession of his son, Makarov Dreyar, the Master of Fairy Tail." he said, a grin on his face. Doku crumpled the paper, tossing it to the ground.

"You are going to tell me where Yuri Dreyar's map is right now, or so help me god I will kill your girlfriend and that little shit!" he said, taking aim at Wendy and Chelia. Aiden chuckled, pulling his notebook from his back pocket.

"Well, I did copy down all of the journal entrees from Yuri's diary. This should be sufficient enough." he said, holding it out to Doku. The man looked at him, a bit weary as he approached him. He reached for the journal, only for it to burst into flames. He let out a scream of anger just as Aiden punched him across the face. He grabbed the shotgun and super heated it, melting it into a pile of smoldering ash and metal.

"So...what are you gonna do now big boy?" Aiden said, igniting his fists.

"Get them you idiots!" Doku cried. Koffman pulled his axe from his back, spinning it around.

"I'm going to slice you in half!" he said. Aiden smirked.

"Try me fat ass!" he said, running at him. Koffman threw a quick slash at him, only for Aiden to duck, avoiding the axe. Aiden threw a flaming uppercut to his chain, grabbing his arm.

"Hellfire Dragon's Iron Fist!" he shouted. Koffman screamed in agony as he was sent flying back. He slammed into the Dragon statue, a dull metallic sound filling the area. He was knocked out instantly. Aiden jumped out of the way, dodging Zuke's war hammer. It slammed into the ground, causing a bit of an earthquake. He grinned, seeing Aiden having a hard time standing.

"Now I got you. Hammer Shot!" he cried.

"Sky Dragon's Nut Shot!" Wendy cried, slamming her knee right into Zuke's jewels. The man screamed, letting out a high pitched wail that echoed through the area. She jumped out of the way, just as Chelia raced past her.

"Sky God's Boreas!" she cried, slamming a twister of black wind into the man. It exploded on contact, sending him high into the sky. He landed in a pond not far from them. Aiden grabbed the war hammer, channeling his fire magic into it until it warped and bent out of shape. He turned it into a pretzel and tossed it aside.

"Whoa man, I'm sorry alright? We aren't going to do anything. We'll leave...and you'll never see us again." Doku said.

"On the contrary. I'm not letting you go, I'm going to make you feel a new world of hurt." he said.

"Allow me."

Aiden glanced to the side, seeing one of the waterfalls literally come to life. The water shot at the man, who tried running away from it. The water morphed into a fist, grabbing the frightened man. Iona stepped out of the pond, her body changing back into a solid form.

"You think it's funny to shoot people in the back? To hurt others? Carla is in a bad state because of you, Sherry is dehydrated and woozy...I will never forgive those who injure others. So you will face my wrath!" Iona chanted. She grabbed Koffman and Zuke as well, who were both trying to get away, and placed them in the same water bubble as their leader.

"Water Basilisk Secret Art!" she chanted. A magic seal appeared in front of herself as she morphed the water bubble into a cannon. She did a few hand signs, pointing both hands to the ground. She opened her eyes, tendrils of water flowing toward the orb.

"Hydro Cannon!" she chanted, willing the water to explode. The three men shouted in pain and fear as they were shot hundreds of meters through the air. They sailed so far they became nothing more than a sparkle in the sky. Iona let out a sigh, dropping to her knees.

"Whoa, are you alright?" Aiden asked, dropping to his knees next to the water mage. She gave him a nod.

"I'm just a bit dizzy. I haven't eaten anything in two days." she said.

"Where's Carla, what happened to her?" Wendy asked, worry clear on her face.

"She's fine...a bit drowsy from the bullets those assholes used on us, but otherwise fine. Sherry and Phoebe are fine too." she said.

"Damn it...we gotta head back to base camp so we can get you guys healed." he said, earning a nod from Wendy.

"No don't...we'll be fine." Phoebe called out, finally entering the clearing. Carla was more awake now, the effects of the sleeping bullets having worn off significantly. Wendy ran toward her, wrapping her arms around the girl.

"Oh Carla, are you alright?"

"I'm fine Wendy...tired but fine." she said, hugging her friend back. Sherry groaned a bit, rubbing her neck.

"Man...I can't believe the lake was up there the whole time. Hundreds of years of endless fog, and three kids were able to solve the mystery." she said.

"Not yet, we still need to reach the top. But right now we need to help all of you." he said. Chelia and Wendy were already healing Carla, the girl feeling more awake as the sleeping toxin finally left her body. Aiden grabbed his pack from the ground and pulled out several items, including bottled water and ready to eat meals. He passed them out to the four girls, who wasted no time in eating them.

"You're a life saver Aiden, really." Phoebe said, a smile on her face as she ate her food.

"It's nothing. We got more at base camp, though it's most likely cold by now."

"Would you tell us what happened cousin Sherry?" Chelia asked, sitting down next to the older woman.

"I don't remember much. I remember going into my tent to change my clothes and to get cleaned up, but as soon as I came back out, I just blacked out." she said.

"I saw it...that guy Doku...he shot you guys with sleeping bullets. I was the last one out of the tent. I tried to fight them but he was able to shoot me before I was able to activate my light speed. The best I could do was fly into the woods and find Phoebe, but it took effect before I found her. I forced myself awake until it was night time to activate the Moon Drip ritual, just so I could lessen the effects. I wasn't able to move from the strain though." Carla said, brushing her hair over her ear.

"Jeez, I didn't think exceeds were this strong." Sherry said firmly, taking a bite from her food.

"In our human form, our magic container grows in size. We're able to call forth more magic power, that's why we stay in our human forms for longer periods of time. We have so much magic now that we can stay in these forms as long as we like." Phoebe replied.

"It also helps with our magic specialties as well. Lunar and Solar Divinity magic is an ancient art, one of the many lost magics out there. So we have to practice our magic control, this is realistically the only we can." Carla replied.

"Hmm...you learn something new everyday I suppose. Well...now that we found the lake, what are we gonna do?" She asked, looking at her friends.

"We need to get back to base camp. You all need rest." Aiden said firmly.

"You came all the way here, and got rid of the fog. There's only one thing to do for you Aiden, and that's go up to the lake. We'll be fine..in fact, me and Carla can fly back to camp now and gather everything. You and Wendy can make your way to the lake." Phoebe said.

"But...we can't just leave you here...you guys are hurt." Wendy cried in worry.

"It's okay big sis...I'll stay down here and help cousin Sherry and everyone set up. Then when we're rested we'll join you at the lake." the pink haired girl said.

"Besides, didn't Aiden say he wanted your first date to be at Fogbound Lake? What the hell do you want us there for? We'd just ruin it." Sherry added, a smile on her face. She had finally let everything go, content with her friend being happy. Well...with Aiden being happy, she could care less about Wendy's happiness. The Sky Dragon Slayer looked at her boyfriend, who had a similar look on his face.

"What do you think Wen?" he asked.

"Well...if they don't mind...I think we should head to the lake. We've waited long enough, I think." she said.

"Alright...if that's what you want, then we'll go to the lake. Be careful guys and don't do anything stupid." he said, giving them a wave. He grabbed his pack and placed it on his shoulder, following the side path that lead around the mountain the lake was sitting on.

"That was rather mature of you Sherry. I certainly thought you would want to go up to the lake." Carla said, glancing at the pink haired girl.

"I do...but Aiden...he doesn't like me back, so I'm going to give him up. Besides, I'm sure my Cold Emperor would be sad if I started dating a kitten." she said.

"Not to mention you are far older than him and could be arrested for it." Iona said.

"What was that you imp?" She snapped angrily. Iona rolled her eyes, downing her water in a single go. She smiled inwardly, looking at the green Cait Shelter mark on her hand. She had definitely made the right decision, and she would never regret it.

Arriving at the cavern entrance, Wendy and Aiden noticed the boiling pools of water next to them. Steam was slowly rising to the sky, but not as thick as it had been previously. The two of them stood side by side, looking up at the cavern entrance with a look of awe and shock. How had people missed this, for hundreds of years? Sure the Steam had been thick, but there's no way not a single person missed it. Aiden's heart was beating so hard in his chest he thought it would fly right out. He felt Wendy take his hand, and gave him a concerned look.

"I'm nervous." he said, as if reading her mind. She gave him a smile.

"Nervous why?"

"An undiscovered cavern, filled with who knows what is standing before us. I don't know what to do. This emotion overload is messing with my mind. I'm scared, happy, excited and I kinda want to cry too." he said.

"Wait...why do you wanna cry?" she asked curiously.

"I'm not sure." he replied, making her giggle. He took a deep breath, steeling his nerves. It was now or never. He took a hesitant step, walking into the cave.

It was hot. That was the first thought across Aiden's mind. It was hot and humid in this cave, and it was filled with steam, further cementing the fact that there was an underground magma chamber close to where they were. They kept walking forward, the path started going upward, making them wonder just how high this place truly was.

As they walked, they saw a bright orange light within the chamber they were walking through. Growing curious, Aiden stepped off the path, following the source of light until he found just what he was looking for. It was a large pool of lava, which was bubbling and hissing loudly. Large stalactites hung from above, and cool water was slowly dripping into the pool, making the loud hissing sound they were hearing. Wendy swept her sweaty locks back, panting a bit.

"I've never seen lava before." she said.

"Technically, it's magma. It's only lava when it erupts, but you are right. I never thought I would see this in a place like this." he said. He stuck his hand in it, causing Wendy to scream in shock.

"What are you doing?" she shouted. He chuckled, grabbing a handful of it. He took a bite from it, sighing contently.

"It's been so long since I've had lava this tasty. I remember Atlas Flame taking me to this volcano in the continent of Caelum. It was starting to erupt and we just dove right into it. I was scared shit less, but I found out that I could swim in it if I wanted too." he said, licking the molten magma from his hand. He took out his water bottle and took a long drink from it, handing it to Wendy. The two of them decided to keep going.

It wasn't long before they ran into some monsters. Being that this place had been undiscovered, they didn't even know what they were. He saw one of them walking out of one of the lava pools, rolling toward the center. All of the balls morphed into one giant creature, that roared loudly at them. Its body seemed to be made out of obsidian, with thick lines of molten magma running across its body.

"What the hell is that?" Aiden cried out, taking a step back.

"I don't know, but we have to fight it." she said, about to run forward. He stuck his arm out, shaking his head.

"That thing is letting out heat that's beyond imaginable, your skin would probably melt right off. Stay behind and support me." he said.

"But Aiden!" she whined.

"No Wendy, stay behind. I don't want you getting hurt." he said. She sighed, giving him a nod. She clasped her hands together, dropping to her knees as a blue green magic sealed appeared before her.

"Great Element of Wind that tears the heaven, grant me your strength so that I may support those around me. Fast Wind that Runs the heaven, Vernier, Stout arms that tear the heaven, Arms. Spiraling winds that defends the heavens, Armor!" she chanted. Wind flew from the magic circle, swirling around herself and Aiden. He could tell that his incantation was far stronger than her regular enchantments. He took a deep breath, running at the monster. It threw a a flaming fist at him, which he quickly dodged.

"Fire Make: Explosion!" he cried, forming a giant ball of fire magic in his hand. He slammed it into the creatures body, willing it to explode. It howled in pain, but he could tell it didn't do much. He ducked to the side, avoiding another punch.

"Alright, guess I'll have to skip over the Fire make. Hellfire Dragon's Crushing Claw!" He cried, swiping his fire coated leg at the creature. Blue flames exploded from his foot as it made contact with the rocks. He grit his teeth, hissing in pain. The monster took its chance and punched Aiden hard, sending him flying through the air. He shouted, sending a stream of flaming rocks at him.

"Aiden! Sky Dragon's Roar!" Wendy shouted, violent winds met with the flaming rocks shattering them on contact, sending flying embers in all directions. Aiden jumped out of the lava pool he had landed in and raced forward, dodging the flaming punches the creature threw.

"Hellfire Dragon's Flurry of Dancing Flames!" he chanted, throwing several flaming punches at the creature. He let out a roar as he quickened his pace, breaking apart the creatures chest plate. He ended the combo with a fierce uppercut, throwing the creature back hundreds of feet. He looked at his hands, seeing his knuckles were bleeding a bit, but had been protected by Wendy's magic.

"Aiden, unison raid!" she said. He nodded, taking her hand in his. They rose them high, summoning their magic. Wind and Fire swirled around them, making a beautiful funnel of wind and fire around the two.

"Blue Flames that sears sinners at the hour of their deaths!" Aiden chanted.

"Cool Winds that protect and heal the ones who are injured." Wendy continued, eyes closed in concentration.

"Combine into one to defeat the foes that stand before us. Unison Raid, Flaming Skies!" they chanted together, bringing their arms downward. The funnel shot forward slamming into the lava creature. It swirled around its entire body, preventing it from moving, as it wound up its arm, the funnel exploded, tearing the creature apart.

"Finally...I wasn't expecting that." he said, letting out a sigh of relief. He looked at his hands, lucky Wendy had been with him. The glow of her enchantments died down as the effects wore off. She hovered her hands over his, healing the minor cuts he had.

"Monsters that live in lava...it makes sense for a place like this." she said. Once she was done, they kept on walking, hoping they didn't run into anything else.

"You wanna know something Wendy...I have the urge to play a really cool tune. Maybe a heavy baseline with a bass drop somewhere to add to the ambiance." Aiden said.

"Um...alright then." she said, clearly confused. He just chuckled, ruffling her hair.

They really didn't know how long it had been, but they finally reached a rest spot deep within the mountain. They had faced several other monsters, and had been able to defeat them, so finding an empty chamber was like a godsend to them. They made sure it was empty before taking a break, sitting down on the opposite end of the room. It only had two entrances, the path that lead down, and the one that continued up, so they weren't worried about an ambush. Aiden pulled his pack off his shoulder, pulling out some snacks he had brought with him, along with some water. He handed one of the bottles to Wendy who quickly drank it.

"How long has it been?" she asked, panting a bit due to the heat.

"Two hours, we're making excellent time, it's only two thirty in the afternoon." he said, closing his pocket watch. She nodded, laying back against the wall.

"What do you think we'll find at the top?" she asked curiously. She took a bite from her cupcake, chewing it slowly. He shrugged, opening his baggy filled with cookies. He had been hiding them from Phoebe, knowing full well the exceed would have downed them in an instant.

"A lake." he said, after swallowing his cookie. She gave him a deadpanned look.

"No der, I mean treasure wise. You believe in the treasure right? The statue clearly said there was a treasure here." she said.

"Why the sudden obsession with treasure Wen? Has Phoebe corrupted your mind?" he asked, biting on another cookie.

"No, it's just...the thought of undiscovered treasure, diamonds and gold, and pearls and jewels. It's just so amazing...so much history buried in this place for such a long time...it's enough to make me excited." she said.

"You aren't gonna break into song are you?" he asked, earning a whine from her.

"You are totally making fun of me. You're so mean!" she cried.

"I'm not...honestly. I don't care about the treasure at all, I just...wanna find out what that gem is...what it does...and why that woman asked me to find it. Who is she, what does she want? And why is the gem important?" he said, listing the questions that plagued his mind.

"Guess we both have our reasons to be here. Such a shame the others were attacked...but I'm kind of glad it's just us...I like being with you." she said, her cheeks blushing a bit. He smiled, taking her hand in his own. He planted a soft kiss on it.

"I'm glad it's just us too...this may be my first relationship, but I'm glad it's with you." he said, kissing her cheek. That only made her blush intensify.

They remained silent, just enjoying each others company. Even after they finished their snacks they just sat there resting. After all, they didn't know what awaited them at the top of the plateau. Aiden let out a sigh, pursing his lips a bit.

"Do you think Atlas Flame knew about this place? And Desert Storm?" he asked.

"I don't know...he might've. I'm sure Grandeeney knew Desert Storm as well...after all it is a dragon. They might have left together on that day seven years ago." she said. He looked at the cavern ceiling, a frown on his face.

"I just wanna know why...why did he leave? Why did Atlas Flame just take off like a wisp of flame in the air. He could have left me a note, something to let me know he was gonna be fine. Instead he just left me this fang." he said, grabbing the fang his father had left him. It sat just above his Paopu charm, which had been tucked within his shirt.

"Hey, at least he left you something. Grandeeney just left without a trace...leaving a five year old girl in a forest, alone with no one to care for her...that's just cruel." she said, anger flowing through her. Aiden's eyes widened a bit. Wendy was never one to get angry, to seeing her in this state was a surprise.

"Sometimes, I just sit in my bed in the middle of the night, looking out my window, cursing her name. I just want to find her and yell at her for leaving me behind. But then I remember all of the things she taught me. An important lesson, is that things never last forever. People meet, the become friends, they drift apart. That's just how life is. Grandeeney must have known that she wouldn't be with me forever, so when she thought I was ready, she took off to who knows where. She thought I was ready, but I know damn well I wasn't." she said.

"At least Jellal found you right? And he took care of you, if it wasn't for him then you wouldn't have found Cait Shelter, or Carla, or me for that matter. Grandeeney leaving you was the single event that threw it all in motion. She may have left you, but if she hadn't, none of this would be happening right now." he said.

"I suppose that's true. I wouldn't have so many friends...or be as strong as I am. And I wouldn't get to enjoy your kisses, or your warm hugs." she said, wrapping her arms around his body. He smiled, hugging her back.

"And I wouldn't have met such a beautiful young woman, with a bright personality and a big heart like you. Thank you Wendy, for not only being my friend, but for also giving me the chance to love you." he said. The two of them shared a kiss, loosing themselves in each other.

The whole place suddenly shook, as if something big was moving above them. The two dragon slayers pulled away from each other, looking straight up. It wasn't long before they heard an almost familiar sound echoing through the cavern.

" _ **RRROOOAAARRR!"**_

"No...that...it can't be." Aiden muttered. He felt a shiver go through him, his heart pounding in his chest. He felt a sudden warmth in the center of his chest, as his entire body rocked from the roar. Wendy must have felt the same thing, because she was frozen in place, eyes widened and mouth agape. They rapidly stood up and broke into a sprint, running up the path.

It spun around and and around, growing longer and rockier as they went. No longer did they see large pools full of bubbling magma. Now they saw giant pools of water, which were bubbling from the extreme heat. They ran past them paying no heed to them nor the steam that came off of it. Another loud roar tore through the area, shaking the very cavern, that seemed to be enough motivation for them to pick up their pace. Finally, they saw a bright light at the end of the tunnel, and they ran for it. Momentarily blinded, they entered the deepest part of the cave, seeing that they were in fact outside.

The area around them towered high into the sky, forming a sort of bowl around them. The clearing was long and wide, and seemed to be heading upward. Aiden heard the sounds of water not far from where they stood, the sound of the waves lapping at the waters edge.

"The lake is close...stay on guard." he said, walking into the clearing.

"Are you insane? Didn't you hear that roar?"

"I know sweetheart. I would recognize the roar of a dragon a mile away...there's one here...I can tell." he said, taking a whiff of the area.

It smelled of dirt and dragon pheromones. They were strong, like it had been sleeping in that area. Taking another whiff, he was able to separate the scents. He smelled water and grass, no doubt from the lake, along with urine belonging to the dragon. He was also able to pick up something else, hormones. The ones that female dragons produced. He looked back at Wendy, who had been sampling the air herself.

"Smell that? The hormones?"

"Yeah...they smell like Grandeeney's, only with a lot of dirt. This dragon isn't in heat...but that isn't the only thing I smell here. There's something else but I can't place it." she said.

The ground started shaking, loud thumps filling the area. With every single thump, Aiden and Wendy struggled to stay standing. Another roar echoed through the area, forcing the two to cover their ears. Aiden shook his head a bit, looking ahead of them. His eyes widened in shock.

It was there, coming right at them. Thick rocky scales covering its entire body. It looked to be the size of a giant mountain. Thick spikes grew from its back, trailing down to its sharp looking tail. Its face was wide and it had an elongated snout, with thick brown scales on it. It bore its fangs at them, pawing the ground with its sharp looking claws. It had large leathery wings, covered with sharp looking spikes at the ends. Aiden swallowed hard, looking right at the majestic looking creature.

" _ **Who dares disturb the slumber of Desert Storm?"**_ The large creature bellowed, its bright green eye glaring at the two dragon slayers before her.

"We mean you no harm! We're just explorers who want to see the lake!" Aiden called out, keeping his voice smooth and calm. If he showed fear, she could attack, and that was something he didn't want.

" _ **Explorers? So you were the one who got rid of the Fog? I commend you, but those who want the treasure of Fogbound Lake must go through me. Puny Humans, I will not let you pass!"**_

The large dragon opened its mouth, streams of sand floating around its jaws. With a loud roar it expelled the attack, a giant swirling twister of sharp rocks and sand. Aiden quickly pushed Wendy out of the way, barely dodging the attack. It tore the ground apart behind them, leaving nothing in its wake. The two looked at the spot where they stood, fear in their eyes.

"Holy shit!" Aiden cried out.

"That could have killed us. It's so strong." Wendy said. Aiden hastily stood up, flames surrounding his legs.

"We've come too fucking far to give up now. Do you think we're gonna give up now? Hell no! So get ready Desert Storm, because I'm gonna kick your ass!" he shouted.

Xxx

It hadn't been long since Wendy and Aiden had left that everyone had set up their new base camp around the base of Fogbound Lake. Phoebe was smiling brightly. Team Skull had been dealt with, they had found the lake and most of all, she had been able to take a bath. It had been cold, thanks to the waterfalls, but she had gotten clean and that's what mattered. Sherry and Chelia had volunteered to cook lunch for everyone. It had been agreed upon unanimously that everyone was hungry. They all needed to be ready for when they started to climb up to the lake.

Carla sighed contently, brushing her long white locks. She was wearing nothing but a white tee shirt and her swim suit. Since it was so hot outside, she figured she didn't need to dress up so much. Besides she wanted to go for a swim later, and she wanted to be ready for that.

"There you go sweetie, now all you have to do is stir it, make sure it doesn't burn okay?" Sherry said.

"Okay cousin. Do you think big brother will like it?" she asked.

"I'm sure he will." she said, giving the girl a kiss on the cheek.

"Oh right, my dumb ass totally forgot. When I found Carla earlier today, I found a hot spring!" Phoebe said, earning everyones attention.

"You found a hot spring?" Sherry cried out, earning a nod from the orange haired girl.

"Yeah, it's in the forest, and theres a bit of a drop. It's in this big clearing...I don't remember it much, but since it's clear out now, I'll have no issue finding it."

"Oh man, I haven't been to a hot spring in forever. Last time I went was in Hosenka village, but the tickets are so expensive." Sherry said.

"Tell me about it, honestly me and Aiden just got into a regular tub and used magic. It isn't the same but, that's the cheap way of doing it." Phoebe said.

"I've never been in a hot spring, what's it like?" Chelia asked.

"Well...they're like taking a hot bath, but the water never gets cold. It's so relaxing, your muscles loosen up and you feel like the years are just leaving you." Sherry said.

"I'm in that boat as well. Me and Wendy had been making plans for weeks to go to Hosenka, but she was too shy about it. She didn't want to go alone, for fear of being taken by someone. But now that Aiden is with us, and we have so many friends, she might be up for it. It was a lucky find for sure." Carla said, tying a ribbon to her tail. It wasn't her favorite one, but it would do for now.

"There's nothing better than skinny dipping in a hot spring! I can't wait!" Phoebe said, jumping into the air. Her towel fell off her body, landing around her ankles.

"Jeez, if I didn't know any better I would think you are an exhibitionist." Sherry cried out. Chelia looked at the orange haired girl's chest, shortly before looking at her own. She gave herself a couple soft squeezes, frowning a bit.

"Cousin Sherry, I want big boobs like big sis Phoebe, when can I get them?" she asked.

"Uh...you'll have to wait sweetheart...you'll get them when you are older." she replied.

"Can I buy them? I want them now."

"No, you can't buy boobs...they just grow in." the pink haired girl said.

"What are you talking about? Of course you can buy boobs. Why, there was this one woman we knew, who bought herself a nice pair of..."

" _ **RRROOOAAARRR!"**_

Phoebe stopped mid conversation, looking to the top of Fogbound Lake. Everyone just remained silent, not knowing how to react. Carla swallowed hard, standing up from where she was sitting.

"What was that?" Chelia asked curiously.

"I'm...I'm not sure sweetie."

"That was a dragon's roar." Iona said, jumping out of the pool she had been swimming in. She was wearing an orange bikini, with white frills around the top, and a tiny pink bow in the center of the chest. The bottom had similar frills, and the sides were blue in color. She was holding a small piece of rope with various fresh water fish attached to it. She shook her head, her body absorbing the water on her skin.

"Are you sure?" Carla cried, earning a nod from her.

"Dragons are the natural enemies of us Basilisks. Learning what a dragon's roar sounds like is the first thing we are taught. That was a dragon roar, no doubt about it." she said.

"But the dragons disappeared seven years ago! There can't be one still alive here!" Sherry said.

"Just because the dragon parents of the dragon slayers left doesn't mean that other dragons didn't disappear too. There's a chance other dragons are out there, sleeping or doing who knows what. I have to get up there, so I can slay it in the name of my mother Illgardia." she said, handing the fish to Phoebe.

"Whoa...don't be insane. You aren't a dragon slayer, you can't kill a dragon!" she cried, ignoring the fact that she was still in the buff. Iona looked back, glaring right into her orange eyes.

"Watch me." she said.

"Fuck me, Carla go with her so she doesn't do anything stupid. I'll get dressed and meet you up there, Sherry would you mind holding the fort until we return?" Phoebe asked.

"Not at all, besides we're making food so we can't leave anyway." she said.

"Good, sorry for doing this. I'm sure you wanted to explore this place too."

"No...honestly, I came here so I could bond with Chelia, nothing more nothing less. Being this close to her...it's more than enough." Sherry said, giving her cousin a loving look. Chelia grinned, hugging the woman tightly.

"I'm glad...bonding with family...that's the main reason for this journey. I should go get ready, my nipples are getting hard." she said, ducking into her tent. And for the rest of her life, Sherry would have that statement ingrained in her mind.


	25. Fogbound Lake Arc: The Final Showdown

**A/N: Hello everyone and welcome to the final chapter of the Foggy Mystery arc. All things must come to an end, and this chapter will mark the ending of this arc. What an Explosive ending it shall be. There's going to be a fight in this chapter, and I hope you all are looking forward to it. It took me two days to write, just because I wanted to make it as perfect as I could, so I hope you guys like it.**

 **So, this will mark the end of this arc and the beginning of the Oracion Seis arc. This will also mark the end of an era, at least for Team Flaming Skies as they're time in Cait Shelter is coming to a close. It will be sad when the guild goes, but Aiden is headstrong and he will make sure everyone is happy, even after losing their guild.**

 **I might write an inbetween chapter to separate the arcs a bit. Sort of like an Omake, but I don't know where to place it, if after Oracion Seis or before it. I might do it before. It's gonna be a bit short, but I think it will be alright for an Omake chapter.**

 **I don't know what other things I might toss in there, I might take a bit of a break so that I can finish the Oracion Seis arc. I don't want this story to end up going on Hiatus, but right now I end up finishing a chapter and posting the one I finished previously. I want to have a good amount of things written so that I don't have to keep writing all the time. After all, the more time I devote to the plot, the better the story is. Plus I also need to work on a timeline of events.**

 **After the Oracion Seis arc, there's going to be another mini arc, which will be named Aiden Flame and the Kingdom of the Crystal Pepsi. Yes, it's a spoof of Indiana Jones, but it isn't going to be anything like the movie. It's more of a joke arc, most likely being around three or so chapters. But it will test Aiden's sanity and show the lengths he will go to get what he wants, all for his girlfriend of course. After that, we will be heading into Edolas. There will be another original arc inbetween that one and Tenrou. So until then, look forward to the future chapters.**

 **So, without further ado, here's Chapter 25 of The Hellfire Dragon Slayer. Hope you like it.**

 **This chapter is brought to you by...eh...I'm getting bored of this bit...probably gonna be the last time I use it.**

The Foggy Mystery At Fogbound Lake Arc

Chapter 25

Showdown at Fogbound Lake

Aiden didn't waste a second in running forward. His hand was covered in blue fire as he shot toward Desert Storm. The Earth Dragon took a swipe at him, only for him to flip right over it. He slammed his fist right into her snout, flames bursting from the punch. Desert Storm roared in pain. Aiden shook his hand a bit as he good a good grip on the dragon's snout.

"Ha, take that you overgrown lizard!" he said.

" _ **Don't underestimate me human!"**_ Desert Storm shouted, snapping her head up. Aiden cried in shock, his fingers slipping from his grip. The dragon took a swipe at him, claws covered in swirling sand. He howled in pain as he was thrown across the ground.

"Aiden!" Wendy shouted, fear washing over her entire body. The boy stood up, shaking sand out of his hair.

"You call that a claw attack? My father showed me stronger magic than that. Hellfire Dragon's Roar!" he shouted, unleashing a plume of blue flame that shot at the dragon. She cried in pain, having taken the attack right to her face.

"Now its my turn. Sky Dragon's Wing Attack!" Wendy shouted, rushing past the creatures legs, slamming her wings made of wind right into them. She heard the scales on its legs crack loudly.

" _ **Dragon Slayers! I thought you were all extinct! No matter I shall deal with you!"**_ Desert Storm shouted. She slammed her giant foot into the ground, willing several hundred spikes to shoot out from the ground. Aiden and Wendy jumped around trying to avoid them.

"Fast Wind that Runs the heaven, Vernier!" Wendy cried. The speed boosting magic took effect, giving the two dragon slayers the edge. Aiden jumped from spike to spike, running up the longest one. He pushed himself off of it, shooting high into the sky. He did a front flip mid air, placing his feet together. He smirked as fire swirled around his legs.

"Hellfire Dragon's Tail Strike!" he shouted, slamming his legs into the dragons head. Fire burst from the sides, enveloping the creatures face entirely. He jumped back, landing on the ground next to Wendy.

"When did you make that spell?" She asked.

"A few weeks back, I just didn't have the chance to try it." he said with a grin.

" _ **I'll admit. You kids are strong for your age, no doubt your parents trained you well. You have my utmost respect, but I will not falter!"**_ The dragon bellowed, a loud roar escaping its maw.

"All that magic and it didn't take any damage?" Wendy cried.

"Not she did, I felt her scales break with that last attack. She's weak, not just from our magic but due to her age...we might be able to knock her out." he said.

"Aiden...there is no knocking out a dragon you know...if we keep going.." Wendy paused.

"I know, if we keep going, then we do our job as Dragon Slayers, and kill this dragon! She stands before our goal, and it's goddamn time we lived up to our fucking names!" he said firmly. He broke into a sprint, once again running at the large brown creature.

Desert Storm roared and spread her large wings, with a single flap, she sent the teen flying back. He dug his hands into the ground, just to stop himself from being blown back. He looked to the sides of the plateau, seeing a blue blur jumping off the large rocks formations. His eyes widened a bit when he noticed it was Wendy. The girl still being under the effects of her speed magic had raced up to a higher spot.

"That girl is smart, and she still doubts herself." he said, giving her a loving look. Desert Storm slammed her clawed foot into the ground, causing the area to shake uncontrollably. He cried in fear as he jumped to and fro, dodging the large rocky spikes that had come out of the ground.

"Sky Dragon's Roar!" Wendy shouted, unleashing her breath attack on the creatures back. The earth dragon roared loudly, as one of her wings snapped, rendering it useless. She glared right at Wendy, taking a deep breath.

" _ **Puny human, I will destroy you! Earth Dragon's Roar!"**_ She shouted, unleashing a violent sandstorm from her mouth. Wendy ducked right in time. The spot where she had been literally exploded, leaving a large gaping hole right in the rock formation. Large boulders fell right off the edge, dropping thousands of feet below.

"Holy shit." Aiden muttered. Desert Storm let out another roar, glaring at the two dragon slayers.

" _ **Enough of these games!"**_ She shouted, standing up on her hind legs. The two Cait Shelter mages swallowed hard. When a dragon got into that position rarely anything good came of it. Its body started glowing a bright brown color. They could feel the very ethernano around them pulse slightly from that one act. Even though her wing had been damaged, she was still able to lift her giant form off the ground.

"Wendy!" Aiden called out, earning a nod from her.

"Right, Arms, Armor, Vernier! Enchant!" she cried. Aiden felt the familiar magic wash over him, sensing it was a bit weaker than the previous times it had been cast. He knew Wendy could give them a stronger boost, but at this moment, they just had to hurry. Aiden raced forward, doing several hand signs. A magic circle appeared in his hand as he slid to a stop.

"Go Wendy! Fire Make: Launching Pad!" he cried. The sky dragon slayer screamed a bit in shock as the pad exploded, launching her hundreds of feet into the air, thankfully over Desert Storm's face.

"Sky Dragon's Crushing Claw!" she cried, thick tendrils of wind slammed into her snout, her previous injury from Aiden had been struck, causing the dragon to roar in pain. Wendy summoned a small gale of wind that softened her landing a bit. Aiden shot himself into the air with his fire, pulling his fist back as far as he could.

"Hellfire Dragon's Iron Fist!" he shouted, slamming it into the dragon's chin. Flames burst from the attack, shooting in all directions. It was enough to make the dragon land roughly, slamming hard into the ground. Aiden landed next to Wendy, coughing a bit from the smoke cloud that had picked up. The two just stared at the creature, waiting for it to make a move.

Below them, Iona and Carla were making their way up the Steam Cave. Both of them had been fighting some of the local monsters, trying to hurry up to the top. Iona had been blasting everything in sight with water, making the entire cavern steamy from the heat. They stopped briefly as the whole place shook a bit.

"There's another one. Do you really think a dragon is up there?" Carla asked, staying close to Iona. She gave the young woman a nod.

"I am certain. The roar of a dragon is something that one should not take lightly, for it could spell your own demise. My mother told me countless stories, of humans and basilisks alike being destroyed by those creatures. For her, I shall fall this beast without fail." she said.

"Are you sure your basilisk magic is enough to defeat them?" Carla asked curiously.

"I believe so. My acidic water should be enough to damage its scales. Basilisks are one of the few creatures that can harm a dragon, of course dragon slayers are top tier due to their magic, but we're a close second." she replied. She was glad she hadn't gotten dressed in her usual attire. Thanks to her swim suit, she had been able to remain cool. The last thing she needed was to perspire in a place this hot.

"Iona, what would happen if two people went up against a dragon, even if they had the magic required to kill one?" the white haired girl asked curiously.

"I'm not sure. My honest opinion though, it would be suicide...out of the question. Even with the magic of dragons, two people so young cannot defeat it alone. Perhaps when they are older and stronger they could take one alone, but right now...I doubt Aiden and Wendy can handle this task." she said.

"Wendy...she's been training so hard lately...I believe in her. Aiden isn't going to let her fall." the girl replied. She took her tee shirt off, using it to wipe the sweat from her face. She was getting tired of all the heat in this place. Thankfully, she had also remained in her swimsuit.

"No amount of training will be enough, they might be ready they might not. When it comes down to it, its about how smart they are with they're magic and how fast they can dodge the attacks thrown at them. Hopefully, they aren't getting hurt." Iona said, her green eyes filled with worry. She looked at the green mark on her hand, feeling a sense of dread washing through her.

" _No...Aiden and Wendy are my friends. They trust me, so I should put my faith and trust in them. Good Luck you guys, I'll be there soon."_

Back at the top of the plateau, Wendy and Aiden had dodged another stream of sand and rocks launched at them. They were growing a bit tired, not just from fighting but from the journey itself. They hadn't fully healed from the battle against Red Hood and walking all the way to the top of Steam Cave had tired them out a lot. Aiden stood up, brushing the dirt from his arms and face. His vest had been so torn he just decided to rip it right off his body, tossing the cloth aside. Wendy was in much the same state, having lost her hair ribbon. Her dress was torn in various places and she had lost both of her sandals at some point, leaving her barefoot, not that she minded. Desert Storm glared at the two letting out a laugh.

" _ **I commend you children. You have lasted longer than many enemies I have faced in battle. You're parents taught you well, however they are fools, much like you."**_

"Atlas Flame was not a fool! He was an amazing father, caring and loving. He taught me all of my abilities, which I will use to defeat you!"

" _ **So, I was right. That old fool was the one who taught you magic, I recognize the intensity of those flames boy. But there is something else...something that I cannot fathom...why are your flames blue?!"**_

"That isn't important right now. We have come too far to loose to you!" Wendy said. With a nod to Aiden the two of them once again raced forward. Aiden launched himself into the air, brilliant flames swirling around his wrists. He gave a shout as the tendrils whipped around him.

"Hellfire Dragon's Wing Attack!" he shouted.

" _ **Such Powerful Flames! Where do you get this power?"**_ Desert Storm cried, backing away from the flames. From the corner of her eye she saw a blur. She turned her head in time to see a wind covered foot slam into her snout, slamming her face hard into the ground.

"Sky Dragon's Crushing Fang!" Wendy cried, spinning mid air. She slashed the creature's face, the sound of breaking scales filling the area. Both of them landed on the ground, racing around the giant creature's side, seeing its exposed underbelly. The took each others hands, focusing hard on their magic.

"Now, take this! Hellfire Dragon's Roar!"

"Sky Dragon's Roar!"

Desert Storm howled in pain as the thick roar of fire and wind struck her underbelly. She felt an intense pain flowing throughout her entire body as her scales snapped under the magic. Her skin had held true and she had avoided magic, but she had been wounded heavily. She rapidly stood up, her legs ached but she couldn't expose herself to them any longer. Before she could react though, she saw several wisps of fire surrounding her.

"Metsuryu Ogi!" Aiden cried, a bright blue magic seal forming under his legs. He spread his arms to the sides, a whirlpool of flame forming around him. His hands closed around the fire, as if her were grabbing a flailing piece of rope. He opened his eyes, turning his body around.

"Guren Bakuenjin!" he chanted. The flames burst forward forming a brilliant sapphire phoenix that flew right at the earth dragon. Her eyes widened a bit, a smirk on her face. The fire made contact, causing a large explosion. Aiden stood in front of Wendy using his body to block the dirt and debris from hitting her. The flames died out and the two of them saw the giant creature fall.

"Did we kill it?" Aiden asked, letting out a tired breath. The creature opened a single eye, a proud smile on its face.

" _ **Had I been more than a soul, I would have easily defeated you. But now I shall leave my son to you. Farewell."**_ Desert Storm murmured. Her body started glowing brightly, turning a brilliant gold as it started to disappear. It wasn't long before the earth dragon had faded away. The two dragon slayers were confused.

"An Illusion?" Wendy asked curiously.

"No...somehow I don't think it was. It felt too real." Aiden muttered. They remained silent for a few seconds, smiling happily at each other, only for them to hear footsteps behind them. They both turned toward the hill that lead to the lake, seeing a lone figure standing there.

It was a young boy, who seemed to be a year younger than Aiden. He had dark brown hair, and vibrant red eyes, which seemed to be glowing in the shadow of his hair. He had light brown skin, most likely from all of the sun he got. He was wearing a brown tee shirt, with a black vest over it, along with some matching khaki cargo shorts. He was also wearing a pair of brown shoes. They noticed the tears falling down the sides of his face.

"You...you slayed my mother. For that you are going to pay!" he said firmly. The entire area shook a bit as the boy released his magic power. He let out an anguished scream, hundreds of rock formations shooting out of the ground around Aiden and Wendy.

"Shit! I wasn't expecting this!" Aiden said, running away from the spikes. They were shooting from every direction, aiming right at them. Wendy kept up with him, only for a spike to shoot between them forcing them to let go of each other. Wendy saw a dust cloud under her and jumped back, only for the boy to appear before her.

"Earth Dragon's Igneous Fist!" he shouted. His arm swirled with gray stones, forming a gauntlet of hardened rock around it. He slammed his fist right into her face, sending her flying back several hundred feet. She screamed in pain, slamming into the edge of the canyon they were in.

"Wendy! You fucker, didn't they ever teach you not to hit women?" Aiden cried, fire swirling around him.

"I will destroy you. You killed my mother!" he shouted, racing at Aiden. Aiden ran right at him, arm swirling with fire. They both met in the center, flames and sand exploded outward as they got into a fierce fist fight. Aiden did his best to redirect the attacks, throwing his own when he could but his tiredness was getting to him. He took a punch to the face being launched back a few feet. He crossed his arms in vain as he tried to block the next hit.

"Earth Dragon's Onyx Crusher!" he cried. The boy's leg swirled with sand turning into a black color as black rock formed around it. He roundhouse kicked Aiden through the air, sending him flying through several of the remaining spikes. The boy jumped high into the air, spinning around hard as sand swirled around his torso.

"Earth Dragon's Wing Attack!" he shouted, slamming the hard tendrils of sand into Aiden. The boy howled in pain as he was slammed into the ground. It had been a hard hit, leaving the boy in a crater, pain exploding throughout his body. The earth dragon slayer smirked to himself, his eye widened a bit when he saw the girl get back up.

"Sky Dragon's Roar!" she shouted, unleashing a violent storm of wind from her mouth. He grit his teeth, taking a deep breath.

"Earth Dragon's Roar!" he countered, firing his own breath attack. Wind and Sand met in the middle of the field, forming a giant orb that exploded outward, sending both elements all over the place. Several of the giant spikes tumbled to the ground, shaking the entire area.

" _This boy is tough...he had his mother teaching him magic far longer than we did. We're at an unfair advantage...we're tired and worn out, while he's still ready to go."_ Wendy thought to herself. She wiped some blood from her lip, feeling the aching in her arms and legs.

"Don't you people ever get enough enjoyment from ruining my life? So many people have come here in the past and all of them fell to the might of my mother. Why did you have to kill her, she was a good dragon!" the boy cried angrily.

"She attacked us! We just wanted to see the lake!" Wendy cried. The boy disappeared in a flash, only to appear in front of her. She screamed in shock as the boy grabbed her by the neck. She grit her teeth, not really looking forward to a repeat of the last time this happened. He glared right into her brown eyes, his own red ones were filled with pain and anguish.

"No one sees the lake. I will make sure you never set foot in it."

"Hellfire Dragon's Iron Fist!" Aiden shouted, slamming a flaming fist to the boy's back. He howled in pain, letting go of Wendy as the fire swirled around him. The boy quickly turned around, slamming his fist right into Aiden's jaw, sending him flying into another spike. His body glowed brightly as he sunk into the ground, disappearing from sight.

"Wendy, he's using Diver Magic. We won't be able to attack him while he's under ground!" Aiden cried. The boy appeared right behind him, slamming his fist right into his back, sending him flying forward. In a flash he appeared before him, pulling his fist back.

"Earth Dragon's Ruby Gauntlet!" he shouted. His arm was covered in glittering rubies, forming a large gauntlet right over his arm and fist. Aiden grit his teeth, crossing his arms in time to block the attack with his hellfire. His arms were glowing a brilliant blue as the fire burned on his skin.

"What is this?" The boy cried.

"Hellfire, a fire so strong that it burns any spell on contact. I can't risk loosing here, Hellfire Dragon's Scales!" he chanted. His body ignited as the thick blue flames formed around him. Aiden still remembered, the bright orange flames that covered his father's body entirely. He remembered how scared he had been of them. He could only use this spell for short periods of time, but he would make use of it for as long as he could.

"Tch...I won't let that stop me. Earth Dragon's Igneous Fist!" he shouted. Aiden easily blocked the attack with his arm, groaning a bit from the pain he felt. He smirked pulling his left fist hand back.

"Hellfire Dragon's Iron Fist!" he countered, uppercutting the teen as hard as he could. He sent him flying through the air, giving him the shot he needed. He placed his hands on the ground, channeling his magic through it.

"Flames of Hell heed my call, rip the earth asunder, bathe the sinners with never ending flames! Hellfire Dragon's Lava Plume!" he shouted. Several large pillars of molten blue fire shot from the ground, surrounding the Earth Dragon Slayer. They all exploded, causing him to howl in pain. He slammed into the ground, groaning in pain. Aiden panted hard, it had taken a lot of magic for him to use that attack. He fell down to a knee, wiping the sweat from his brow.

"Did I get him?" he asked himself. He saw a cloud of smoke underneath him and jumped back a few feet. The Earth Dragon Slayer rose from the ground, taking a deep breath.

"Earth Dragon's Roar!" he shouted, aiming his breath attack point blank at Aiden. He cried in pain as his hellfire scales broke off, the flames disappearing off his body. Sharp rocks sliced his skin as he tried to hang onto the ground. The attack ended and he was finally able to breathe.

"Damn, you are a resilient bastard ain't ya?" the boy asked, slamming his foot right into Aiden's back.

"I'm a dragon slayer, it's in the job description! Now Wendy!" he cried out, catching the boy off guard. The Sky Dragon Slayer rose from some debris she had been hiding behind, taking a deep breath. The air flowed into her mouth, filling her belly up with magic.

"I'm not a weakling anymore, and it's time I prove it! Metsuryu Ogi!" she cried out. The boy's eyes widened in shock as a wall of air rose around him, blocking all of his exits. He tried using his diver magic, but was unable too as Aiden was holding him in place, literally. The boy tried to move but he couldn't, his arms being held behind this back.

"What is this? Let me go!" he cried.

"Not on your life!" Aiden hissed into his ear.

"We're both gonna be caught in it, are you insane?" the boy snapped angrily.

"I trust her, after all she's my girl." Aiden replied. He gave Wendy a nod, the girl exhaled as she brought her arms down.

"Shoha Tenkusen!" she chanted. The air around her morphed into a giant funnel of bright light and wind that was shooting right at the boy. His eyes widened as the powerful attack headed straight for him. He screamed in pain when it hit. He and Aiden were both flung back from the attack, slamming into the wall behind them. Aiden let out a groan as he passed out, the tiredness of the day finally getting to him. Wendy panted, watching as the last of her spell diminished. She was tired, hungry, and sweating like a pig, but she felt accomplished.

" _I can't believe...I was able to pull that off. A spell that I vaguely remember from mother...thank you Grandeeney, for everything."_ she thought mentally. She fell to her knees, shaking the dirt out of her hair. She was disappointed and worried that her boyfriend had been seriously injured from her spell, but she knew he was strong. Her eyes widened when the Earth Dragon Slayer stood up. Visible scratches and bruises could be seen on his body. His clothing were torn to shreds, barely clinging onto his body. He let out a roar of anger, grabbing the unconscious Aiden by the neck.

"You Impudent Fools!" he shouted, throwing the boy into the air as hard as he could. He jumped into the air, sand swirling around his wrists, morphing into thick blades of rock.

"Earth Dragon's Wing Attack!" he shouted, slamming his spell into the boy, sending him flying through a few of the remaining spikes.

"Aiden!" Wendy cried, covering her mouth with her hands. Tears ran down the sides of her face as she watched the boy rolling across the ground. He groaned in pain, but was still unconscious. Wendy stood up, baring her fangs. She expelled some of her magic, a powerful gust of wind picking up around her.

"Oh, the little girl still wants to fight? You honestly believe that attack would finish me off?" the boy boasted. Her blue hair whipped around her as the wind picked up around her. Her body was glowing a light green from her magic. She grabbed a torn part of her dress and ripped it right off her body, tossing the garment onto the ground. She had been wearing a lacy baby blue bra underneath, but that didn't stop the boy from looking. The Sun Village mark was peeking slightly from underneath the thin fabric, seeing it was enough to give her strength.

"I am going to teach you not to mess with Cait Shelter! You don't attack the ones who are unconscious, you don't injure the ones who are out of the fight. Now you will face my wrath!" Wendy cried. The boy crossed his arms, brow raised. His expression changed when he saw the girl racing at him, literally turning into a blue. He panicked, and focused on his magic.

"Diver Magic!" he cried, slowly sinking into the ground. Wendy reached him right before he ducked into the ground, grabbing him by his neck, much like he had done to her previously. She pulled him out with all her might, pulling her fist back.

"Sky Dragon's Breakdown Fist!" she chanted, her fist slammed into his chin, a powerful gale trusted him into the air, sending him flying through the air.

" _Gah...how is she this strong?"_ the boy thought to himself. He noticed the girl's hair had changed a bit, turning bright pink in some areas. He also noticed small wing like feathers had grown from her wrists. Pure wind seemed to be swirling around her body.

" _I see...so she has unlocked her Drive spell. I guess I'll use mine too."_

"Earth Drive." he said. His body started glowing a bright brown color as his magic power was increased, he landed on the ground, facing his opponent.

"I'll say, for one so young I'm surprised it took you this long to unlock your Drive Spell." he said.

"What are you talking about?" Wendy asked, clearly confused.

"That state your in girl, it's called drive. In your case it would be Wind Drive, or Sky Drive. Your parent should have taught you that spell when you learned your first secret art." he said, a smirk on his face.

"My mother left me a long time ago. I'm still untrained, but that doesn't mean I'm not strong enough to defeat you!" Wendy said confidently. He smirked.

"Silly girl." the boy said, disappearing into the ground. Wendy looked around, eyes scanning the area. She saw a small dust cloud kick up next to her and backed several feet away from it, taking a deep breath.

"Sky Dragon's Roar!" she shouted, just as the boy rose from the ground. He cried in pain as the attack slammed into him. Wendy raced forward, hand covered in a swirling gale.

"Sky Dragon's Crushing Fang!"

"Earth Dragon's Crushing Fang!" the boy countered, using his counterpart of the same spell. Both attacks met, bursting outward filling the area with wind and sand. The boy jumped several feet away, landing on one of the remaining spikes. He smirked, forming a magic seal before himself.

"Now, face the wrath of my magic. Earth Dragon's Desert!" he chanted. The circle glowed brightly, unleashing a violent sandstorm from it, which slammed right into Wendy. The girl crossed her arms in front of her, trying to stop the sand from hitting her.

" _Crap! This sand isn't going to let me attack him!"_ she thought to herself. Her eyes widened a bit, a smirk forming on her lips. She rose her arms above her head, channeling her magic through them. With a shout she sent the wind outward, destroying the sandstorm entirely. She took a deep breath, sucking in the surrounding air, replenishing her magic.

"You were able to dispel my attack? You little imp! I'll show you!" the boy cried, jumping off the spike. His body glowed a bright golden color as he slammed his foot onto the ground.

"Metsuryu Ogi: Primal Reversion: Earth Dragon's Precipice Blades!" he shouted.

The entire area seemed to shake violently from that one attack. Wendy's eyes widened as hundreds of giant spikes rose from the ground, all of them glowing a vibrant red as if they were made from molten magma. Her eyes widened as the spikes were speeding toward her. Even if she tried to move, she knew she wouldn't get out of it. She frowned, closing her eyes.

" _Man...I really wanted to find that treasure!"_

The boy smirked, watching in slow motion as the girl practically gave up. He knew with her defeat, he would once again be alone. His revenge would be complete, and his mother would be able to rest in peace. He let out a sigh of relief. That is until he saw a white blue zoom past his spikes, picking the girl up just before the spikes struck her. He looked around, trying to find the girl but was unable to see her at all.

"What was that? She couldn't have survived that attack." he muttered, watching the spikes slowly disappear.

"Hey buddy!"

He looked up into the sky, seeing the blue haired girl flying above him, a pair of white wings sprouted from her back. No...that wasn't it. He had heard of those creatures before, the one that had saved the girl was an exceed. The girl looked beat to hell, tired and bruised but she was still fighting. He on the other hand was running out of magic, that last secret art took it out of him. At this rate he wouldn't even last twenty minutes with her.

"I'm still kicking. Don't you know cat's have sharp claws?" she cried out.

"Jeez Wendy, are you seriously using that stupid catchphrase?"

"Sorry Carla, I thought it would be alright to use." the girl replied, poking her fingers together. The boy grit his teeth, tightening his fist. He heard movement from behind him and looked over his shoulder, seeing the blue haired boy had regained consciousness. There was another girl there, wearing a bright orange swimsuit. He flushed a bit, but shook the feeling off.

"How many of you are there?" he shouted in anger.

"Tons, and we've come to see the lake. We aren't going to give up!" Wendy chanted.

"I am not letting you invade my home. You killed my mother, and now I'm going to kill you!" He shouted, jumping into the air. Spikes sprouted from the ground as he climbed higher and higher, aiming his leg at the girl.

"Earth Dragon's Crushing Claw!" he shouted, his leg was covered in stone, forming a sharp claw over his foot. Thanks to Carla, Wendy was able to easily dodge it. She took a deep breath, her cheeks puffing out a bit.

"Sky Dragon's Roar!" she shouted, the breath attack slammed into the boy, causing him to slam into the ground. He swept his arms around, breaking the spell apart.

"Earth's Wrath: Earth Power!" he chanted. He slammed his foot into the ground, causing a violent eruption underneath the girl. The exceed quickly let her go, pushing her away from the attack. She flipped herself in mid air, spinning her body around.

"Sky Dragon's Wing Attack!" she cried, slamming the boy with a swirling gale. He flew back, slamming into the back wall hard. He gasped in pain, feeling the air leaving his body. The girl landed on the ground, licking her lips. The boy hit the ground a second later, laying there for a few seconds. He stood up, letting out another roar.

"Is that all you got?" he shouted angrily. Wendy sighed, a frown on her face.

"I'm sorry about this. Sky Dragon's Breakdown Fist!" she chanted, racing forward. The boy threw a punch at her, which she easily dodged. His eyes widened as she slammed her fist into his face, expelling the last of her magic in that final attack. That was the last thing he saw before passing out. Wendy watched the boy, who now lay unmoving on the ground. She fell down, her legs finally giving out.

"Holy crap, did I really just win that fight?" she asked herself. Carla dropped down next to her, glowing brightly as she assumed her human form.

"What the hell happened here? Wasn't there a dragon?" she asked.

"There was...me and Aiden killed it. Oh no, Aiden...where is he?" she cried, looking around. She noticed him and Iona slowly walking toward her. Somehow finding strength to move, she ran toward him, wrapping her arms around him.

"Aiden sweetheart, are you alright? Did he hurt you?" she asked, checking him over for injuries.

"Uh...okay what the fuck happened while I was sawing logs?" he asked curiously. Wendy was always an affectionate girl, but he had never seen her be this affectionate.

"That boy, he grabbed you after my secret art struck him. He punched you across this canyon and slammed you into the ground." she cried. Even though her magic stores were low, she was focusing on healing him up. He grabbed her hands, forcing her to stop.

"Save you magic, I'll be fine. Let's just rest up a bit." he said, forcing her to sit down. Carla knelt next to them, using her own healing magic to heal them. It wasn't as strong as Sky Magic, but it would do until Chelia arrived.

"You guys are beat to hell...I just wish I got here before the dragon was killed." Iona said.

"Why are you guys in swimsuits?" Aiden asked, looking at the Basilisk Slayer. He had to admit, she looked good in orange, but he knew if he said that, Wendy would slap him and he didn't need that on top of everything else.

"I was fishing in the pools at the base of this plateau. Carla was getting ready for a swim, that's when we heard the roar." she said. Wendy smiled, looking the girl over.

"You look really cute in orange...maybe I should get myself something like that." she said.

"Yes, maybe you should." Aiden added, quickly clamping his mouth shut. Wendy looked at him, shaking her head.

"Sweetie, it's alright if you want to compliment your friend. I saw you looking at her, so it's okay. I'm not going to get mad." she said. He sighed, feeling relief wash over him.

"I thought you were going to kill me or something. But seriously Iona, you look really nice...maybe I can join the two of you for a swim later...you know when my mind, body and soul stops rattling from the pain. At this rate, even taking a piss is gonna hurt." he said.

"Ew gross!" Carla cried, resisting the urge to slap him. They all heard a groan, and they looked up, seeing the Earth Dragon Slayer sitting up. His eyes widened a bit seeing his enemies before him. He tried to stand up, but didn't have the strength to move. Wendy had quickly gotten up, heading to his side.

"Don't move, you'll only exacerbate you situation." she said, worry clear in her voice.

"Leave me alone...you've already ruined my life. Just take what you want and leave!" he said.

"Listen! We just wanted to see the lake, we didn't come to steal the treasure that's here. All we wanted was to find the lake, and we did just that. If it makes you feel better we'll just leave." Wendy snapped. The boy sighed, feeling hot tears running down the sides of his face.

"Why...why did you have to kill my mother?" he asked.

"Hate to break it to you kid, but your mother was already dead." Aiden said, standing next to the boy.

"What...what are you saying?" he asked.

"She was just a soul...she had been keeping herself alive through sheer will power alone. What we were fighting was nothing more than an illusion, being controlled by the remnants of her magic. She had long since died, maybe even before she found you." he said.

"So...she was dead? Maybe that's why she wanted to fight in the first place." he said. Wendy hovered her hands over him, using her magic to heal some of his injuries.

"It's nice to meet other dragon slayers once in awhile. My name is Wendy Marvel, this is my boyfriend Aiden Flame, and our friends Carla and Iona." she said.

"Nicholas Storm, my mother called me Nick." he said, shaking his hand.

"It's nice to meet you Nick. Listen, we're sorry to burst into your home, maybe we should have thought more about coming here." Aiden said.

"We didn't know there would be someone living here Aiden, it could have happened to anyone. Let's just leave." Wendy said.

"But what about the treasure Wendy? Didn't you want to see it?" He asked, taking a hold of her hand. She shook her head.

"I'll be happy saying I got this far. If it bothers Nick so much, I think we should go." she said.

"No...you came this way...you were the first ones in a hundred years that was able to get rid of the fog. You should get the reward." he said. They all looked at the sky, seeing it was already past sunset, the sky was glowing a bright orangey purple as the sun was setting. He stood up, clutching his shoulder.

"Come, you'll want to see this." he said, walking toward the hill.

"Are you sure you can walk?" Aiden said, limping a bit. His leg hurt like hell, but he was still able to move in pace with the boy. Nick smirked.

"I should be asking you that. You know, you can really take a punch to the face." he said.

"And you can take a flaming fist to the back." he said, the boys broke into laughter as if they were old friends. It was something that Iona didn't seem to understand.

"Why are they laughing?" She asked her friends.

"Well...sometimes people can form a bond from the strangest of things. Fighting is one of those ways." Wendy replied.

After a few minutes of walking, they finally reached the lake side. Everyone stared at it in awe. The waters were a beautiful blue in color, the lake seemed to span for several miles. All around the borders of the plateau grew trees and shrubs. The center of the lake was glowing a bright green in color, filling the entire place with an alluring glow. Nick stood in front of them, waving his arm around.

"Welcome to Fogbound Lake." he said.

"It's beautiful." Wendy said, completely entranced by it.

"To think such a sight was hidden from the world for such a long time." Carla said.

"And Cait Shelter was able to solve the mystery. We overcame the tribulations placed on us and were rewarded with this beautiful sight." Iona said. She had the urge to drink some of the water, but held herself back. After all she didn't want to seem impolite. Aiden noticed a small stone house near the lake side, and figured that's where Nick lived.

"I've lived here all my life, and I've never gotten used to the view." the boy said. The area started to shake a bit, causing them all to look around in worry. He chuckled, calming their nerves.

"Don't be scared, that just means the show is about to begin." he said. From the center of the lake burst a large torrent of water, rising high into the sky. The bright green glow illuminated the water, turning it into a bright crystalline pillar of light. The fluttering of wings could be heard as hundreds of glowing butterflies flew around them, all swirling around the geyser. They glowed in brilliant reds and bright yellows, along with soft blues and purples. It was an indescribable sight. Aiden wrapped his arm around Wendy, holding her close to himself.

"This is it...the treasure of Fogbound Lake...I think I'm in love." he said, earning an eep from the girl.

"Water wells up here from deep within the ground, over the years it formed this crystal blue lake. The butterflies are a special kind that seem to glow in iridescent colors due to the plants they eat during their caterpillar stage." Nick explained.

"What about the glowing in the center of the lake?" Carla asked curiously.

"Oh, that glow comes from the pedestal. On it rests a special gem stone, a Verdant Emerald." he said.

"Verdant...Emerald?" Aiden asked curiously.

"Yes, I'm not sure what it does, but my mother Desert Storm said that it was a special gem stone. She said that I had to protect it, and that I can only take it from the pedestal when the Aqua Crystal was present." he said.

"Aqua Crystal?" Iona asked curiously, earning a nod from him. She reached into her bikini top, pulling out a glowing blue crystal. Aiden didn't even know how she had that in there without him noticing. The boy's eyes widened.

"This is it...that means Its time for me to retrieve it." Nick said.

"Allow me, I really want to take a swim." Iona said, jumping into the water. She swam down, all of the fish living in the lake swam away in fear as she approached the pedestal. She realized it looked like the one back at the Crystal Lake. She saw the Verdant Emerald floating on it, as if it was being held in place by the pedestal itself. She grabbed the gem stone off of it and kicked off the lake bottom, swimming back up. She breached the surface of the water, taking a deep breath.

"I got it." she said, holding it above the water. She swam back to shore, shaking some of the water from her hair, allowing her body to absorb the rest. Nick looked at her curiously.

"Are you perhaps a Dragon Slayer too? Your body seems to absorb water through your skin." he said.

"Don't compare me to your kind dragon. I am not like you." she hissed. She bit her lip, quickly bowing.

"Sorry, sorry...I didn't mean too. Basilisk's really hate dragons and I'm still learning to be polite." she said.

"Uh...it's alright." the boy said, completely brushing it off. Iona handed Aiden the gem stone. He held it in his hand, seeing the bright glow it was emitting.

"This gem...its just like yours Iona. Its overflowing with magic...just what makes this so special?" he asked.

"My mother said one day, there would be someone who would need it's power. When combined with the Aqua Crystal and the Red Ruby Heart, it will release unimaginable power. Or so the story goes...I think its all crap." Nick said with a shrug.

"Well...this is what we came here for. That woman must be happy that you were able to get it." Carla said.

"Y-yeah." Aiden replied. He had totally forgotten about that, especially with everything that had happened.

"Hey, is everyone alright?" a new voice called out. Aiden looked over his shoulder, seeing his partner Phoebe flying toward them, with Sherry and Chelia in tow. He smiled, giving her a wave.

"We're A-okay." he said, giving her a thumbs up.

"More guests huh? I guess I should welcome you all to Fogbound Lake. Please, make yourselves at home, it's the least I can do after that fight." Nick said, giving them a polite bow.

"We'll take you up on that offer. I barely have the energy to stand right now." Aiden said, dropping to his knees.

"Jeez, you look beat to shit. You had a fight and didn't invite me?" Phoebe cried, kneeling next to her friend, her hands glowing a bright orange. He chuckled, rubbing his neck.

"Sorry Phoebs, I promise the next time we fight a giant dragon, you'll be the first one we call." he said, giving her a wink.

"Look at all the pretty butterflies cousin Sherry." Chelia exclaimed, pointing to the geyser. Everyone seemed to be entranced by the sight, so much so that they forgot everything around them.

Xxx

"Well, it was fun, but it's time we started heading back home." Aiden said. He and his friends had stayed at the lake for a couple days to heal up and relax in the hot springs.

"Please, come back anytime. It would be nice to have visitors...and feel free to share this place's location with everyone you know. I want more people to experience this sight." Nick said.

"Oh trust me, we will. I want everyone to see this beautiful treasure." Sherry said, a loving look on her face.

"See ya around man." Phoebe said, giving the earth dragon slayer a wave. The group of mages started walking away from the lake, heading back down to the Steam Cave.

"Hey Aiden, wait up a bit." Nick said, making the boy stop. He gestured for his friends to continue onward and turned to face the Earth Dragon.

"What's up?" he asked.

"Was my mother really just a soul?" he asked. Aiden sighed, giving him a nod.

"Yeah, she said so herself. I know it sucks but...for whatever it's worth, I'm sorry that we did that to her. But I could tell she was on her last legs." he replied. Nick nodded, a frown on his face.

"Thank you. You set her free, and that's better than anything I could have asked for." he said, holding his hand out. Aiden shook his head, forming a fist.

"Here, I'll show you something we at Cait Shelter do." he said. Nick nodded, copying his gesture.

"Take what you can, and give nothing back." he said, bumping fists with him. Nick smiled.

"I'll commit that to memory. Say...are guilds really that fun?" he asked.

"Hmm? Guilds are loads of fun. We mess around, take missions and help loads of people, but most of all...we all form a big family. You should find yourself a guild, and some friends...trust me you'll grow a whole lot stronger." he said, giving the teenager a wave.

xxx

"So, what do you think the Magic Council will say when we tell them we found the lake?" Wendy asked curiously. Aiden shrugged, glancing back at the giant plateau in the distance. Thankfully, they had been able to find a path that lead away from Mount Horn, toward the distance capital city of Crocus. He smiled brightly, remembering everything he had experienced on this journey.

"Who knows? But I expect this place to go down in history. That geyser was simply beautiful, and I'm glad I was able to snag a few pictures for the road." he said.

"You got the gem at least, so that makes this a win in our book." Carla replied.

"Definitely, but what do you think it does?" Phoebe asked curiously.

"Who knows, guess we'll have to find the last one to figure it out. If you guys are up for another expedition, I would gladly take that gamble." he said, pumping his fist into the air.

"If its all the same to you, I think I'll sit the next one out. I'm beat." Sherry said, letting out a tired sigh.

"You hardly did anything woman, other than complain." Carla replied.

"Shut it cat, you have no room to argue." the pinkette snapped angrily.

"I think, joining Cait Shelter was the best choice I made...thank you for allowing me to join you guys." Iona said, a bright smile on her face.

"No problem Iona, your part of the family. And when we get back we'll throw a huge party, not just for this discovery, but for finding Fogbound Lake. We'll go down in history as the mages who found the legendary treasure!" Aiden said, a grin on his face. Iona gave him a nod.

" _He's so happy...was discovering the lake really this rewarding to him? I thought guilds took missions for money...we didn't again anything."_ Iona thought to herself. She looked around, seeing the smiling faces of everyone around her. Aiden and Wendy seemed to be much closer now, as the two were walking hand in hand. Sherry and Chelia we're laughing and giggling, even the ever stoic Carla was smiling. She nodded, finally understanding what was happening.

" _This mission wasn't about the treasure at all. Sure it was to retrieve the gem, but it was also to strengthen their bonds. Even with Sherry here, everyone is getting along. This is what it means to be in a guild."_

With the discovery of Fogbound Lake, the expedition was finally over. The Cait Shelter mages were on a long journey home, celebrating all of the things they discovered. None of them noticed the long figure watching them from the distance, a small smile on her face. She disappeared from sight, just before they were able to see her.


	26. Fogbound Lake Omake: Steamy Hot Springs

**A/N: Well guys, as Promised I came up with this quick Omake that takes place the night after finding Fogbound Lake, I hope you all enjoy it. I teared up a bit at the ending. It just came at me out of nowhere. See ya later guys!**

Fogbound Lake Omake

Steamy Hot Springs

Aiden sighed contently as he lowered himself into the hot spring. Phoebe had found them earlier when the Fog was still surrounding the forest. She had been able to find them without trouble due to the fog being cleared out of the area. It had taken everyone awhile to come back down from the top of the lake, after fighting Nick, the Earth Dragon Slayer. They had finally found the treasure and made plans to head back home. Of course they weren't going to head home without enjoying the hot springs, they were free after all.

He had set up several torches around the area, lighting up the forest with a beautiful blue glow. Among them were some torches he didn't light, the bright orange fire looked alluring in-beween the blue flames, and tasty too. He should have been happy to be in hot springs, especially ones he didn't have to pay to enter, but the fact of the matter was he wasn't.

He was alone, in his own spring. The girls, for obvious reasons, had chosen their own spring not far from where he was, leaving him alone with this thoughts. He leaned back against the edge of the pool, glancing at the sky. The stars were twinkling brightly in the vast darkness of space. He could see so many stars in the sky, and even parts of the Galaxy itself. This was something he barely saw in heavily populated cities, and something he barely had the chance of seeing back at Cait Shelter. In that moment of tranquility, he just sat there, enjoying the light show nature was providing him.

He tore his eyes away from the sky for a few seconds. His eyes fell to the Verdant Emerald, the item he had gotten from Fogbound Lake. It was the sole reason for the entire expedition, and now that he had gotten it, he didn't know how to feel. He had felt a sense of accomplishment when he got the gem from his fellow Dragon Slayer, but now that he had it, he didn't know what to do with it. He reached for it, stopping himself from actually grabbing it.

"Why did you want me to find this gem...who are you really?" he asked, as if the mystery person would reply. He felt the breeze pick up, and he caught a familiar scent. He rose out of the water and turned around, looking into the forest. His eyes were scanning the treeline, trying to find the source of the scent. After a second, he noticed the scent disappeared. He calmed down a bit, lowering himself back into the pool.

"I'm paranoid...there's no one out there." he muttered. He heard the cries of his friends, who weren't that far away from him. He felt himself smile. Even though he wasn't there with them, he was glad they were having fun. He leaned back against the edge of the pool, his eyes back at the starry backdrop that was surrounding Fogbound Plateau.

A stray memory made it's way to the forefront of his mind. He remembered the time his sister told him the story of Fogbound Lake. She had always made stories of this place. She had said many times that she wanted to discover it herself. He smiled a bit, closing his eyes.

"Well sister, I guess I discovered it for you. If only you could see this now...if only you knew how much I miss you." he whispered.

"Um...Aiden."

He looked down from the sky, eyes widening when he saw Wendy standing at the edge of the pool, in nothing more than a towel. She had brought along a change of clothes with her, along with a few other things. He swallowed hard, his face heating up.

"Hi sweetie...something wrong?" he asked, lowering himself a bit more. He felt extremely naked, mostly because he was, but he hadn't been expecting her to just show up.

"Would you...mind if I joined you?" she asked. He shook his head, not mustering up the courage to reply. She blushed brightly, setting her stuff down, she reached for the corner of her towel.

"Um...don't look okay." she said.

"Oh..right." he said, looking away from her. He closed his eyes for extra measure, doing his best not to look. He heard the sound of the water as she lowered herself in.

"You can look now." she said. He lowered his hand from his face, glancing back at her. Her long hair was covering most of her chest, but he could still see her still developing breasts. He could also see the Sun Village mark he had tattooed on her all of those weeks ago. He looked at the back of his left hand, seeing his own mark.

"So...how are you feeling?" she asked, trying to make conversation.

"I'm alright...still excited about finding the lake. Still a bit tired from the fighting, my back still hurts from the acid." he said. He remembered seeing the scar that was now on his back. It wasn't as big as he once thought, but it was wide and a ghastly purple fleshy color. He was glad he could easily cover it up, but he still felt a bit self-conscious about it.

"It'll be better. Do you want me to heal you?" she asked. He gave her a nod, turning around for her. She slowly made her way to his side, holding her hands to his back. The soft glow of her magic brightened the area up a bit. He felt the sharp stinging disappear, making him sigh contently.

"You need to be more careful. You've turned into a scar magnet recently." she said, a small pout on her lips.

"Comes with the job my dear. You can't expect me to come out unscathed from every battle. Besides, Scars are awesome." he said.

"Not all of them...some of them are ugly and hard to hide." she said, mostly speaking of her own. He turned around, looking right into her eyes.

"Hey, not even a scar is going to make you look any less beautiful alright. I like every single bit of you, even your scars." he said, kissing her forehead. She wrapped her arms around him, pulling him into a hug. She rested her head on his shoulder, just enjoying his embrace.

"Maybe we shouldn't keep doing this." Aiden said, after a minute. Wendy's eyes widened a bit and she let go of him, pushing herself back.

"Right...I'm sorry. I forgot." she said, her face flushed a brilliant red. Aiden's face was much in the same state. He looked away, trying not to focus on her bare chest. She quickly fixed her hair so that it was once again blocking her body parts.

"So...what are we gonna do once we get back home?" Wendy asked, as she relaxed into the water. Aiden shrugged, leaning back against the edge.

"I'm not sure. We'll take more missions of course...I want to make some money so I can take you out on a date. I know you wanted to have on on Fogbound Lake, but I felt like we were intruding on Nick's domain. You know how possessive Dragons a can be." he said.

"I understand. I'm in no hurry, just spending time with you is enough." she replied.

"That's sweet of you. I'll make it up to you I promise...but I have a question...when was it that you started liking me?" he asked. Her eyes widened a bit, not expecting that answer.

"I'm not sure when...I guess it was from the moment I met you. You looked so peaceful when you were sleeping. But I could also tell there's been a lot of pain in your life. I can see it in your eyes, even now that you've opened up a bit more to me...I just want to find out more about you, to make that pain go away." she said.

"Thank you...it means a lot to me that you care so much. I guess I started falling for you during that second mission, after I tattooed that mark onto you. It had been a hundred years since the last time that mark was traditionally tattooed onto someone. Having the honor to do that...It just made it more memorable...plus you have cute boobs." he said.

"Aiden!" she cried in embarrassment, crossing her arms over her chest. He laughed, earning himself a splash to the face. He just stared at the girl in shock.

"Don't get into something you can't finish Wendy." he said. She smirked, using her wind magic to send a bigger wave of water at him. He shook his head, getting the water off himself. He smirked, pulling his fist back. His fire made contact with the water, sending it back full force at her. She screamed in surprise as it surged over her. She stood up, ignoring the fact that she was naked.

"Now you've done it!" she said, using her sky magic she lifted a large orb of water above her head, throwing it at him. He quickly reacted, punching the orb of water quickly turning it into steam. A quarter of the pool was gone, but was rapidly filling up. The two stared at each other, about to make another move.

"What the hell are you two doing?" a firm voice cried. They looked up to the small drop above them, seeing an angry looking Carla standing behind them, wearing nothing but a towel. Aiden and Wendy looked at each other, eyes widening. They let out a simultaneous scream, lowering themselves into the water.

"Honestly, I can't take my eyes off of you Wendy. What makes you think it's a good idea to take a bath with a boy. Standing in front of him, fully naked? Are you serious?" she cried.

"Oh lighten up Carla, who cares if we're naked! We're all friends, friends should be able to take baths together." Phoebe said, ripping the white haired girl's towel right off her body. She screamed loudly, covering herself up with her hands.

"Wow...those are nice." Aiden said, a bit of blood dripping from his nose. Wendy grit her teeth as she slammed her fist into the back of his head, he groaned as he rubbed his new sore spot. Phoebe pushed the girl into the pool, jumping in right after.

"Jeez, you girls have no manners. At least invite the rest of us." Sherry cried, appearing next to the pool, with Chelia in tow. Iona stood next to them, not bothering to cover up as well.

"What the hell are you doing Iona?" Carla cried, pointing at the girl. She shrugged.

"I don't care if people see my body. It's just skin right?" she asked, lowering herself into the pool.

"Jeez, have you no shame?" Sherry asked.

"Shame has nothing to do with it Pinkie!" Phoebe cried loudly. If Aiden didn't feel awkward before, then he definitely felt awkward now. Being surrounded by naked girls was great, but when they were your closest friends, and one was your surrogate sister, then that's when things got a little bit different. Phoebe looked over at Aiden, who was blushing like crazy. He had turned away from everyone, facing the treeline instead.

"What's wrong Aiden? Can't handle seeing all of our bouncy bits?" she asked.

"Damn Phoebe, don't point it out like that. You sound like you don't even care!" Sherry cried out.

"Because I don't. Me and Aiden have been taking baths together practically since I was born. I don't care if he looks at me."

"Can we change the subject please?" Aiden pleaded.

"Alright...um...so what's the plan for when we get back home, with Fogbound Lake's discovery and everything?" Sherry asked. He gave her a thankful look.

"Well, we were gonna go straight to the Magic Council office in Crocus. After all, I think it's time everyone knew the real reason behind this lakes myth." he said.

"Me and Aiden talked about it when we were walking back down. We want this place to be preserved instead of turned into a tourist attraction. We don't want it's beauty and mystery to be ruined by people. I can't imagine this place filled with trash and other pieces of litter." Wendy said.

"I agree..this place...it needs to remain peaceful. It's a good call kid." Sherry said.

"Big sister, can we come back here again soon?" Chelia asked, earning a nod from Wendy.

"Yeah, we can come here for vacation after tough missions. It would be great to come to these springs and relax after a hard mission." she replied.

"Maybe we can talk to Nick about building a small house here. It can be a home away from home." Aiden said.

"I'd like that, our own personal retreat, of course Lamia Scale can come here and stay for as long as they want." Wendy said, looking at Sherry.

"Seriously?" she asked.

"Sure, we've decided to give Lamia Scale 50% of the discovery rights. After all, you deserve that after all the crap Team Skull put you through." Aiden said. She smiled brightly, eyes tearing up.

"Oh Aiden my love, I could kiss you!" she exclaimed.

"Well don't because I'll kill you if you do." Wendy said, raising a wind covered hand. Carla and Sherry shivered.

"S-Scary." the pinkette whispered.

"I have something to say..it's kind of important." Iona said, catching everyones attention. It was a bit awkward for Aiden, especially since he could see the girl's chest. She caught his line of sight and quickly covered herself with her hair.

"I'm glad to have been invited to this expedition. When I left the Crystal Cave, I was confused. I didn't know how the world worked, or what to do. I'm happy to have met you, Team Flaming Skies. If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't have joined this guild, I wouldn't have friends...please...allow me to be in your team. It would mean the world to me." she said, bowing her head. Aiden smiled, glancing over at Wendy.

"Well, what do you say? Can she join?" he asked.

"Yeah can she big sis, can she?" Chelia asked, tugging on her arm. Wendy gave her a nod.

"Of course she can. She's part of the family now."

"Yay, congratulations big sis Iona, now you're part of the team." Chelia cried, hugging the little girl.

"Oh...um..thank you...thank you for having me." she said, wrapping her arms around the pink haired girl.

"Man, I can't wait to rub this in Natsu's fat stupid face. He's gonna be jelly." Phoebe said, a smirk on her face.

"Of all the damn things to worry about and you just want to rub this in people's faces. How totally like you." Carla said. Phoebe grinned, pulling the girl into a hug.

"Oh you love me anyway. Man, check these melons out! There so big!" She cried, cupping the girl's breasts, much to her displeasure. She cried in embarrassment, trying to make the girl let go. Wendy pouted, looking away from them.

"I wish my boobs were that big." she muttered dryly.

"Hey kid, just so you know...I think your man likes them small." Sherry whispered, gesturing to Aiden, who was looking at the sky again, most likely to distract himself from what was going on around them. Wendy looked down at herself, smiling a bit.

"Man, look at all those stars." he suddenly said. Phoebe stopped wrestling with Carla, and looked up at the sky. It wasn't long before the others followed along, loosing themselves in the night sky. A bright streak cut across the sky, making them gasp.

"Did you see that cousin, did ya?" Chelia cried out.

"Yes sweetheart, now make a wish." she said. The little girl nodded closing her eyes. Aiden did the same, a small smile on his face.

" _If I could have one wish...it would be for us to be together forever. I want my friends to be there for me, just like I'll be there for them."_

"Hey Aiden, what did you wish for? A million chocolate chip cookies?" Phoebe asked.

"Pfft, no! Who would wish for that?" he asked.

"It doesn't matter." she said, brushing it off.

"Besides, if he tells you his wish, then it wouldn't be granted." Carla added. Iona just looked around in confusion.

"Why is everyone acting like it's a big deal? It's just a small meteorite entering the planet's atmosphere at a rapid speed." she said.

"Well yeah...but we like to call them shooting stars. If you make a wish on them, then they might come true." Wendy said.

"Does it really happen though?" the water basilisk slayer asked.

"Well..it's more of a thing that we like to do for fun. It isn't about the wish being granted or not...it's just something special, that's all." Sherry said.

"You know...my sister Kurumi used to tell me this sweet story every time I saw one. She said that a shooting star was a soul, shooting up to heaven, and that wishing on it would allow the soul to finally rest in peace." he said.

"Do you honestly believe that? It sounds a bit far fetched." Carla said, crossing her arms. He shrugged.

"It was just a story. I didn't have any validity to it...but I remember..when my sister Kurumi was killed, I ran through that flaming forest. I ran for hours on end, just trying to get out of the flames, and when I finally did, I saw the stars. I was crying, tired and hungry..but when I looked at the stars...I was just calm. I saw a shooting star that night...and for some reason, I felt reassured, like she was telling me she would be fine, and that I would be okay. I made a wish that night...so that she would be happy in the afterlife." he said.

"What was the wish?" Chelia asked curiously.

"For us to meet again in heaven." he said, tears welling in his eyes. He chuckled a bit, wiping his eyes.

"Man, I really put a damper on the mood...sorry about that." he said.

"Don't be." Sherry said, giving him a serious look.

"Never be sorry. You've been through a lot in your life...and I'm happy to be someone you can talk to. I may act like a love crazed freak, but in the end I'm your friend Aiden, and I'll always be there for you." she said.

"Same here." Phoebe added, they all gave similar replies, making him smile.

"Thank you guys...it means a lot to me." he said.

"Hey, how about we play truth or dare? That should be fun!" Phoebe said.

"Not on your life!" Carla snapped. Everyone started laughing loudly, enjoying the cool night and the hot springs. Going on the expedition was definitely the best choice they had ever made.


	27. Oracion Seis Arc: Allied Forces Assemble

**A/N: Ay yo Sean...you Mista Kingston!**

 **Now, that's a damn greeting if I ever saw one. Eh...could be better. Welcome on and all to the first chapter of the Oracion Seis Arc. This is your man Celestial Sky Dragon, bringing you this chapter hot off the presses. I've decided to make the next arc a bit shorter than I originally planned. This Arc is going to be mostly in the POV of Wendy and Aiden, shifting points throughout the chapters. As you all know, Oracion Seis will be attack, no duh, after all this is their arc...but what I'm trying to convey is Aiden and Wendy's overall impact into the story.**

 **All of the stuff with the Allied Forces is happening, but you all know what they are doing. I want to make this unique and focus more on Team Flaming Skies, though they are broken up at the moment. Hehe, broken...you'll get this pun next chapter.**

 **But anyway, as I said before, I want to make this part of the series focus more on those two mages as they defeat a powerful foe. Familiar faces will be making an appearance, but that's later on. The final showdown on Nirvana will happen soon enough, most likely after the next chapter. I'm most likely going to have Aiden and Wendy fight other members of the Seis that have been defeated already. Aiden will be facing Angel, that was a fight from the get go. Her spirits may have left her, but that doesn't mean she isn't weak. As for Wendy, she might fight either Racer or Cobra, I haven't decided yet. Cobra might want to exact revenge on someone after his betrayal, and I have to say, he has a sweet as coat, so he might be making an appearance. As for the breaking of the lacrima, that's still going to happen, but most likely from Wendy's point of view as Aiden will be busy with other things.**

 **As you all know, Cait Shelter won't be sticking around any longer. I've recieved an idea from a reviewer about keeping the guild alive, but it would interfere too much with my over all plot. If that idea had been submitted to me a bit earlier, I would have definitely used it, but it was too late as I had already written my outline and got to far into the story. Ah real shame, but if I do write another Fairy Tail fanfiction in the future, I will definitely use it.**

 **I'm sure all of you watched the travesty that was the Oscars. I mean what a huge fart, naming the wrong movie as the winner? That was funny and embarrassing. It was worse than Steve Harvey's mistake. I guess Leonardo DiCaprio winning an Oscar last year through them off for a loop and they fucked up. And thus new memes were born.**

 **Well, I guess I'll leave you with this chapter, hope you like it. I personally don't like it, mostly because it feels a bit rushed, but I did put my best effort into it. The beginning of this arc was never my favorite, I liked the episodes after everyone was fighting to be honest. Be sure to check out the Fairy Tail Dragon Cry PV on YouTube, that movie is looking dope and the hype is real. I want to see it so badly I can taste it. Sadly I don't have any Yellow Popsicle's on hand.**

 **I wanna dedicate this chapter to Bill Paxton who passed away at 61 years of age this weekend. He was a brilliant actor, his most notable roles being in Apollo 13, Twister and in Titanic, my all time favorite movie. He was a great actor who influenced my life a lot when I was growing up. It is a shame that he has left us early, but he will always be remember. May the stars be with you friend...rest in peace.**

The Oracion Seis Arc

Chapter 26

Allied Forces Assemble

A few weeks had passed since Cait Shelter's successful discovery of the long lost Fogbound Lake. Upon reaching Crocus, the first thing they did was go to the Magic Council office that was located there. They were still a bit rattled after what had happened to them before, but they still made time to listen to the young mages. At first, everyone thought it was just some made up story by some kids wanting to get some popularity, but when they showed them the pictures they had gotten from the place, the whole place was in an uproar. So much so that even the King himself had wanted to hear the story. To say the Princess was excited was an understatement.

Even after all of the fame that the small guild had gotten, they just wanted to go home and rest after everything. Sherry took off to Margaret Town, promising to visit her cousin more often. With that they all headed home, happy to finally rest.

Everything was back to normal upon their return, though they did have a party. Even Team Mystic Artes who had returned from they're own mission were celebrating. Now, they were just hanging around the guild, in between missions. Aiden was happily eating his breakfast, a grin on his face.

"Man, this is the best as always. You rock Alana!" he cried out, earning a smile from the barmaid.

"Aw, it makes me happy to hear your praise. But I'm sure you would eat anything as long as I made it." she admitted, earning a laugh from him.

"Probably, as long as it doesn't taste like rubber." he replied, finishing the food on his plate. They heard a groan coming from the door way, and looked over to see Master Roubaul walking in, holding a file in his hands. He didn't look to happy about it either. Aiden frowned, a sense of dread filling his heart.

"Welcome back master, how was the council meeting?" Alana asked happily. The man just gave her a frown.

"Not good I'm afraid. I require all of the S-class mages in my office right now, we must discuss some sensitive information." he said, gesturing to his office. Aiden and Alana shared a look. He stood up, finishing his drink.

"Wonder what this is about." he muttered. Since Yamato was still away on her mission, the only S-class mages were himself and Yun. The two of them stepped into the office, closing the door behind themselves. Master Roubaul gesture for them to sit down in front of the desk. The man sighed, placing the file on the desk top.

"What's up master? Something wrong?" Yun asked, concern etched in his voice. The man nodded.

"Some serious matters were discussed at the meeting. It seems we're having a bit of trouble with a dark guild. Are you two familiar with the Balam Alliance?"

"Of course we are, what mage isn't aware of them?" Aiden asked.

"As expected of you Aiden, you are always aware of your surroundings." Master Roubaul said.

"I'm here too you know, and just an FYI, I am also quite aware of the Balam Alliance and what they do." he said.

"Well...I think it's time for a refresher. The Balam Alliance is made up of many dark guilds. However, there are three that sit at the top, Oracion Seis, Grimoire Heart and Tartaros. Many of the sub-guilds under they're control are nothing more than hood rats, wanting to make a quick buck, but the ones that work directly with them are the ones that you should worry about about." Roubaul said.

"Yeah, me and Wendy fought against some guys from Red Hood, a guild that works under Grimoire Heart. That guy Paul was something else, his maker magic was way stronger than mine." Aiden said, a shadow covering his eyes. Memories of his run in with the guild on Mount Horn rushed through his mind. Seeing Wendy hurt was enough to piss him off.

"I know what you mean, I faced one of the sub-guilds that works under Tartaros, one called Succubus Eye. Those guys are something else, I'm convinced they aren't even human. Aborting that mission was the best thing I did, I would be six feet under if I hadn't." Yun admitted, a shiver going down his spine.

"Quite right, many of the sub-guilds have been taken care of, but the heaviest blows were dealt to Oracion Seis. Several of their guilds have been taken down, by Phantom Lord and Fairy Tail. However, it seems they are finally making their move. This topic was one that was mostly discussed by the other masters. We've come up with a way to deal with them. We've come up with a plan to take them out of the picture, but we need the two of you."

"Us? What for?" Yun asked curiously. Aiden leaned back in his seat, arms crossed over his chest. He swallowed hard. He could be strong enough to defeat a dragon and take down a fellow dragon slayer, but facing one of the strongest dark guilds out there was something else entirely.

"As stated before, there is a plan to take down the Oracion Seis before they make their move. But for that to happen we need to wipe out some of the guilds under their command. The less men they have in battle the better. I've highlighted fourteen guilds I want taken care of by next week. That's when the plan will begin. Blue Pegasus, Fairy Tail, and Lamia Scale will be sending members to deal with them." he said. Handing the two a sheet of paper, with the names and locations of the guilds they wanted taken care of.

"Seven guilds apiece. Master are you sure we have what it takes to do this?" Aiden asked, seeing the names on the paper. Red Hood was one of them, and he wondered why a guild under Grimoire Heart was working for the Seis.

"I believe you do. After all you took down the Misty Gators, a guild that was working under them, this should be easy for you. Now for the sake of convenience, I am only allowing A-class mages to go with you. I don't want anyone else getting hurt. And before you ask Aiden, Wendy is not going with you."

"Huh? Why? Her support magic would be a great help to me." he said.  
"Because, you two are young and I can see how much puppy love is flowing between you. I am not going to let that hinder the success of this mission, as such Wendy is staying here on Standby until further notice. Is that understood?" the man said, a stern tone on his voice. Aiden sighed, giving him a nod.

"Yes master...Wendy will stay here while I deal with this. But you owe me big time." he said, standing up from his seat. The man chuckled.

"Of course, after you return I'll have something prepared for the two of ya, consider it a gift from me." he said, giving him a thumbs up. Aiden smiled, giving him a nod.

"Thanks Gramps, I'll be preparing for this journey then. The closest guild to us is Mystic Compass, I might as well start with the small fry." he said, leaving the office. Roubaul frowned, looking up at Yun who had circled the name of the first guild he would be taking down.

"I'll be heading toward Rabid Cerberus. Wish me luck master." he said.

"Wait up Yun...I've a question for you...do you believe Aiden has what it takes to be the master of this guild?" he asked.

"Huh? Why do you ask that?" Yun said curiously, glancing back at the old man.

"No reason my boy. Just wondering...I don't have many years left in me..so I was just wondering." he said. Yun smiled, giving him a nod.

"Sorry to say master, and this isn't because I'm expecting the title or anything. Aiden is many things, but he isn't a master. He's too much of a free spirit, he would want to be out there taking missions rather than in here taking care of the business side of the guild. Yamato might be able to, but she's gone." he said firmly.

"I agree...you can go now...and I don't have to tell you to be careful." he said.

"Don't worry, they don't call me the Azure Fang for anything." he said, leaving the office. Roubaul sighed, looking up at the ceiling.

"My time is almost up. I'm sorry my children, but I cannot confide in you the true purpose of this mission, I hope you will all forgive me." he said sadly. He felt a tear run down the side of his cheek. His guild was coming to an end, and it wouldn't be long before they fully disappeared.

"Man this sucks." Aiden said, as he was stuffing clothes into his pack. Phoebe sat at the edge of his bed, legs crossed as she watched her friend muttering to himself. She was eating a Popsicle, having grown bored of sitting around. Wendy was downstairs, knitting a sweater or something for a client that Mona had so she wouldn't be hanging out for awhile, and Chelia was off with her cousin for the week. She pulled the icy treat from her mouth, giving it a light lick.

"Something wrong buddy?" she asked.

"No not really. Me and Yun have been asked to take down some dark guilds for the council. Apparently Oracion Seis is on the move, and we have to take them down. It's critical to the entire operation, so pack up because we leave in thirty." he said.

"Whoa are you serious? I don't mind wiping the floor with dark mages, but how many guilds are we talking about?" she asked.

"Seven in total. Mystic Compass, Ghastly Ghouls, Crystal Skeleton, The Jones Street Boys, The Electric Scorpions, Red Hood, and finally Laughing Coffin. These guilds are powerful sub-guilds under Oracion Seis and they need to be taken down in a week." he said.

"What? How is that even plausible? They have hundreds of members, do they not know that we could die?" she asked.

"I know, but the Allied Forces are counting on us. I'm sure the other guilds are sending people out there to handle these guilds as well, but we have to take them down. These guilds are located in Cait Shelter's jurisdiction, so we have priority. We're going after Mystic Compass first, they seem like the strongest of the bunch." he said, throwing his back over his shoulder. Phoebe sighed, biting down on her Popsicle stick.

"Man, this shit sucks! We better get paid up the ass for this job, I'm not risking my tail for the Magic Council for nothing." She said.

"We are getting paid, don't worry about that." he said. She nodded and walked to the other side of the room, grabbing some stuff from her dresser. She hastily stuffed a few changes of clothes and some other necessities into her blue backpack before zipping it shut. The two of them walked downstairs.

"Hey Wendy, we're gonna go. We'll be back in a week." Aiden said.

"A week? Are you sure you don't want me to tag along with you?" the blue haired girl asked. He nodded.

"I'm sure, besides Master Roubaul put you on standby. He thinks our love for each other will jeopardize this mission, so I have to go without you. I promise we'll hang out when I come back, and we'll go on that date." he said.

"You better take care of yourself idiot. Try not to get killed!" Carla snapped, leaning against the door frame.

"I won't, maybe I can take you on a date too kitten, if your up for it." he said, giving her a wink. She blushed and looked away.

"Shut up, you already have a girlfriend. Besides I would never date a ruffian like you!" she snapped back. He rolled his eyes. He leaned down, giving Wendy a long passionate kiss. He handed her the Verdant Emerald, a smile on his face.

"Keep it close to your heart. Take care of yourself!" he said. She gave him a final hug before finally letting him go. He and Phoebe slowly made their way out of the guild's courtyard, disappearing from sight.

"Do you think he'll be fine Carla?" Wendy asked, looking at the gem in her hands.

"Of course Child, he'll be fine. We've seen what he can do after all...now let's just focus on this order for Mona's client." the white haired girl said, ducking into the living room. Wendy nodded, closing the door to their small house. She grabbed the knitting needles she had set down, along with a large ball of pink yarn. Before she started to knit, she looked up at her friend, seeing her look over a piece of fabric.

"Hey Carla, do you like Aiden?" she asked.

"Heavens child, where is this coming from?" the white haired girl asked, amber eyes glaring into her brown ones.

"Just a question. You two seem closer than before." she said.

"Well, chock it up to his dumb ass saving me from that tumble we took. Being stuck in that cave really opened up my eyes to how caring he really is." she said.

"Is that all?" Wendy asked curiously.

"Yes, he is sweet and kind, but he likes you. He's probably just teasing me...that's all." she replied shrugging it off. Wendy hummed to herself, focusing on her knitting.

"I'm willing to share you know...since it's you." she said.

"Shut up Wendy, just keep working on that sweater." the blushing girl said, ending the conversation.

xxx

It was dark within the forest, as expected since it was night time. Aiden and Phoebe were moving as quietly as they could, stalking one of the members of the final guild they were after. The Electric Scorpions had been on high alert ever since they took out the other guilds, somehow Red Hood had eluded them, by the time they got to the guild hall, it had been empty. To save face, Aiden and Phoebe turned it into a pile of ash, nothing was left behind. Even if they returned, Red Hood would have nothing left. The member of the Electric Scorpions stopped, shining the light all around the dark forest.

Paranoia, the best way to mess with your enemies. Aiden tossed a rock across the way, hitting one of the nearby trees. The man screamed in fear and shot off like a rocket, in the direction of the guild hall, just what he wanted. They waited for a few minutes before finally tailing the guy, jogging at a slow pace.

"So, this is the last one right?" Phoebe asked. In order to seem less inconspicuous, Aiden had asked her to return to her exceed form. She was flying next to him, beating her wings every so often to remain aloft. He gave her a nod.

"The Electric Scorpions are the last on the list. I just got word from Yun and Eterna, they were able to take down the last of their assigned guilds as well. We can't let them show us up." he said. He was tired, hungry, and honestly wanted to sleep for eternity. Maybe when he got home, Carla would let him and Wendy share the same bed, even if for a single night. Being in her warmth was all he could think about.

"You're making that face again." Phoebe said.

"What face?"

"The lovey dovey face. Man, the love bug bit your ass hard, you are totally in love with that girl." she said.

"What can I say? Wendy is my little Sky Dragon, and I love her with all my heart." he replied.

"How can you say that? You've known each other for three months at best, how can you already be in love with her?"

"I just am Phoebe, love works like that I guess. I dunno it's my first time so cut me some slack." he snapped back, earning a small giggle from the exceed.

It wasn't long before they came across the guildhall belonging to the Electric Scorpions. It was a dark building, nestled in a clearing of dark twisted trees. Barely any light could be seen outside, but there were visible lights from inside the building. There was a large sign on the outside, with a giant red scorpion, surrounded by bright yellow bolts of lightning. Aiden sighed, shaking his head.

"Jeez, how stupid can these guys be? They're advertising themselves." he said.

"Do you really expect dark wizards to actually be smart?" the orange feline asked. He shrugged.

"Fine, let's give them the old one two, I'm sick of this place." he said, jumping into the air.

"Aye sir!" his partner cried, lifting him up higher. He had been expecting a barrier of some sort to be erected around the building, but apparently nothing had been cast. Just like the other times, Phoebe let go of her partner, who went into the guild guns blazing. A giant pillar of flame erupted from the roof as he landed.

"Oh shit, he's here!"

"How did he find us? We were hidden away!"

"Here there, time for the Scorpions to be flame roasted!" Aiden cried out. He jumped forward, socking the first guy across the face. He wasted no time in taking down several other guys.

"Get him you fools!" one man shouted. He rose a staff into the air, unleashing a powerful torrent of water at Aiden. He smirked, dodging the attack entirely.

"But how?" he asked.

"Hiya!" Phoebe cried, grabbing the man by the back of his head, she slammed him hard into the wall, knocking him out instantly. She grabbed the staff and shattered the lacrima, making it completely useless. Three men jumped at her, but she easily dodged them with her wings.

"Hi boys! I didn't think I was so popular! Oh well, Solar Flare!" she shouted, clapping her hands together. A brilliant shower of sunlight flew from her hands, striking everyone in sight.

"Fire Make: Blooming Roses: Fire Machine Gun!" Aiden chanted, throwing the flaming seeds around the mages. They all watched in awe as the blue glittering roses rose from the ground, firing their payload at them. They screamed in agony from the intense flames.

"Come on, is that all you got?" he shouted, flames bursting in all directions.

"This kid is a monster!"

"No wonder they sent him along, he destroyed six other guilds single handedly."

"He's just a kid, don't let him get to you!" a firm voice said. Aiden watched as a tall muscular man dropped down from the second floor of the guild. His landing was enough to rock the entire building. Phoebe raced around, finishing off the last of the small fry before standing next to her partner.

"Looks like your light speed is getting better." he said.

"Yeah, but it's only useful for short bursts." she replied. The man chuckled, placing a thick wooden club on his shoulder.

"So you two are the little shits messing with Oracion Seis. You do know you are playing with fire right?" the man asked.

"Please, I've played with all sorts of fire, and I haven't gotten burned yet, so you can forget about trying." Aiden said, a cocky smirk on his face.

"I'll teach you a lesson you shan't soon forget boy." the man shouted, racing forward. He threw the club forward with all his strength, aiming to hit the two. Phoebe shout into the air while Aiden easily dodged the attack. He grinned, throwing several flaming punches at the man's chest.

"Take this, Hellfire Dragon's Flurry of Dancing Flames!" he shouted, throwing the man backward. Phoebe closed her eyes, casting a circle before herself, which glowed as bright as the rising sun.

"Solar Pulse!" she chanted. The circle burst with bright light, speeding toward the man. He howled in pain as the light seared his eyes, a thin trail of smoke coming from them.

"My eyes! I can't see...my eyes!" he shouted. Aiden slammed his forearm into the man's chin, sending him flying back.

"I'm gonna make you wish you'd never formed this guild in the first place. Metsuryu Ogi: Guren Bakuenjin!" the teenager shouted, willing his flames to burst from his hands. The muscular man howled in pain as he was swallowed up by the flames. The guild hall exploded, sending broken pieces of wood and debris in all direction. Aiden smiled, pulling out his communications lacrima.

"This is Team Flaming Skies, Target Alpha has been neutralized." He said, glancing at the fallen mages. Phoebe was using her light speed magic to slap some sealing stone around them.

" _Copy that Aiden, heading your way now, remain vigilant."_

"Over and out, and hurry up would ya? I wanna go home." he cried into the device, earning a few chuckles in reply.

It wasn't long before all of the mages had been arrested. One of the council members gave Aiden his reward for his completion of the guild. 35 million jewels was a hefty price for his work. He gave the council members a wave and took off, his job complete he could finally head home.

The sun was steadily rising as he and Phoebe were walking back to the guildhall. It was a beautiful day, the breeze was blowing and the birds were chirping. It was just another summer day in Fiore.

"So, how much do I get?" Phoebe asked.

"Jeez, I told you already what you get. Let's just wait until we get home to divvy up the money. We'll grab Carls and Wendy and head out on another mission, I'm too antsy to sit around." he said.

"If you say so." the orange haired girl said, shrugging it off.

After a few minutes, Aiden and Phoebe saw the familiar flags of their guild blowing in the wind. Normally they would run there, but today they just wanted to relax. Seven straight days of fighting dark mages could really take it out of you. They slowly approached the guild hall, waving to their friends who were going about their daily activities.

"Hey Blue Flare, about time you showed up!" Yun cried, giving the teen a wave. He sheathed his sword, giving a nod to Eterna who decided to take a break. The two had been getting a lot closer recently, mostly because the two of them were swordsman, but Aiden could read between the lines, if only a tiny bit.

"Hey man, how was your side of the mission?" he asked, giving the teen a fist bump.

"It was alright, Repede ended up soloing the last guild. They just thought he was a helpless puppy, but boy were they wrong. He's resting in the spirit world right now." he said.

"Man, I would have wanted to see that. The guilds I took we're pretty tame, all except Red Hood, those bastards took off before we got to them. The funniest ones were The Electric Scorpions...they were so paranoid, messing with them was fun." Phoebe said. Her ears twitched a bit, and her tail was moving about lazily.

"We'll, I'm gonna go report to the master. I promised Wendy we would go out when I got back, so I'll see you later." He said.

"Uh...Aiden...nevermind." Yun said firmly. Aiden looked at him in confusion and shrugged it off. He walked into the guild hall, greeting his friends.

"Hey everyone. We're back!" he said cheerfully.

"Hi guys, did everything go alright?" Alana asked curiously.

"Yup, we took care of those guilds easily." he said.

"I received the news my boy, congratulations. The Allied Forces are going to meet soon, and thanks to your work they won't have any trouble taking Oracion Seis down." he replied.

"No problem master. I just wanted to check in, I need a long relaxing shower, maybe me and Wendy can head to Clover Town and grab some dinner, it will be our first date after all." he said. He left the guildhall with Phoebe in tow, a bright smile on his face. Alana frowned, looking at the master.

"Master, I think you should have told him." she said.

"I know...I just couldn't bring myself to it." he said. Alana sighed, shaking her head.

"You know how he's going to react. You sent his girlfriend alone to fight one of the Balam Alliance...we should have at least sent Flare with her for back up." she said.

"I know...I'm just...not thinking straight right now...I'm worried about how this will turn out." the old man said.

"Why is that? Is there something you aren't telling us? Master it's alright, whatever it is we can take it. Cait Shelter trusts you." she said, a bright smile on her face. Roubaul frowned, looking away from her.

"Yes Alana, you are right...but this is sensitive information, I'll explain it to you later." he said.

Aiden sighed contently as he entered his home, the cool rush from the air conditioner seemed to brighten his mood. He shrugged his pack off his shoulder, setting it down by the door. He walked into the kitchen, seeing his sister at the stove, most likely preparing lunch for their house mates.

"Hey sis, how are you?" he asked, giving her a hug.

"I'm fine big brother. How was the mission? Alright I suppose?" she asked. He gave her nod. He took notice of how happier she seemed. She looked a little less awkward than before. She had her hair braided into two thick braids, which were tied together behind her back. She was still wearing her favorite dress.

"It was alright, nothing we couldn't handle. Where's Wendy? I don't smell her scent, well not a fresh one anyway." he said, opening the fridge. He grabbed a juice box from inside, tearing the straw off the back of it.

"She left early this morning. She was sent out to meet everyone else who's part of the Allied Forces." she said. Aiden squeezed his juice box, making it explode. His eyes were wide in shock.

"What did you just say?" he asked.

"I said she left this morning. Didn't...master tell you?" she asked, tilting her head, an emotionless look on her face.

"No, he didn't tell me shit. He sent her alone? What the fuck is he thinking?" he snapped angrily.

"I dunno. I'm sure Carla went with her, she left in a hurry when Wendy turned up missing." she said. Aiden raced from around the island, running toward the front door. He raced through the front door, running toward the guild hall. It wasn't long before he burst through it, panting a bit.

"Master, you and I need to talk." he said, catching the man's attention.

"Something wrong my boy? You don't look so good." he said.

"Of course I don't. You sent Wendy out to fight Oracion Seis on her own? What are you thinking? She doesn't have nearly enough training to take them on. Even with those other mages!" he cried angrily.

"Calm down Aiden, let master explain." Alana said, trying to calm him down. The man sighed.

"I sent Wendy alone because she asked me too. She wanted to be helpful to the Alliance...as it turned out, she ended up hearing the entire thing, and as soon as you left she begged me to let her go. I don't know her reasoning, but it was her wish." he replied.

"And you let her? It doesn't matter what she wants, she isn't ready for that!" Aiden snapped, slamming his fist on the counter top. Thankfully it was made of Granite so it didn't break under his strength.

"Aiden, she's been training hard for the last few weeks. She handled herself on that expedition you went on, you should trust her. You are just blinded by your love for her, precisely the reason why I didn't send the two of you on that mission." the man replied. Aiden grit his teeth in anger, glaring at the floor.

"I'm sorry master...but knowing that she's in danger...I just can't let that slide. Oracion Seis isn't just your average dark guild, they kill people..and I'm not letting her die. Tell me where they are." he said.

"I'm sorry son, but I'm not telling you that. You just came back from a week long mission and you need to rest." Roubaul said.

"I said no!" Aiden snapped angrily, expelling a bit of his fire magic. A few of the others jumped back. He cringed a bit, feeling his eyes tear up.

"Please." he said, dropping to his knees. The man sighed, looking away from him.

"The Allied Forces are meeting up in Master Bob's mansion not far from the Worth Woodsea. Blue Pegasus, Lamia Scale and Fairy Tail are sending mages as well, if you go now you might be able to reach them before they move." Alana said. He rapidly stood up, giving her a thankful look.

"Thank you Alana, thank you." he said, running out of the guildhall. She turned to look at the master, a disappointed look on her face.

"I know you see him as a son, but making him worry isn't good for him." she scolded.

"I'm sorry Alana...I just didn't want him to make a mistake." he said.

"That isn't up to you, I know you mean well..but sometimes people need to make their own choices. He's made his, just like Wendy has made her own." Alana replied. He frowned, shaking his head.

"Give me some of the strong stuff..I'm going to need it." he said. She reached below the counter top, setting the bottle of Tequila on the counter top.

"Whoa man, where's the fire?" Phoebe cried, as Aiden burst into his room. He grabbed his pack from his bed and slung it on his shoulder.

"No time, Wendy and Carla went to meet up with the others to fight Oracion Seis, we need to haul ass." he said.

"Are you serious? Why would master let them go on their own?" Phoebe cried, jumping into her feet.

"Apparently she asked to be sent. That idiot, she should have waited for me." he said.

"Maybe she should have, but wasn't it you that said she couldn't be treated like a flower? I think this is what she needs. She can't be holding your hand forever." she said.

"I get that, but...I can't shake off the feeling that she might get hurt. We're going." he said. She nodded, following right after him. Once outside she shifted back into her exceed form. She summoned her wings and lifted the young man up, following his directions to the Worth Woodsea.

xxx

"Wendy are you sure about this?" Carla asked as the two mages were making their way to the rendezvous spot. The blue haired girl nodded, looking back at her friend.

"I'm sure. I don't want to worry Aiden, but I'm sure he would agree as well. They need all the support they can get." she said. She brushed a loose strand of hair behind her head. She had decided to wear her old dress, the one that was blue and yellow. She hadn't worn it in awhile, but it gave her confidence, mostly because it was the one she was wearing when she met Aiden for the first time.

"That's bullcrap and you know it. He's most likely back, and he's most likely tearing that place apart looking for you." the white haired girl said. She sighed, looking at the sky.

"I know he is. He loves me..but I have to do this, I took down Nick back at Fogbound Lake, so I know I can handle myself. Everyone needs my help." she said.

"That's why I came too. There's no way I'm leaving you alone with those ruffians Wendy. I trust the group from Fairy Tail, but other than them, I'm not sure who will be sent." she replied.

"Thank you Carla. I'm glad you're my friend, even though I make you worry all the time." Wendy said. Carla sighed, wrapping her arm around her friend.

"It's alright...I suppose friends worry each other. Just promise me, no more scars." she said, looking down at the girl's leg. Even though she was wearing her blue shoes, her red scar was still visible.

"No more scars, I promise." she said, making a cross over her heart. The two of them giggled, bright smiles on their faces. The path through the woods opened up, revealing a large pink mansion, with bright golden hearts all over the place. The front gate had two statues, stone Pegasus, most likely to symbolize the guild it belonged to. Nodding to each other, Wendy took off, using a small gust of wind to boost herself forward.

"Last one there's a rotten egg!" she cried.

"No fair! No using magic!" Carla cried, breaking into a sprint after her friend. Sadly she was faster, and it wasn't long before she was left behind.

Meanwhile, the other three teams had been gathered within the mansion. Tensions were high as rivalries were coming into question. Fairy Tail's team, which consisted of Natsu Dragneel, Gray Fullbuster, Erza Scarlet and Lucy Heartfilia were in the center of the action.

Erza was trying not to be unnerved by the Trimens of Blue Pegasus. Eve Tearm, Hibiki Lates and Ren Akatsuki, a trio of womanizing men from Blue Pegasus that was lead by Ichiya, a man well known throughout Fiore for his perverse actions toward women.

Gray was in the middle of an argument between himself an his rival, Lyon Vastia, who was part of the Lamia Scale team, which consisted of himself, Sherry Blendy and Jura Neekis of the Wizard Saints. The Earth Mage was standing watch over everyone, listening to everyone bickering, until he finally had enough and slammed his cane into the ground.

"That is enough! We have come here to take care of a common enemy. Now that we are all gathered, we must discuss our course of action." he said.

"But Mr. Jura sir, we're still missing the representatives from Cait Shelter." Lucy said, raising her hand.

"Tch...I hear there sending only one member. What is their master thinking?" Sherry said, crossing her arms.

"You of all people shouldn't underestimate their strength Sherry. After all, weren't you ranting and raving about what a great time you had at Fogbound Lake?" Lyon asked, making the pinkette look away.

"I'm sorry my love. I just think its wreckless to send a single person here, seeing as most of them are kids." she said.

"Who do you think it is they sent?" Hibiki asked, a curious look on his face.

"My bet goes to the Viper Princess. I heard she ended up subjugating an entire organization in the nation of Seven." Ren replied.

"I don't think so, there hasn't been any news of Yamato being back in Fiore, so for now she's out of the question." Erza replied. Gray chuckled, crossing his arms.

"So, are you jealous that there's someone out there stronger than you?" he asked.

"Don't test me Gray, you know how I get when I lose my patience." the redhead replied, earning a scared not from the black haired teen.

"And put a shirt on!" Lucy added, making the man turn around, searching for the missing article of clothing.

"Sorry I'm late everyone!" a voice cried, followed by a loud thump. They all turned to the door way, seeing a young woman laying on the ground, blue hair sprawled all around her. She groaned in pain, hastily standing up. She brushed the dirt off herself, a frown on her face.

"Aw man, may be I shouldn't have run so hard." she said, still catching her breath. After she had dusted herself off, she looked up, facing everyone. Normally, she would have been more open with everyone, but seeing so many people staring at her made her clam up. She placed her hands behind her head.

"Um...hi everyone. My name is Wendy Marvel and I was sent here from the Cait Shelter guild." she said.

"Wendy?" Lucy cried out.

"Ugh...I didn't think they would send the kid." Sherry added. The girl looked over, happy to see some familiar faces.

"Hi Lucy, hello Sherry." she said happily. Even though she still disliked the pink haired woman, she knew it would be better to befriend her rather than be her enemy.

"So, they sent the Sky Maiden along. I heard you have various techniques that allow you to boost everyones magic power, is this correct?" Jura Neekis asked. The girl eeped, giving the man a hasty nod. He nodded, turning back to everyone else.

"Very well, we have all gathered here, so let us prepare for this meeting." he said.

"Hey Wendy, long time no see. How's it going?" Natsu greeted, earning a smile from her.

"I've been well. Me and my friends have gone on a lot of adventures!" she said.

"That's good to hear. I'm glad you're doing well, the last time we saw you was back during the Fantasia Festival. Sorry you had to leave so early...we tried to host the parade a bit earlier, but master was still recovering." Lucy said, an apologetic look on her face.

"Don't worry about it Lucy, I'm sure we'll get to see it someday." she replied.

"Well, this is a surprise. I wasn't expecting Cait Shelter to send someone so cute." Ren Akatsuki of Blue Pegasus said, placing his hand on Wendy's shoulder.

"Whoa, bad touch!" Lucy cried out. Eve appeared beside his friend, a smile on his face.

"Would you like a drink? Maybe some food...if you'd like I could be your pet." he said, keeping his voice smooth and calm.

"No thanks, I'm all set." the blue haired girl said. Ren squeezed her shoulder softly, a cocky smirk on his face.

"Please, we insist. A growing girl like you needs to eat her fruits and vegetables, as well as drink lots of milk. We want you to grow big and strong in the future." he said.

"I'm alright, really. Please let go." the blue haired girl replied.

"Alright, maybe just the milk then?"

"Sky Dragon's Nut Shot!" she cried, driving her wind coated knee into Ren's family jewels. He howled in pain as he was sent flying back. He slammed into the ground, clutching his private parts. Wendy glared at him, teeth grit in anger.

"I have a boyfriend so fuck off!" she cried.

"Well, I wasn't expecting that!" Lyon said, a smirk on his face.

"No kidding. That dudes gonna need some ice." Gray added.

"Why is there a man on the ground? Who pissed her off?" another voice cried out. Carla slowly walked into the guild, brushing past the young man who was writhing in pain.

"I told him to let me go." Wendy said, not a hint of remorse in her voice.

"Rightly so. That should be a lesson to anyone who thinks its fun to piss Wendy off." Carla added.

"Oh Carla, it's you!" Happy cried, flying toward the white haired girl. She stepped to the side, letting the blue exceed slam into the post. He cried in pain, sliding slowly to the ground.

"Still as cold as ever I see." he groaned.

"Enough lollygagging, it is time to explain our mission." Ichiya said, as he stood on a small pedestal. He stood there for a few seconds, posing every so often, until he scuttled off of it.

"Just as soon as I make a letter of the alphabet." he said, disappearing down the hall.

"Ugh...if that letter is the letter poop, I am so out of here." Gray muttered. Carla took Wendy's hand, pulling her back a few feet.

"Are you sure this is a good idea? They don't even look ready, aside from maybe Erza and the big guy." Carla said.

"I'm sure. Besides I'm already here so I don't want to disappoint everyone by leaving early." she said. Carla nodded, glancing back to the doors.

"We should be on guard, we don't know when they might attack, or if they're already here." she said, earning a nod from the blue haired girl.

"Much better, now that business has been taken care of, let us start. Men!" Ichiya said, gesturing to Hibiki who snapped his fingers, willing a magical interface to appear before him.

"Whoa, that's Archive. I've never seen it in use before." Sherry muttered, clearly amazed at the young man.

"What does it do?" Lucy asked curiously.

"It stores information in compressed magical files. With it you can access information on anything and anyone." Hibiki replied, willing several screens to appear before them.

"Here are some pictures of the members of Oracion Seis, don't ask how we obtained them. The first is a young man named Cobra, a user of Poison magic, he has the ability to suppress anyone's powers in a with a single poisonous bite."

"The next man on the list is Code named Racer. A young man who views himself as the fastest man alive. He attacks in the blink of an eye, so be careful when facing him." Eve added.

"The next one is Code named Hoteye, not much is known about him, other than the fact that he wants money. He's killed hundreds of innocent soldiers for a quick profit."

"As if money would solve all the problems in the world." Gray added.

"It would solve your clothing problem." Natsu said, breaking into laughter.

"You wanna go Slanty Eyes?"

"Anytime Ice Princess!"

"Boys stop this at once!" Erza shouted, earning apologies from the two.

"This woman may be beautiful but don't let her looks distract you. Angel is a vicious woman, her magic type is unknown." Hibiki said.

"There isn't much known about this next one, other than his name, Midnight."

"Could that elude to his magic type?" Erza asked.

"Perhaps, maybe he just likes to sleep." Lyon added, giving her a shrug. All of the pictures disappeared, showing one final one, of a white haired man with many markings on his face.

"This is Brain, the leader of Oracion Seis. As his name entails, he is the brains behind the operation. Like Angel and Midnight, his magic is unknown. This is the enemy we're facing everyone, each of them alone has the power to defeat a military unit, but together they have the power to do much more than that." Hibiki said.

"We have thirteen to their six, but that's the only thing we have. They are strong, so we shouldn't take them lightly." Eve said.

"Yes, which means we should split up, and face them in groups of two. Never face one of the Seis alone, or you might run the risk of getting hurt or worse." Jura said.

"Alright, that seems simple enough." Gray added.

"I'm can I take a vote? Everyone who isn't me or an exceed has to sit this one out." Lucy cried out.

"We're too far in Lucy, don't be scared. I'll be there with you." Wendy reassured. Carla was quite impressed. She was expecting her to wimp out and want to go home, but seeing her now wanting to face this strong enemy, it showed her just how much she had grown in the last few weeks. She really needed to thank Aiden for that.

"Well we have another plan as well. They were spotted in the Worth Woodsea, so we figure they have to have a base of operations somewhere. All we have to do is find it and Blue Pegasus will take care of the rest." Eve said.

"Oh, and how will you be doing that pretty boy?" Lyon asked curiously.

"The magic bomber of course." Hibiki added.

"You brought the magic bomber? I had heard rumors of Blue Pegasus having one, but I didn't think it was true." Sherry said, completely flabbergasted.

"A strong opponent requires a strong source of magic. The bomber will provide us with that advantage." Ichiya said, once again posing.

"Um...I have a question." Wendy said, raising her hand.

"Of course miss, what's the question?" Hibiki asked, being rather polite. Wendy cleared her throat, grabbing a strand of her hair.

"What exactly is Oracion Seis after? Why are they here of all places?" she asked.

"A very good question, and sadly the answer isn't very good. They are after something called Nirvana." he said. Wendy's eyes widened a bit at the sound of that name. Carla clenched her jaw, being familiar with the name.

"Nirvana...what exactly is it?" Lucy asked.

"No one knows...but they say it's powerful magic...destruction magic." Eve said.

"Destruction magic huh?" Natsu muttered, looking at the ground.

"This is very serious. If they get a hold of something like that, I fear all of the light guilds...no all of the people of Fiore may be in trouble." Erza said.

"I believe we have discussed everything we could. For now, I believe it's time to mobilize. We need to get them before they realize what's going on." Jura said.

"Alright, I'm gonna hunt me some dark wizards!" Natsu exclaimed, not wasting a single moment, he burst through the door, running into the distance.

"That idiot." Gray cried, running after him.

"Gray, Natsu don't just run off like that!" Erza cried.

"Well...Fairy Tail doesn't change...we can't let them get the better of us. Let's go Sherry." Lyon said, earning a nod from his friend. The two of them took off after the Fairy Tail mages.

"Come on Wendy, we need to go." Carla said, taking her friend by the hand.

"Aiden, give me strength...I'm going to need it." she muttered under her breath. Once outside, she followed the others toward the edge of the forest, not knowing what was going to happen next.


	28. Oracion Seis Arc: Oracion Seis Appears!

**A/N: Hello everyone and welcome to another update for this, The Hellfire Dragon Slayer. Last Chapter was the beginning of the Oracion Seis arc. We got to see what happened the week prior with Aiden and Yun taking down dark guilds, and Wendy and Carla's arrival at the Allied Forces base of operations, the mansion belonging to Master Bob of Blue Pegasus. Now you all get to see a continuation of this arc, from the Point of View of both Aiden and Wendy. I wanted to convey both parts of the story in a way that didn't make it come close to the canon. Everything is still going on, but the focus of this story is Team Flaming Skies after all.**

 **There will be fights aplenty in this chapter, two or three I think. You'll be seeing some familiar faces as well...so I hope you like it.**

 **I have a question for all of you in fact. There was gonna be this chapter before Edolas where Lucy, Erza, Wendy and Levy all started their own female band, persuaded by Mirajane of course. Aiden was going to get jealous and form his own band, and I thought that maybe he could have members from other guilds in it. You know, every story needs to have the obligatory song fic chapter, so I figured this would be a good time to do that. So far, the band list is as follows.**

 **Aiden Flame: Guitarist**

 **Phoebe Flame: The Drummer**

 **Jenny Realight: Basist**

 **Lyon Vastia: Keyboard**

 **Yuna Sylvania: {Brand new Oc} Lead Singer**

 **There you have it. It was just an idea and I wanted your opinion on it. It might happen, it might not, but I was thinking of having a bit of a rivalry between Aiden and Wendy, something to strengthen their relationship a bit, plus I think seeing Wendy jumping around on a stage and singing her heart out would be cute. Tell me what you think!**

 **Alright, enough talk. I'm gonna leave this chapter here for you all to enjoy. Hope you like it!**

The Oracion Seis Arc

Chapter 27

Oracion Seis Appears!

Aiden and Phoebe had been flying for over an hour. Reaching the Woodsea had been a challenge, especially because of how far it was. The forest wasn't that far from the Cait Shelter guild, it was quite close actually, but he didn't know where Master Bob's mansion was. He had left before he asked Alana where it was, so now he had to guess where it was. Thankfully, he had picked up Wendy's scent in the breeze and had been following it for the better part of an hour. He didn't know what he would be expecting in the forest, but he was prepared for the worst.

He heard Phoebe panting a bit, the girl having been flying nonstop was clearly tired. Aiden frowned and glanced over his shoulder, meeting eyes with her.

"We can land if you want, I know how tired this makes you." he said.

"No, I can keep going a bit longer. Don't worry about me." she said, tightening her hold on him. He frowned, glancing forward once more. He tried to ignore the fact that her breasts were pressed against his back.

"Phoebe...maybe we should land. We don't know who or what we'll be facing out there, and I want you to be at your best. I know we still haven't recovered from that week long mission, but we can't afford to waste magic right now." he said.

"Alright Aiden, I'll land right away." she said. They looked around for a good spot to land, finding an unpaved path cutting through the forest. The landed there, the tingling feeling from flying still coursing through them. Phoebe sighed contently, stretching her wings before letting them disappear. Aiden didn't waste a second and started walking forward, the scent of his girlfriend was growing stronger.

"She was here...so was Carla." he said.

"How long ago was that?" Phoebe asked, crossing her arms. He took a quick whiff of the air, finding out how stale it was. While it was fresh and carried many scents, it also carried the scent of death in it, something that had alarmed him a bit. He also caught Lucy's scent in the breeze. It wasn't hard to figure her's out, seeing as she drenched herself in perfume a lot. He really had to talk about that with her.

"An hour...two at most. They got a head start on us, so they might be deep in the forest now. If I had known a little earlier...I might have caught her before she arrived." he said.

"Aiden, I know you are worried, but Wendy will be fine. You know she can fight, and Carla is with her as well. You don't have to be scared that she'll get hurt." she said, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"It isn't just that Phoebe. Wendy is...more important to me than anything. She makes me happy, like I can be myself around her. You know not a lot of people can handle my attitude, and the fact that I swear like a sailor." he said. She giggled, playing with a few strands of hair.

"I know. Up until a few months ago, I was the only girl in the world who listened to you. The apple of your eye, I was convinced we were gonna get married!" she said.

"Watch it Cat! I'll shave your tail all the way to the base." he snapped angrily. The two of them kept walking up the path, keeping their eyes peeled for anything.

Finally, after another half hour of walking, they noticed a large building peeking through the trees. They broke into a sprint shortening the distance to the building. They stopped dead in their tracks when they noticed the broken doors on the ground, along with the singed wood. Aiden swallowed hard, seeing all of the debris that was around the main courtyard of the mansion.

"Something happened here, we're they attacked?" Phoebe asked. He shrugged and walked through the doorway, stepping into the mansion.

Aiden had to admit, the master of Blue Pegasus really knew how to decorate. The mansion was big and spacious, the main foyer was a very beautiful attraction. It actually spanned several hundred meters, where two marble staircases stood leading further into the building. There was a couch on the far left side of the foyer, along with a table which had some food and drinks on it. Walking inside, he noticed the place had been abandoned for awhile, but there were signs of battle within.

"Anything yet Aiden?" Phoebe asked. He took a whiff of the air, a frown on his face.

"Carla and Wendy were here, but it was a long time ago. Sherry was also here, along with Lyon. Lucy, Natsu, Gray and Erza were here as well, so I suppose they are the ones Fairy Tail sent over. I'm not sure who the other scents belong too. There stale, three hours at most." he said.

"Then we should probably get out of here, I'm getting a bad sign from this place." She said. He nodded, the two of them quickly left the building. They followed the general path the others must have taken, having followed their scent. As they approached the forest, the entire area shook with unprecedented magical energy. They both watched in surprise as a brilliant pillar of white light shot into the air, flowing into the heavens. Two thick strands of black light were spinning around the massive light.

"What the heck is that?" Phoebe asked.

"I'm not sure, but I don't like the looks of it." he said, breaking into a sprint. They ran toward the edge of the forest, seeing the unnatural formations coming out of the ground. It looked as if the earth itself had melted and reformed itself. He shivered a bit, not wanting to know what creature had caused that. Heading toward the edge of the forest, he noticed something sticking out of the ground. He walked over to it, eyes widening.

"This is...one of Erza's swords." he said. He recognized it as one of the swords from her Flight Armor. He grabbed the sword from the ground, seeing just how hard it had been flung. Erza most likely faced a tough opponent, one of the Oracion Seis members. He looked the sword over, placing it between his belt loop and his belt. He would return it to her when he had the chance.

"Hey Aiden check this out, there's an ice slice over here, looks a bit melted though." Phoebe said, urging the teen over to the edge of the woods. There was a towering plume of smoke near by, and he noticed the burning remains of a large air ship, though he didn't know who's it belonged too. Seeing the slide pointing to the forest made him believe everyone had gone down there. He looked toward the pillar of light, seeing the dark energy swirling around the forest. It was unnerving and deadly in nature.

"Let's go Phoebe." he said, jumping off the side of the cliff. She flew down after him, not knowing what they would be facing within the forest.

xxx _Three Hours Prior_ xxx

Having run after the others, Wendy and Carla were preparing themselves mentally for what they were about to face. Natsu's fiery personality was enough to kick start her. She had decided she would fight against this enemy, especially knowing that her guild was potentially in danger.

It was true, she and Carla knew more about Nirvana then the others probably did. They didn't know exactly what it did, but they knew who created it. If the others found out that Cait Shelter was made up of descendants of the original creators, then everything could come into question, even a potential alliance with Oracion Seis, she couldn't allow that to happen. She heard a thump beside her, and noticed Gray and Natsu had bumped into each other.

"What the hell are you doing Popsicle?" Natsu cried.

"You're the one that stopped in front of me Flame Brain!" the Ice wizard shouted, about to punch the teen. A large shadow was cast over them, making everyone look into the sky.

High above them was the largest air ship they had ever seen. It was a light blue in color, and in the likeness of a Pegasus. It had a large glowing red orb underneath it, which was glittering in the light. Two large wings stuck out from the sides.

"No way, that's the Magic Bomber Christina." Sherry said, sweeping some locks behind her head.

"I thought you guys were bluffing." Lucy said, looking at Hibiki who smirked.

"We don't bluff my dear. We are facing a tough opponent, we needed to be prepared." he said.

"Hell yeah, with this puppy they won't know what hit them!" Natsu cried, pumping his fist. A sudden explosion burst from the side of the ship, followed by several others. The ship groaned and screeched as it started decending. It fell over the forest, bursting into flames. A loud explosion rocked the area, throwing a few people to the ground from the sheer force of the blast. All of them looked at it, slack jawed at what happened.

"What the hell was that?" Ren cried, unable to process what had happened. Natsu rapidly turned around, facing the blazing inferno in front of them.

"Heads up, we got company." he said, his fist bursting into flames. Wendy took a deep breath, swallowing the lump in her throat. She glanced over her shoulder, noticing a large boulder next to her. Her instinct told her to hide behind it, but she knew Aiden would face the enemies head on, so she held her ground. The smoke and fire started to clear, revealing the forms of the Oracion Seis.

"It looks like we have some maggots before us." the man known as Brain said, glaring at the mages.

"They have balls coming out here to face us." Cobra added, his large snake hissed loudly as it glared at his opponents.

"Everyone knows the world is better with lots of money!" Hoteye added, holding onto a book rather tightly.

"Stand your ground, don't let them intimidate you!" Erza cried, summoning a sword into her hand.

"They came to us, so we don't have to track they're asses down. You bastards are mine!" Natsu cried, racing forward. He jumped into the air, fist covered in flame.

"Get him." Brain said firmly. Racer nodded and flashed forward, disappearing from sight. He appeared behind Natsu and kicked him in the back, sending him to the ground.

"I'm to fast for you boy. Stay on the ground!" he said. Erza requipped into her Heaven's Wheel Armor, summoning a hundred swords before her.

"Dance my blades!" she cried, launching them at Cobra. The man smirked, dodging all of the blades with ease.

"That's pretty fast, but speed is useless. I can hear it all!" he said, the snake around him hissing loudly.

"This is crazy, we're gonna get owned in no time." Lucy cried. She glanced to her right, seeing a mirror image of herself. Before she could react, the copy started whipping her. Her cries of pain filled the area.

"We've got you now!" Ren cried, about to attack Hoteye, only for Racer to knock them back.

"We have to fight!" Carla cried, looking next to her, only to see her friend was missing. She looked over to the boulder, seeing a strand of blue hair sticking out of the side.

"Wendy Marvel get out here this instant!" she cried.

"I can't! I'm too scared." she cried.

"Don't worry, I'll protect you!" Happy cried, holding a large branch in his hand.

"Yes, because that's going to help!" Carla cried out.

"Hoteye, take care of them." Brain cried out, earning a nod from the man.

"There's nothing in this world that's more important than money! Oh Yeah!" he cried, a magic seal appeared before him as he started manipulating the ground, pulling whoever was on it along with it.

"What is this?" Lyon cried.

"Lyon, my love reach for my hand!" Sherry cried out, trying to reach for the man.

"Hyah!"

"Give it up, I can hear all your movements!" Cobra taunted, as he dodged every swipe Erza threw at him. She swiped her sword at him, almost slashing his face. His eyes widened a bit as he grinned at her.

"My, that was close, but still no cigar. I can hear it all, your muscle contractions, your movements and your very thoughts." he said. The snake flung it's head forward, biting down on Erza's arm. She screamed in pain as she was flung back, her swords falling from her grasp.

"This is the end for you maggots!" Brain cried, holding his staff in the air. A bright green magical energy was swirling around it. It felt dark and oppressive unlike any magic they had ever felt before.

"We have to get outta here, that spell will kill us." Happy cried out, grabbing onto Wendy's hand. Brain finally took notice of her eyes widening a bit as his spell was halted.

"You gonna fire that bad boy or what?" Cobra asked, crossing his arms.

"She's here, the Sky Maiden, Wendy Marvel." he said.

"Huh?" the girl cried, clearly confused. How did the man know her name.

"The girl? What's so important about her?" Racer asked curiously.

"She's the one we need to unlock the final key. We must retrieve her!" he said, aiming his staff at her, a ghastly green fist shot at her, grabbing her from the ground. She screamed in shock and pain as she was pulled into the air.

"Wendy!" Carla cried, jumping at her friend. Racer flashed in front of her, kicking her back into the rock. She cried in pain, loosing the air in her lungs.

"Carla!" Wendy cried out, reaching for her friend. Carla cried to move, but Racer held her in place with his foot, shaking his head in a disapproving tone.

"Don't worry, I got you!" Happy cried, reaching out for the girl. Wendy managed to grab his paw, just as the orb disappeared, flashing her away. Natsu slammed his fist into the ground.

"Wendy, Happy! Give them back asshole!"

"Begone Maggots!" Brain shouted, holding his staff high into the air.

"Dark Rondo!"

Bright green balls of light fell from the sky, raining down on the worn out mages. They all watched in horror as the attack was fast approaching. They felt the very earth shake around them.

"Iron Rock Wall!" a new voice shouted. Thick spears of earth shot out of the ground, forming a thick wall above the mages, protecting them from the attack. Angel hissed, glaring at the man.

"I thought I took you out?!" she shouted. He smirked, shaking his head.

"It's gonna take a lot more than Ichiya-dono's parfume to take me out." he said, glancing at the man who had a giant welt on his forehead.

"We have what we need, let us go." Brain said, waving his wand. In a bright flash of green, the Oracion Seis disappeared, just as quickly as they had arrived.

"Oh man, they kicked our asses." Eve muttered, clutching his throbbing head.

"Yeah, how did they know we were here?" Ren asked.

"That was my mistake. It seems Angel infiltrated the mansion when we were discussing our strategy. They know all of our attack plans." Ichiya said, a frown on his face.

"Yes, she was the one who attacked me as well. Thankfully, Ichiya-dono's spells didn't have much effect on me and I was able to recover." Jura said, earning a frown from the handsome man.

"Man, they wiped the floor with us. We weren't able to land a single hit." Gray said, slamming his fist into the ground.

"They took Happy and Wendy with them. We can't sit around here and do nothing." Natsu said, running to the edge of the woods, only for his scarf to be pulled hard, knocking him to the ground. He looked up, seeing a very pissed off Carla standing before him. He ignored the fact that he could see her stripped underwear in favor of glaring at her face.

"Don't just run off. We are facing a powerful opponent, I understand that the male cat and Wendy are in danger. Trust me it blows knowing she's with the enemy, but it will suck worse if we get hurt trying to find her." she snapped. He sighed, giving her a nod.

"I think for now we should regroup and think of a new strategy. Seeing as those fucks know our current one, it would be best to think of a new one." Gray added, helping Lucy to her feet.

"I agree with Gray-dono. Let us think of a new plan." Jura said.

"Hey wait...wasn't there someone else here?" Eve said.

"He's right, where's Erza?" Lucy cried out, noticing the redhead was nowhere to be found. They all looked around, seeing no sign of the woman. Natsu rapidly walked over the edge, seeing his friend at the bottom of the ravine.

"She's down there! Oi Erza, you okay?" he cried out, receiving no response from her. Gray quickly made a slide, wasting not time to go to his friend's aid. Everyone followed suit, landing down at the edge of the forest.

Erza was laying on the ground, panting a bit. Her arm was glowing a bright purple. She was still in her Flight Armor, not having bothered to change back. She lazily opened her eyes, noticing her friends around her.

"Oh man, she doesn't look so good." Sherry noted, looking the woman over.

"No shit, she was bitten by that snake...so she's been poisoned." Lucy added. Erza quickly sat up, reaching for her friend's belt.

"I'm sorry Lucy, but I need to borrow this." she said, ripping the belt off. The girl screamed as her skirt fell to the ground, showing off her cute lacy panties. The Trimens screamed loudly as blood gushed from their noses. Erza tied the belt around her arm, holding it tightly with her hand. She put the end of the belt in her mouth, holding her arm to the tree as she summoned a sword.

"Cut it off!" she cried, her voice sounding muffled.

"Are you serious?" Gray cried out.

"If the poison reaches my system then I'll be useless in this fight. Cut it off!" she hissed.

"She's right, we need her for this battle." Sherry said.

"I'll do it." Lyon said, taking a hold of her sword.

"Hang on, you can't do this. This will affect her for the rest of her life!" Gray cried out.

"Tch, some friend you are. You value her arm more than her life?" the pinkette said.

"Stay out of this, she's nothing to you. Which is why we need to find another way out." the black haired Ice mage said.

"Cut the damn thing off already!" Erza shouted in anger. Lyon nodded, lifting the sword above his head. He swung it down hard, only for Gray to stop it with his ice, shocking everyone.

"What are you doing? She'll die if I don't do this!" he shouted.

"Not happening. We'll figure out another way to save her." he said firmly. Erza cried in pain as Carla grabbed her arm, stabbing a dagger into her flesh. She slit her skin and started squeezing the blood out of it, this act was enough to make the woman pass out. Carla hovered her hands over the cut, channeling her magic into it.

"Shit, I'm not strong enough to heal her." she muttered.

"What the hell are you doing Cat?"

"What does it look like? While all of you were bickering like five year olds, I decided to act. We must remove the poison from her body and this is the only way I could do it. Sadly it won't be enough, we need Wendy here. Only she can save her now." she said.

"Right, I forgot the kid was a healer. The Sky Dragon Slayer." Sherry said, crossing her arms.

"But that bastard took her and Happy." Natsu added, finally recovered from the slide down there.

"Which is why we need to band together to find her. Erza isn't going to get better unless we find Wendy." Carla replied. She removed her hands from Erza's wound, having healed the cut she made. Most of the poison had been removed but there was still a good amount in her system, and it was spreading fast.

"Alright then, let's switch our focus to finding Wendy. We'll split up in teams of three. Remember if you run into any of the Oracion Seis, engage them in pairs or more. We can't afford to lose anymore people." Hibiki said firmly.

"Alright, I'll stay here with Erza. Natsu, Gray would you go search for her?" Lucy asked, still holding onto her pants.

"Yeah sure, Carla can come with us." Gray said, earning a nod from the white haired girl.

"Jura, Sherry and I will head out as well. That leave Blue Pegasus to search in that direction." Lyon said, pointing to the east side of the forest. They nodded firmly. Before they left, Carla held her hand out, gesturing to Sherry. She rolled her eyes.

"Take what you can." she said.

"Give nothing back. Good luck." she said. Team Lamia Scale left, both men asking Sherry what that gesture even meant. The boys from Blue Pegasus left as well, after telling Hibiki to stay behind with Lucy, that left Natsu and Gray's team.

"She's going to be fine you know. She's tougher than this." Lucy said, taking a firm hold of her hand.

"I know...keep her safe. Gray, Carla, let's go." Natsu said, racing into the forest. Carla handed Lucy her spare canteen filled with water, giving her a nod before taking off into the forest. Lucy smiled a bit, holding the bottle to the redhead's lips.

"It'll be alright Erza...they'll find Wendy soon enough." she said. Even though she didn't open her eyes, the woman responded to her voice by giving her hand a squeeze. It would all turn out alright.

xxx _Present Time_ xxx

"There's some blood here." Aiden said, kneeling down at the base of a tree. He saw a purplish gooey substance on the ground, as if someone had gotten heavily injured. He dabbed his finger into it, holding it to his nose. His eyes widened when he recognized the scent.

"Erza...and she was poisoned." he said.

"She was poisoned? Do you think Wendy healed her then?" Phoebe asked.

"I'm not sure. They're scents are all mixed together...they were here, but it's been hours. They must have gone into the forest." he said. He and Phoebe started running into the woods, keeping their eyes peeled for signs of life. He saw the pillar of light glowing brighter and brighter the deeper they got into the forest. He was able to find Wendy's scent rather easily. He changed his course, straying off the path.

"Oi, is it a good idea to get off the path?" Phoebe asked.

"I found Wendy, she's near a river not far from here." he said.

"Well lookie here, if it isn't the Blue Flare. What a coincidence running into you here of all places." a familiar voice said. Aiden jumped back, recognizing the source of the voice. From the woods emerged Paul, wearing his familiar Red Hood. Three other guys were standing beside him.

"What the fuck are you guys doing here?" Phoebe cried, pointing at them.

"We got let out of jail little lady. Wasn't hard, especially when the council is in such dire straights." Paul said, a smirk on his face. He lowered his hood, showing off the ghastly burn mark on his face. It was a red ugly char mark, which had taken his entire eye. Aiden grimaced a bit.

" _Jeez, did I do that?"_ he thought to himself.

"I see you took notice of my countenance. A reminder of what took place on Mount Horn, didn't think you shitheads would be here." he said.

"Neither did I. You hear what happened to your guild hall, a little birdie told me it was turned to ash. Whoops, guess that little birdie was me." he said, his hand bursting into flame. Paul grimaced a bit, seeing the blue fire that danced on his hand.

"I am not loosing twice to you. Men, handle the girl. The kid is mine." he said, getting into his maker stance. The two men smirked, pulling out sketch pads from out of nowhere.

"Picto Magic, create Goblins!" the men chanted, sketching a drawing of a Goblin. The notebooks glowed brightly as two giant creatures flew from the pages, jumping right at Phoebe. She summoned her wings and jumped out of the way.

"Phoebe!" Aiden cried.

"Don't worry about me, I'll be fine. Solar Flare!" she shouted, launching glowing orbs of sunlight at the creatures.

"Iron Make: Saw Blade!" Paul cried, launching a silver saw blade at Aiden. He ducked under it, just in time for the blade to pass over his face. It sawed right through the trees, bringing the towering giants down.

"Three weeks makes a difference huh? I guess I'll show you what I got under my sleeve." Aiden said, jumping into the air. He jumped off the falling trees, using them as a spring board to jump high into the air.

"Fire Make: Hammer!" he shouted, pulling his arms back. From it erupted a giant hammer, made out of sapphire blue flames. He gave a cry as he slammed it onto the ground, sending a torrent of flames in all directions.

"Tch...speedy. Iron Make: Witches Cauldron!" the man shouted, throwing his spell into the air. Aiden turned back, only to be slammed into the ground by a giant iron cauldron. He cried in pain as the ground under him crumbled.

"I'm not the same fool from a few weeks back. That fight opened my eyes...I've gotten so much more stronger." Paul said, a stream of iron shavings floating around him. Aiden covered himself in fire and literally melted the cauldron off himself.

"Oh yeah, you think you can defeat me?" Aiden said firmly.

"Oh I can. I know I can." he said, taking a deep breath. Aiden's eyes widened a bit in shock.

"Iron God's Bellow!" he shouted, unleashing a powerful tornado of black iron at the teenager. He stood there in shock as the attack flew at him. He reacted quickly, drawing Erza's sword from his belt. With a swipe, he sliced the attack clean in half, destroying two trees behind him.

"You're a God Slayer?" Aiden asked, his hand tightly wrapped around his sword.

"So you noticed? I took great strides in case I ran into you again. Finding a lacrima was harder than hell, but anything to defeat you." Paul said, a smirk on his face.

 _"Lacrima...an artificial God? Great, I'm getting bad vibes from this dude."_ Aiden thought to himself.

"Speechless? I'm sure you weren't expecting this." he said.

"The fact that you did all of this for me, it's sweet. I'M SO FLATTERED!" Aiden shouted, the ground burst into flames around him as he flung his blade outward. He knew it would take a lot to destroy a sword made from Erza's magic, but that didn't mean he wouldn't put it through the wringer. The man raced forward, pulling the glowing red sword back.

"I'm gonna melt the other side of your face!" he shouted.

"You wish. Iron God's Lance: Demon Sword!" The man cried, morphing his arm into a giant sword. He took a swipe at Aiden who dodged it with ease. Aiden growled in anger as he sliced through the man's sword.

"You copy cat! You're stealing moves from someone I know, his sword is three times stronger than yours!" he shouted, slamming the blade into the man's chest. He was sent flying through the trees.

"Damn Goblins!" Phoebe muttered, dodging another punch from the ugly green creatures. She jumped into the trees, pulling her arms back.

"By the grace of the sun that shines down on us, grant me the power of your everlasting glow. Solar Beam!" she shouted, launching the powerful attack at the drawings. The howled in pain, bursting into sparkles. The two hoodlums cried out as they saw the girl above them, her eyes burning a bright orange. She licked her lips.

"Little Red Riding Hood is gonna get eaten by the big bad wolf!" she exclaimed, jumping at the two. They launched several drawings at her, but she easily dodged them. She grabbed their faces tightly in her hands and slammed their heads together, throwing them into the air. She took a deep breath, a smirk on her face.

" _Aiden is gonna be so pissed at me."_

"Solar Dragon's Roar!" she shouted. A bright orange laser flew out of her mouth slamming into the two dark mages. They howled in pain as the bright sunlight burned them to a crisp. They landed on the ground, their bodies smoking a bit. She wiped her lip, feeling a bit tired.

"Did you seriously use it?" Aiden cried, looking over his shoulder.

"What? You get to Show off and I don't?" she asked.

"You do know you're at risk right?" he asked. She shook it off. Her eyes widened a bit and she quickly disappeared. He watched the blinding orange light zoom past him, as she slammed her fist into Paul's face.

"Solar Dragon's Iron Fist!" she shouted, launching the man into a tree. She grit her teeth, feeling a wave of pain flowing through her body. She cried out, as she felt her fangs elongating.

"Phoebe!" Aiden cried, kneeling next to his friend. She looked at him, a smirk on her face. She had a few scales growing out from under her eyes.

"I'm fine." she said.

"Idiot, using Dragon Slayer magic without training can end up hurting you. Or worse, you'll turn into a dragon yourself." he said.

"Man, you Kittens are full of surprises...but I'm not letting you come through me." Paul said, standing up from where he stood.

"You think we're scared of you?" Phoebe said, standing up. She was a bit dizzy, but none worse for wear.

"Nah...you aren't scared, but I'm about to show you the Wrath of a God!" he exclaimed, running at them. His arms morphed into black iron poles, which he shot at them. Aiden and Phoebe ducked to the side, jumping off the trees. He took a deep breath, filling his stomach with fire magic.

"Hellfire Dragon's Roar!" he shouted, launching his attack. The blue flames bathed over the red cloaked man, causing significant damage. Phoebe shot downward, her winds glowing a brilliant gold.

"Max Speed: Solar Eruption!" she cried, slamming her glowing fist into the man's fist. He was flung through the woods, slamming through several trees. Aiden raced forward, following the trail of destruction. Paul slammed through a boulder, slamming into a river. The man quickly stood up, putting his hands together.

"Iron Make: Girder." he shouted, creating a large metal beam. With a shout he threw it forward at the two mages. Phoebe ducked to the side, while Aiden literally ran on it. He jumped high into the air, pulling his fists back.

"Fire Make: Gungnir!" he shouted, throwing the giant flaming spear forward. It made contact with the water, exploding on contact. A powerful wave of steam shot in all directions as the two mages landed on the ground. Aiden closed his eyes, his ears perking up a bit. He ducked to the side, avoiding an iron coated fist.

"Nice try pal." he said. His eyes widened when he felt the man knee him in the gut, sending him flying through the air.

"Iron God's Titanium Nails!" Paul shouted, launching several nails at Aiden. He cried in pain as they tore into his skin and his clothing. He quickly drew his sword, using it to block as many of the nails as he could.

"Imma Firin' ma lazer!" Phoebe shouted, pulling her arms forward. A glittering magic seal appeared before her, exploding into a brilliant rainbow light. Paul grit his teeth as the light slammed into him. He rose a wall in front of him, dispelling the light.

"Nice try kitten! Iron Make: Metal Slugger!" he cried, throwing his spell forward. Phoebe ducked to the side to avoid it, but her leg was caught in the blast. She howled in pain as she felt her leg snap clean in half.

"Phoebe!" Aiden cried, jumping toward his friend. He was shot back by a blast of Iron shavings. Paul smirked, allowing the iron to float around him.

"You picked the wrong forest to walk through kittens. This place is going to be your graves!" he said, his face splitting into a grin.

" _Damn...I can't beat this guy. Guess I can't use a lacrima this time around."_ he muttered to himself. He glanced over at Phoebe, who had dragged herself behind a rock. Her leg was bent the wrong way, and it was covered in blood, as the bone had pierced her skin. He grit his teeth, slamming his fist onto the ground.

" _I can't be a wimp right now. Phoebe is hurt...I'm gonna defeat this guy."_ he said, forcing himself to his feet.

"Oh, so the dragon can stand...you know...I thought you were stronger than this. Guess Dragon Force is your only trump card, whoops...I don't see any Fire Lacrima in this place. Tough luck buddy." Paul said, flinging his hand forward. Aiden howled in pain as another stream of iron shavings were launched at him. He stabbed Erza's sword into the ground, holding himself in place.

"Come on...Gajeel's Iron is stronger than this fake crap." he muttered to himself.

"What was that? Comparing me to that loser? Remind me to kill him later, that bastard took out a Red Hood outpost while he was still in Phantom." he said, increasing his magic. Aiden howled in pain, the searing pain from the iron slicing his skin was increasing. He closed his eyes and looked to the ground, in order to avoid loosing them.

" _Damn it...I can't...move."_

" _ **So, this is the might of the Hellfire Dragon's Son?"**_

" _Huh...what the?"_ Aiden thought to himself. He felt a warmth in the center of his chest, as if there was a fierce fire burning within.

" _ **Aiden Flame, I didn't teach you fire magic so you could pussy out. You are the son of the Hellfire Dragon, Atlas Flame! Our magic is second to none, no magic hurts us! So get up, or so help me I will kick your ass!"**_

"You're right, sorry dad...I'm such a wimp...but not any longer!" Aiden shouted, swiping his sword as hard as he could, literally splitting the iron stream in half. He took a deep breath, sucking the surrounding iron into his mouth.

"What...are you retarded? That iron will shred your guts! Heh, no matter...makes my job easier in the end." Paul said. Aiden dropped to his knees, clutching his throat in pain. He coughed loudly, a large glob of blood spattering the ground. He growled in anger, feeling the new magic coursing through his body. He stood up, a smirk on his face as his eyes glowed a brilliant red.

"Gihi...I'm gonna show you what you get when you cross Hellfire with God Iron." he said, running forward, he pulled his fist back as far as he could. His hand glittered brightly as an iron gauntlet formed over it, before bursting into a sapphire flame.

"Hellfire Dragon God's Iron Fist!" he shouted, uppercutting Paul right in the chin. The man howled in pain as he was flung upward. He glared at the teenager, one of his eyes closed.

"No way...he ate my iron, and turned it into power?" he asked. Aiden jumped high into the air, slamming his leg right into the man's torso. He crashed into the ground, shattering the boulder behind him. Aiden rose his hands high above his head, fire burst from them, a thick stream of black iron swirling around it.

"Take this, the burning sapphire flames from my right, the black iron from my left. Put them together and you get this, Hellfire Iron God Dragon's Brilliant Flames!" he shouted, throwing the large bluish black orb of magic at the man. He quickly jumped to the side, dodging the powerful attack. It exploded outward, sending fire and iron in all directions. Aiden landed in the river, twisting his foot in a pit that had been left there from a previous battle. He grit his teeth in pain, but stood his ground. From the water, rose Paul who was glaring at him.

"You monster...you're a fucking monster!" he shouted, fear and anger coursing through him. Aiden smirked, tearing the sleeve off his flannel shirt.

"You see this emblem? It's the mark of Cait Shelter, Got it Memorized? Good...this is the mark of the guild that's going to end you and Oracion Seis." he said loudly.

"Shut the hell up, you fucking coward. Iron God's Bellow!" he shouted, unleashing his breath attack at him. Aiden rose his hand stopping it dead. With a flick of his wrist he sucked the iron into his body. It hurt like hell, but he would need every ounce of spare magic he could for this attack.

"I'm gonna melt the other side of your face right off your body. This is what you get for breaking my best friend's leg." he said, taking a deep breath, a bluish black magic seal appeared before him as he stabilized his power inside his mouth.

"Hellfire Iron God Dragon's Roar!" he shouted, unleashing every ounce of magic he had left in his body. Paul's eyes widened a bit as his pupils dilate. The giant plume of sapphire flames and iron was floating right at him. It's with was nearly double the size of the river he was standing in, all of the water was turning into steam from the flames. He grit his teeth, pulling his fists back.

"Iron God Slayer Secret Art!" he shouted, a steel colored magic seal appearing before him. He gasped a bit when his circle shattered. He looked to the side, seeing Phoebe with her hand raised, an orange magic seal in front of her. She gave him a wink, blowing him a kiss. The attack connected with the man, exploding on contact. He shouted in pain as he was sent flying through the air, and over a distant waterfall. Aiden let out a breath he had been holding, finally feeling relieved. He clutched his stomach, vomiting it's contents into the water. Red streams of blood could be seen flowing in the water. He quickly walked to the river bank, vomiting more blood.

"Aiden, are you alright?" Phoebe cried, floating over to him. Her leg was still bent out of shape, but she didn't care about that. He nodded, holding his mouth shut.

"Swallowing that iron...might not have been a wise idea." he said.

"You idiot, you know eating magic that isn't of your element can kill you. Especially fucking God magic." she said. She hovered her hands right above his stomach, channeling all of her power into healing him. It wouldn't be as effective as Wendy's, but if she focused on a single spot and on the remaining sunlight, she could manage.

"Damn it...I couldn't even find Wendy...what the hell was that guy doing here?" he asked.

"He was a Red Hood Commander, cream of the crop as they say. Of course his guild would get him out. They probably got to him before the council did. I didn't take count either, I was more focused on healing you and the Missus." she said. He chuckled, giving her a light punch on the shoulder.

"How's your leg sweetheart?" he asked, panting a bit.

"I'll be fine. Let me just focus on you for now." she said, channeling her magic into his body. She looked up at the pillar of light, a frown on her face.

"That light changed while we were fighting. It isn't black anymore." she said.

"I know...I don't like the feeling of this." he said firmly.

"We'll be fine...it'll all be fine." she said, her hands stopped glowing as she finished healing him. She wiped the sweat off her brow and sat back, looking at her leg.

"I don't think I can fight for awhile. My magic is spent." she said.

"We gotta fix that leg." he said. He stood up, clutching his stomach a bit. He felt way better than before but the pain was still there. He grabbed two thick branches from the ground and brought them over. He knelt down next to his partner and grabbed the remains of his shirt, tearing it off his body. He spun it around a bit before placing it in her mouth.

"This is gonna hurt like shit, but you need to tough it out alright?" he asked. She nodded, biting down hard. He grabbed her leg and spun it around without a second thought. The girl screamed loudly as her bones stretched a bit. He turned it again, hastily placing the bones back in place. He grabbed the two branches and placed them at either side, using his scarf as a makeshift rope to keep it tight. Phoebe fell to the ground, panting a bit as tears ran down her face.

"Aiden...remind me about this if I ever have a kid, I want to see which hurts more." she panted, earning a laugh from him.

"Be serious...we'll need to find Wendy or Carla if we want to fix this. Sadly all of this magical energy is making my nose go on the fritz...I can smell a lot of things, but neither of them." he said. Phoebe sat up, leaning against a tree.

"That is gonna be hard. I'm out of magic, and using Dragon Slayer magic made my transformation go out of whack. I think I'm stuck in this form now." she said, looking at her hand. He sighed, shaking his head.

"I told you, moving onto Solar Dragon Slaying magic before getting a handle on Solar Divinity Magic was bound to go bad." he said sternly. She looked up at the rapidly darkening sky.

"You're gonna have to leave me here. If I cast the Solar Drip Ritual with the remaining sunlight, I'll be able to reverse the effects of the Dragon magic. I'll be able to regain magic to heal myself." she said.

"I can't leave you behind, what if someone attacks you?" Aiden said.

"Right now you need to find Wendy and Carla, most of all you need to stop whatever that light is. I can sense it, a powerful evil magic that will kill anyone in sight. You can't let Oracion Seis get it. Forget me, I'll be fine." she said. Aiden grit his teeth, tightening his fist in anger. He felt his partner bump his fist with her own, a smile on her face.

"Take what you can." she said. He smiled, letting out a loud sigh.

"Give nothing back. I love you Phoebe." he said, taking off into the forest. He was still in pain, but he couldn't hang around anymore. The exceed turn human sighed, closing her eyes.

"I love you too Aiden. Give em hell." she said, passing out from the strain. There was no such thing as a Solar Drip ritual, but she couldn't tell him that. He wouldn't have left other wise. By the time he realized it, it would be too late to turn back.

xxx

"Thanks so much for your help Miss Sakatonaka, we really appreciate it." a portly man said, bowing formally. The violet haired woman smiled, shaking her head.

"It was nothing. I was just doing my job as an honorable mage of Cait Shelter." she said firmly.

"We're going to erect a statue in your honor. The country of Seven will forever be in your debt, Viper Princess Yamato." the man said. She smiled brightly and grabbed the reward suit case. 100 million Sevenese Dollars, or 60 million Jewels in Fiore. She gave the man a wave as she headed toward the hotel she was staying in. She had been out of Fiore for two and a half months, but that didn't mean she didn't hear about her comrades and their achievements, the most recent being the discovery of Fogbound Lake. She missed her home, and her friends.

She felt a vibration on her wrist, and she stopped mid stride, pulling her sleeve back. She had been wearing her violet ballgown as of late. Her title as the Viper Princess had spread around Seven quite rapidly, so she felt like showing off a bit. A lot of the children were running around with temporary Cait Shelter marks in her honor. She tapped the crystal ball, a magic seal appearing on it. A holographic image popped up.

"Oh, hello Master Roubaul. Good timing, I just finished my mission in Seven." she said.

"Very good, I'm glad everything went well on your end. However, this call isn't about that...I called with grievous news. It seems...my time is up." he said. Her eyes widened in shock.

"Are you certain? But I'm not back yet." she said.

"I understand Yamato...but I cannot keep going. I got two days left at most...all of Cait Shelter will be gone by the time you come back. I've already asked Master Makarov to take my charges in...the paperwork has been left prepared. When the time comes, it will be up to them to decide." he said.

"Master Roubaul...I was supposed to be back to be at your side. You can't do this to me." Yamato said, her eyes soaked with tears. She was struggling to keep her composure, but it was rapidly breaking.

"I'm sorry my dear...but I cannot resist any longer. Truthfully, I should have been gone a long time ago...but seeing Wendy smile every day, seeing how happy Aiden and his friends were...it just made me use my remaining reserves of magic. They're engaging Oracion Seis right now, and Cait Shelter will not be spared. I'm sorry." he said.

"What...you sent them to fight one of the Balam Alliance? They aren't ready yet, they're still children." she exclaimed.

"You underestimate them...during the expedition to Fogbound Lake, Aiden went into Dragon Force. They defeated a fellow Dragon Slayer and a real Dragon...they are more than ready for this fight. If Aiden so wishes it, Cait Shelter will remain, but knowing him, he might not be strong enough to handle it. The life of a guild master doesn't suit him, nor does it suit you." He said.

"I needed more time, I'm more than willing to take over for you. Please you have to hang on!" she cried.

"I'm sorry sweetheart...but this is my choice...you'll understand my actions in due time...this is my last goodbye. I wish you well Yamato Sakatonaka. In the short time I've come to know you, you've become my granddaughter. And that is why I can't leave this burden to you." he said. With that the man hung up. Yamato just stood there, glaring at the lacrima on her wrist. She just dropped to her knees, ignoring the fact that everyone was watching her. There was nothing she could do, her guild mates would be all alone, without their master to guide them.


	29. A Dragon's Cry and An Angel's Sorrow

**A/N: Hello everyone and welcome to Chapter 28 of The Hellfire Dragon Slayer. We're reaching the climax of the Oracion Seis arc, and this chapter is going to be one of the final ones. There are only two chapters left in this arc. Honestly, it felt like just yesterday when I wrote it. It's kinda funny how I can fly through the canon arcs but when I write my own arcs I have a lot of trouble. It's rather ironic.**

 **Anyway, please tell me how this arc is. I know I've been focusing on Aiden and Wendy mostly rather than the whole attack on Oracion Seis, and I also skipped crucial battles, but I didn't want to rehash this arc like I did with Galuna Island. I wanted to make this story unique in it's own right, by focusing on the main characters of the story, Team Flaming Skies.**

 **I would like to thank Warmachine375 for his oc submission. He has submitted the first Machias character, named Gira Devestator. He is an abandoned Machias from the first invasion into Ishgar at the hands of Emperor Spriggan. He and the rest of his Machias platoon are currently MIA and KIA, at least in the eyes of the empire. He will be making his official debut soon, but this chapter will contain hints about his future appearance.**

 **I would also like to say, that if my story gets that far, I'm not going to include Alvarez in this story. My reasoning is, well I don't like it, to be honest. As a whole, it has good plot points, but people keep dying and coming back, it's fucking annoying. Gajeel, Mira, Juvia, Carla, Gray, so many got "Killed" and then brought back, it was total bullshit. So due to that, I am not including this arc in my story. I'll make Avatar what Alvarez could have been, because honestly I liked Avatar way more. Hopefully Fairy Tail's final arc is good, and I have high hopes for Fairy Tail Dragon Cry. I don't want it to turn into Phoenix Priestess. I like the movie, honestly I do, but could have been better.**

 **Shoutout to Svane Vulfbad for being a really awesome dude and for giving me a good review. If you do read this, please tell me what you think I hope you enjoy it. It's hard to find good stories on this site, among the garbage out there, so I want to make this as good as I can.**

 **Shoutout to BloodyDemon666 for being awesome as always, I'll be sure to read your stuff when I can, I'm super busy right now, don't have internet either, cuz Fairpoint sucks ass.**

 **Shoutout to Chance Green G King for being a loyal reader, hope you like this one.**

 **I guess fanfiction is being stupid again, because I can't read any new reviews...so if you have any questions, please PM me and I'll get back to you.**

 **Look, a Wild Chapter Appears! Go Disclaimer! Disclaimer used: Boring Crap I'm not gonna spew here! It was super Effective. Wild Chapter was posted!**

The Oracion Seis Arc

Chapter 28

A Dragon's Cry and an Angel's Sorrow

Wendy and Carla were walking through the forest, sticking mostly to the mountain side. She had just regained consciousness not that long ago. Apparently, after being taken to Erza's side, she had started blaming herself for healing Jellal. With Nirvana being active, there was no choice but being knocked out. Her head hurt a bit, but she didn't mind. However being knocked out three times in one day really didn't make her feel any better.

She remembered what happened. After being caught by Brain, she had been taken to a cave in the middle of the Woodsea. She was then forced to heal Jellal, the man that has found her seven years prior. After that, Natsu ended up rescuing her, only for her to be knocked out by Racer. When she reawoke, she was standing next to Erza who had been severely poisoned. After that, the white light exploded from the center of the woods, Natsu mentioned Jellal and she just blacked out after that. She sighed, sitting down on a flat rock. She looked out into the forest, her eyes focusing on the pillar of light.

"Are you alright child?" Carla asked, standing next to her. Wendy nodded, clutching her sore arm.

"I'm fine...just a bit tired. Having to fight the Seis and healing Erza really took it out of me." she said. She remembered having to fight some members from the Titan's Hand guild not long ago. She had expelled quite a bit of magic, leaving her very worn out.

"I get what you mean. I wasn't expecting so many dark guilds to be here, weren't Aiden and Yun supposed to take care of them?" she asked, sitting down next to her friend.

"You can't blame them. Some members were bound to run, they did their best after all...I just wish Aiden was here. I could really use one of his hugs." she said, looking at the sky.

"I have a question Wendy...that fellow you kept mentioning, why on earth would you heal him? Especially if he was evil?" she asked. Wendy frowned looking at the ground.

"Jellal is...well he's my friend. The day after Grandeeney left me, was the worst one in my life. I was wondering around, looking for her, but I didn't find her at all. I was walking through the forest when he spotted me. I just broke down and ran to his side." she said.

"So...he wasn't a bad person then?" she asked. Wendy shook her head.

"Not at all. He was sweet and caring. He took care of me...he said he was going on a long journey, and I asked him if I could come with him. He accepted and that was that. We started traveling together. We didn't have a place in mind, we just kept walking." she said.

"What happened then?" the white haired girl asked curiously.

"Well...Jellal started acting weird. One day this storm picked up, it was rather violent, with wind and fat rain. He was worried I would get sick, but I didn't care about that. After awhile though, he told me I had to leave. He said that where he was going was dangerous and that a little girl like me didn't want to get caught in it. He took me to Cait Shelter and I've been there ever since." she said. She took a long drink from her canteen, handing the rest to Carla. She looked out into the distance, focusing on the setting sun.

"I heard all of the bad things he did, at the Tower of Heaven, all of the slaves he had there...but I didn't believe them. They said he destroyed the Magic Council without thinking about it, got them to fire Etherion, but I didn't say a thing. If Aiden heard these rumors...he would have found him and done bad things to him. I didn't want my best friend fighting the man that saved my life." she said.

"Why would Aiden even care? Sure he would be pissed because Jellal was doing all of those bad things, but he wouldn't get caught up in business he couldn't handle." Carla said.

"I know...but I haven't exactly been truthful with him. Remember that story he told us, how his brother killed his family?" Wendy asked.

"How could I forget...he was so distraught telling me that story. I'm honestly glad he told it, it was a great relief to him." she said. Wendy frowned, looking at the dirt in front of her. She grabbed one of the rocks, holding it in the palm of her hand.

"I know where his brother was. Tomoki, or Brandon as he goes by now. He was at the Tower of Heaven." she said.

"Are...are you serious Wendy?" Carla asked, looking right at her friend. She nodded, throwing the rock into the distance.

"I wouldn't lie to you. During that mission to Shirotsume last week, I ended up running into a girl who was obsessed with cats. We had split up to search for those bad guys and I ended up bumping into her. She said she wanted to hug me because I was a cute little kitten. We got talking and she told me everything." she said.

"Everything huh? Do explain."

"The Tower of Heaven was a place build by Jellal as a Resurrection System. He wanted to bring Zeref back from the dead. So he forced all of those children to build it. Most of them ended up dying, or joining dark guilds. That girl Millianna, told me about one particular man of interest. A young man who had killed an entire village in the darkness of the night, and had gifted the children to the leaders of that project. A young man who killed his parents without remorse. He did it for power." she said. She grabbed another rock, throwing it a bit harder than before. She cringed when she saw it flying into the distance. She had unconsciously used her wind magic on it. She licked her lips, looking at the sky.

"This young man was one of the Eight Kin of Purgatory. A young man who was known to be a wielder of Ice magic. A young man who could freeze people with a single swipe a hand. Brandon of the Icy North, the Ice Dragon Slayer." she said.

"I-Ice Dragon Slayer? Did I hear that correctly?" Carla asked.

"Mhmm...apparently, the men at the Tower of Heaven were interested in his potential, so they took him to this facility. They did magic experiments on him, at some point giving him an Ice Dragon Lacrima. The leader of Grimoire Heart took interest in him and took him under his wing. He hasn't been seen since, but Millianna told me she remembered him. Apparently, he grabbed all of the girls that looked like his sister Kurumi and froze them solid, so he could stare at their bodies as the melted under the intense flames of the smelting machine. Now you see why I didn't tell Aiden about this?" she asked.

"Yeah...that guy...he can easily kill Aiden, without even thinking about it." Carla said.

"I don't want to loose him Carla. He's my best friend, and I love him too much to tell him this. So promise me, this is going to stay between us. Under no circumstances will you tell him this information." she said, looking at her best friend. She nodded, holding her Paopu charm in her hand.

"I promise Wendy, in the name of Cait Shelter, let this charm be the symbol of this promise." she said. Wendy smiled, taking her hand in her own.

"Thank you Carla...for listening to me. I'm gonna take a bit of a nap, I'm beat."

"Go ahead, rest up. You'll need all your strength." she said. The blue haired girl closed her eyes, instantly falling asleep. Carla looked into the distance, a frown on her face.

" _The Ice Dragon Slayer huh? I hope we never run into that bastard, or I swear I won't hold back."_

"Ow, what the hell?" Wendy cried, rubbing her forehead. Carla looked at the ground, seeing a charred rock near her legs. She smirked, holding back a laugh. It wasn't hard to guess who had thrown that.

In the forest below, Aiden was making his way toward the pillar of light. He was getting a bit better from his fight with Paul, but he was noticing a lot of bodies in the area, mostly defeated dark mages. He had a little bit of fun with the ones who were conscious, going as far as knocking them out with a knee to the face. He chuckled a bit, clutching his stomach.

"Man, I gotta take it easy." he said. As he walked, he felt something hard hit the back of his head. He groaned in pain, clutching the new sore spot. He looked at the ground, noticing it was a smooth flat rock. He picked it up, looking at it angrily. He smirked, looking back at where it came and threw it back, just as hard.

"Bastards." he muttered. He walked over a pile of unconscious mages and kept walking into the forest. The light had only gotten brighter the further he walked, but he didn't sense the malicious magic he had felt before. He sighed, leaning against a tree.

"I gotta train more...that bastard really went hard core, even if it was only three weeks. Iron God Slayer magic huh? What a joke." he muttered, spitting at the ground. He looked at the base of the tree, seeing an unconscious young man laying against it.

He was wearing a really nice coat. It was waist length and a sapphire blue in color, with bright yellow lines on the hem and lapel. He knelt down before the man, taking the coat off his body. He looked it over, seeing it was his size. He hastily put the coat on his body, grabbing the man's belt as well. He tied it around his waist, securing the buckle.

"Nice...wait one more thing." he said to himself. He grabbed the right sleeve and tore it right off, tossing it aside. He glanced at his Cait Shelter mark, a smirk on his face.

"That's better. You snooze you lose buddy." he said, walking off into the forest.

Xxx

It was deathly quiet at the Cait Shelter guild, almost everyone was gone. It was something unusual, Alana noted. On most nights, everyone would be happy, dancing around, cheering or celebrating a good hunt, but tonight, it was different. She had barely made any food, since no one wanted to eat, and she hadn't gotten word from anyone, other than Team Mystic Artes, who was still outside training. Mona walked out of the back room, holding a plastic tub in her hands, a smile on her face.

"Boy, I finally finished those sweaters. They'll be ready to ship to Hargeon in the morning!" she said excitedly, placing it on top of an empty table. She looked around, seeing the scarcely occupied guildhall.

"Alana, where is everyone?" she asked curiously. The hooded woman was growing worried. Her fellow guild mates being quite was something unusual. Alana shrugged, placing down the mug she had been cleaning for the last twenty minutes.

"I don't know...everything was fine an hour ago. They just seemed to stop, no one is saying a thing, and frankly I'm scared." she said.

"You don't think...something went wrong with the operation, right?" Mona asked, looking quite worried. Alana shook her head.

"No no...Aiden and Wendy are tough. They aren't going to be taken down so easily...it's the master I'm worried about, he's been acting weird for the last week. He's barely said a word, he's not even drinking." she said.

"That's rather unusual...maybe we should check on him." the brunette said. Alana walked around the bar, taking her apron off.

"That's a damn good idea. Come on." she said, leading the seamstress into the back of the guild. She knocked three times on the door, waiting for a response.

"Master, it's Alana and Mona. We're coming in." she said, opening the door. The two girls walked into the office, closing the door after them. The old man was sitting behind his desk, writing something on a piece of paper. They noticed the stack of paper next to him, all of them bearing the mark of Cait Shelter. Alana walked up to the desk, taking a look at it.

"Notice of Dissolution...what is this master?" she asked.

"It's as it seems. After this operation is completed, Cait Shelter is disbanding." he replied, placing the final paper on top of the stack. Alana took a step back, shock written on her face.

"But Master, why? Why would you disband this guild? This is our lively hood...I've grown up here all my life." Mona cried, unable to understand what was going on. The man looked at her, a frown on his face.

"I'm sorry you two..but the truth is this guild never existed in the first place. Those you see around you, are all illusions, created by my magic." he said.

"What...what do you mean?" Alana asked. He sighed, standing up from his seat.

"Are you aware of the magic Oracion Seis is after, the magic of darkness Nirvana?" he asked.

"Of course, the Nirvit have been keeping it safe for generations...my parents were the last true blood descendants. I thought this guild was full of them." Mona said. The man smiled, giving her a teary eyed look.

"Yes, Margalo and Jobach were the last true blood decadents. Because they are my great great great grandchildren. The magic that Oracion Seis is after, wasn't created by the Nirvit, it was created by me, 400 years ago." he said. Alana's legs quivered as she lost the feeling in them. She quickly sat down, taking deep breaths.

"Y-You're my...grandfather?" Mona asked, earning a nod from the man.

"What do you mean you created this magic? You mean to tell me this guild is responsible for creating the deadliest magic known to man?" She cried loudly. The man shook his head.

"Nirvana isn't a type of magic. It's a city...a moving city that has the ability to condense magic into large lacrima crystals. It alone has enough strength to destroy a single nation. I created it as a way to maintain peace in this world. But my people, along with others in the world, started fighting over it. In the end, it fell into the wrong hands, and they ended up causing a lot of destruction. The magic that I created for peace, was turned into something dark, so I decided that I would destroy my creation, along with my people. My son and his wife were able to get away, thus leading to you, Mona." he said.

"But...this guild..you said this guild doesn't exist, what about the members?" Alana asked. Mona had remained silent, tears flowing down her face. Her face paint was running a bit, making crimson streaks fall down her cheeks. He sighed, taking a seat once more.

"The people you see, are machinations of my magic, based on the original Nirvits. I created them when Wendy joined the guild. I was about to give up my life, I had been keeping watch of Nirvana for hundreds of years, but my magic was going to run out eventually. But one day, this beautiful little girl came running in, asking if this was a guild. I didn't have the heart to tell her it wasn't, so I made it into a guild. The people here were created so she wouldn't be alone. Eventually, my grandchildren came back to me, the only ones who knew my secret, and left you in my care. Alana joined after, and soon enough Aiden came along. They made this fake guild into a real one." he said, a smile on his face.

"But why...why keep this a secret for so long? Does Aiden know, does Wendy?" Mona asked.

"I didn't have the heart to tell any of them. Only you and Yamato are aware of this. I asked her to succeed me as guild master, but she turned me down. She said she couldn't handle the burden of being the guild master, and rightly so. She's young, inexperienced. She doesn't belong handling the business side of a guild that doesn't exist. So I decided it was best to dissolve the guild. I got two days left before this all falls apart. I'll leave soon."

"No you won't!" Alana cried, slamming her fist into the desk, almost shattering the thing in a single hit. She was pissed off, her magic power flaring from within. She was crying, her face soaked with her tears. She stood up, glaring at the old man.

"You are not going to leave. Not without telling Aiden and Wendy the truth about this guild. If you die without them being here, if I'm forced to fucking tell them this, then I will never forgive you!" she cried.

"If they make it back in time, I'll tell them everything...but Nirvana, she's a fierce one. It won't be easy to stop her." he said.

"I don't give a shit. Aiden is a force of nature, if he can defeat a dragon, discover a goddamn lake, then he can take down your creation, maybe do the job you never did." Alana snapped. She opened the door and walked out of the office, slamming it shut after her. Mona took a shaky breath, glancing back at the old man.

"Forgive her...she's just upset." she said.

"She has every right too. Sit down, we have much to discuss...you are my legacy, and I don't want you to bear such a horrible burden." he said.

xxx

The Sun was slowly disappearing from the sky, urging Aiden to hurry along. He still hadn't found hide or hair of Wendy, or Carla. He was starting to grow really worried. He had passed a small village not long ago, and it was filled with her scent, along with Happy's, but he hadn't been able to find them there. He just left, with more questions than answers. He decided to retrace his steps, hoping to find someone he knew.

"Hey, anyone out there? Wendy? Carla?" he shouted, hoping his voice would reach them.

"Damn it...why the hell did they come here?" he muttered angrily. He heard a branch snap behind him and he quickly turned around, dodging several balls of light aimed at him. He got into a stance, holding his hands at the ready.

"You...Cait Shelter." a voice growled from behind the trees. From the treeline, emerged a young white haired woman, who was wearing a tattered feather dress, with a blue under shirt and skirt. She looked beat to shit, like someone had unleashed a massive attack from her. He caught the scent of Celestial Spirit magic, and he also caught Lucy's scent on her.

"Whoa there miss, you look beat to shit. Picking a fight with me isn't a wise idea." he said. She grit her teeth, holding her hand out.

"Shut up. I'm going to kill you. Angel Bomber!" she chanted, a white magic circle appeared in front of her, launching hundreds of feathery balls at Aiden. He jumped back, dodging the attack. He felt a bit weirded out, especially when he saw the mouths on the creatures.

"Jeez, what an awkward magic. I honestly thought you were gonna send a swan at me." Aiden said, giving her a smirk.

"What? Don't test me boy, I'll have you know I've killed before." she said. Aiden lowered his gaze, his eyes glowing a brilliant crimson.

"Oh, so you have? That'll make this more rewarding then. Fire Make: Launching Pad!" he cried, fire burst from his hands, launching him forward at a rapid pace. The girl quickly side stepped, delivering a strong kick to his back. He slammed into the ground, but did a quick hand spring, balancing himself on his hand.

"Hellfire Dragon's Roar!" he shouted, unleashing a thick plume of sapphire flames at her. She quickly ducked, crossing her hands together.

"Heed my call, angels from the world above. Angel's Messenger!" she cried, launching a stream of small creatures at Aiden. He cried in pain as each one slammed into him. The woman launched manically, increasing the power of her magic.

"Yes that's right. Suffer, suffer and writhe in pain as I have for so many years!" she cried.

" _This chick is nuts. What the hell happened to her?"_ Aiden asked himself. He slammed his hands into the ground, a magic seal appearing from them.

"Fire Make: Wall!" he cried. A towering wall of fire rose from the ground, barring him from the girl. It gave him a bit of breathing room for now. He heard a branch snap behind him and turned around, only to get kicked in the face.

"She's fast." Aiden muttered. The girl flashed behind him, throwing another kick at him. He grabbed her foot tightly in his arms and swung her over himself, slamming her to the ground, leaving a crater behind.

"Fire Make"

"Angel's Wrath!" the girl shouted, unleashing another spell. Aiden howled in pain as hundreds of sharp feathers stabbed into his skin. He let go of the girl who quickly stood up. He growled, burning the feathers off his body, a trail of blue smoke rising off his skin.

"Alright girlie, I was going easy on you because you're a woman, but I seem to have forgotten who I'm dealing with. Right, Angel of Oracion Seis?" he asked. She smirked, her hands bursting with vibrant light.

"Impressive, the Blue Flare isn't as dumb as he looks." she said.

"I take that as an insult sweetheart." he said.

"What you wanna slap me for calling you a retard?" she taunted.

"I might. I'm against hitting women, but you're an enemy." he said, racing forward, hand bursting with flames.

"Hellfire Dragon's Iron Fist!" he shouted.

"Lightning Angel!" the woman cried, both teenagers ended up punching each other at the same time. Aiden grit his teeth and grabbed the girl's arm pulling his fist back. He punched her right in the face, not holding back any strength. Angel grabbed onto his arm, pulling her own fist back.

"You hit like a pussy!" she cried, slamming her fist into his face. His head snapped back, a bit of blood rushing from his nose. He smirked, giving her a bright grin.

"Oh yeah, I love it when they make me bleed!" he exclaimed, punching the woman again. The two traded blows, neither letting go of each other. Angel got sick of their punching fest and aimed her knee at his crotch, causing the teen to let go. She slammed her foot into his chin, sending him flying back into the trees.

"Man it feels good to have a vagina." she said, her hand glowing with light. Her eyes widened when several blue flaming lances shot out of the woods, aiming right for her.

"It's gonna take a lot more than that to take me down!" Aiden shouted, racing at her, sword drawn back.

"Fire Make: Flaming Sonic Claw!" he shouted, swinging the sword forward with all his might. The blade glowed a brilliant red and swirled with fire magic as he sliced at the girl who had jumped back from the attack. The tip of the sword grazed her skin, leaving a long gash across her chest. She howled in pain as the flaming lances struck her body. Aiden smirked, glancing at the sword in his hand.

"Thanks Erza, I owe ya one." he said.

"I'm done playing games with you!" Angel cried, pulling herself to her feet. She growled in anger, expelling a great deal of magic. He covered his eyes with his hand, unable to look at the girl.

"This magic power is unbelievable, what the hell is she packing?" he asked himself.

"I lost my Celestial Spirits to that blonde bimbo, and my pride as a member of this guild. But I am not going to lose to you. Angel's Wrath!" she shouted, once again flinging brilliantly glowing feathers at him. Aiden blocked them with his sword, which burst into flames seconds later.

"Fire Make: Explosive Slash!" he shouted, swinging his sword outward. The fire burst outward, destroying the feathers that were flying at him. He raced into the smoke, throwing a slash at the woman, only for him to slice through a tree trunk. The large plant slowly fell to the ground, bursting into flames shortly after. He glanced over his shoulder, seeing the white haired girl floating above him.

"This is it, I'm going to use my strongest spell against you scum. So sit still and let momma do her job!" she cried. A bright white magic circle appeared in front of her, swirling with white light magic.

"So much power...how much does this girl even have within her." he asked himself.

"Heaven's Revenge: Holy Light Shower!" she shouted, snapping her fingers. She aimed the circle high into the air, launching a giant orb of white light. It shot higher and higher, bursting into smaller orbs that started raining down on Aiden. He grit his teeth, spinning his sword around in his hand as fast as he could.

"Fire Make: Shield!" he shouted. A large dome of flame burst from the sword, shielding his entire body. The balls of light burned through the shield, bursting within, but Aiden held his ground. He dispelled the shield, jumping into the air to slash a couple of the light balls. He glared at the white haired woman, who was looking at him with wide eyes.

"Fire Make: Blooming Orchid!" he shouted, channeling the magic through the sword. He swung it hard, sending the spell outward. It slammed into Angel, bursting into a beautiful sapphire orchid. The woman howled in pain as the flames consumed her. The fire died out, and she was left without any magic. She slammed into the ground, completely spent. Aiden landed on the ground, panting a bit. He walked toward the young woman, who's clothes had almost burned entirely off. She was laying there, balling her eyes out. He shook his head.

"Why...why would a beautiful girl like you fall into the pits of evil? Is this truly what you want?" he snapped angrily.

"Fuck...you." she hissed. He scoffed, looking away from her.

"This shit...being in this so called guild...this is gonna get you killed. I held back during that spell. If it had been someone else, Erza...Natsu...they would have killed you. Hell, maybe if Yamato were here she would poison you and leave you writhing in pain. Do yourself a favor and get out of this life, it's not going to give you anything but pain and misery." he said, placing the sword between his belt and his pants.

"Heh...you poor sap. What do you know about misery? You don't know what I've been through. You didn't have your parents killed in front of you, you didn't have your village burned in the middle of the night. You didn't have to hide your sister in an abandoned barrel so the bad people didn't get her." she shouted in anger. He looked down at her, eyes widening.

"What was the name of that village?" he asked. She scoffed, looking away from him.

"I'm not telling you shit." she said. She suddenly felt his weight on her body, looking at him in anger she was about to say something when she felt his hands squeezing her neck. He held her in place, glaring into her eyes.

"Tell. Me. The. Name." he hissed angrily, his eyes burning a brilliant red.

"Shamo...village...in..the...desert." she choked out. His eyes widened a bit and he let go of her throat. He just sat there, not caring that he was still on top of her. His eyes were just wide in shock. He was shaking, so many emotions coursing through him.

Anger, hate, sadness, revenge...everything was flowing through him. He grit his teeth, almost making them crack and snap under the strength of his own jaw.

" _Jeez Aiden, you want another toy? Didn't daddy buy you some toys last week?"_

" _You can't be telling me that you broke all of those glass figurines. Mom is going to be so pissed off at you."_

" _Silver Sky, Falls upon you and I._

 _Another Hope Fades Away into night_

 _Distant Melodies, a sweet lullaby,_

 _Will lead me to you~"_

" _Little brother...you have to go...before he finds and kills you...live...for me...for our parents."_

Aiden couldn't take it anymore. Those memories flashing through his mind made him burst like a damn. He backed away from Angel, bursting into tears. He was sobbing, loud cries escaping his lips. He grabbed the grass around him and just tore it out, clawing at the dirt. Angel looked at him, clearly confused. The realization struck her like a bolt of lightning. She rose her hand to her mouth, eyes wide in shock.

"No...you're from Shama Village too?" she asked. He just cried louder, his tears running down his face.

"Kurumi! Why?! Goddamn it why did you have to die!" he shouted angrily at the darkening skies. The ground suddenly shook. The two mages looked on to the pillar of light, which burst high into the sky. A giant structure started rising from the ground, large chunks of earth falling from the sides as it slowly started rising.

"Nirvana...they finally activated it." Angel muttered, rubbing the tears out of her eyes. Aiden stifled his sobs, wiping his face with his sleeve.

"Tell me...what's your name? Who are your parents?" he asked. The girl looked away from the structure, looking back at the boy.

"Why the hell would I tell you that?" she asked.

"Because shit face, my brother was the one who killed your parents." he snapped back. Her eyes widened in shock.

"What...who the hell are you?" she asked.

"My name...my true name is Aiden Victor Ponderosa. That was before I arrived at the Sun Village and took my Dragon parent's last name." he said.

"Ponderosa...you the wood worker's kid?" she asked.

"Yeah...my dad was named Lawrence, he was the one who had the woodshop in the middle of town. My mother's name was Meredy, and my older sister was named Kurumi." she said.

"Jesus Christ...you're Kurumi's kid brother? We used to play together all the time. She and my sister Yukino." she said. He gasped a bit, recognizing the name.

"Yuki...is she alright?" he asked.

"I'm not sure. Like I said not long ago, I had to stuff her inside a barrel so the bad guys didn't kidnap her too. How the hell did you get away from them?" she asked curiously.

"My sister...she used her Ark of Space magic to slow my brother down. But in the end, he killed her. I ended up running away from the city, through the flaming forest." he said.

"You got lucky...all of the kids were rounded up and the town was burned to the ground. I don't know if my sister is alive or dead." she said. She groaned a bit as she sat up, leaning back on her elbow.

"I didn't go back either...I mean shit, I was only four at the time." he added. He got onto his knees, trying to stand up. He looked up, spotting a familiar head of blue. He cupped his mouth with his hands.

"Wendy! Carla!" he cried out. However the two girls kept on flying, not at all paying attention to him. He sighed, shaking his head.

"Man, I must be a mess. But you look a lot worse for wear, what the hell happened to you Sorano...you were never like this." he said. Angel pouted, looking away from him.

"Like I had a choice...and don't think because we're from the same village that we're all buddy buddy. I still hate you." she said.

"Still snarky as ever I see." he said, chuckling a bit. He requipped his pack into his hand, and dug through it, pulling out a tee shirt from inside. He tossed it at Angel, who just looked at it curiously.

"Cover yourself up, if this were another day, or I was a different person, being from the same village wouldn't have been enough. I got to stop that crazy bastard leader of yours now. Maybe if you get out of prison someday, we can talk more." he said, walking away from her.

"Hey Aiden...promise me you'll find my sister." she said, causing the man to stop. He looked over his shoulder, brow raised.

"Why would I do that? Yuki doesn't need to know about you, after all you're dead." he said.

"Come on asshole, do me that at least?" she asked.

"Like I said, you're dead. Unless Sorano is asking me to look for her, then I can do it." he said, giving her a wave. She smiled a bit, quickly putting on the shirt.

"What are the fucking odds?" she muttered to herself, watching the young man walk into the distance.

As Aiden walked, or more ran after the giant structure, he couldn't help but think back to Angel. He didn't remember her much, but he did remember her sister Yukino. He had to wonder where the young girl was currently, and if she was alive or dead. He didn't know how, but he would at least attempt to find her. He had grown a bit weak in front of his enemy, and he mentally vowed never to let his emotions show in battle. Of course that would be easier said then done.

Looking up at the giant structure, it reminded him of a giant spider. He also knew it was a moving vehicle, as it had moved one of its legs before. He swallowed hard, approaching one of the stone legs.

"Alright, I gotta get my ass up there...but how the hell will I do that?" he muttered to himself. He was running low on magic, after fighting against Paul and Angel, he was left almost at zero. He couldn't afford to spend the last of his magic shooting himself to the top of the structure. Phoebe was nowhere to be found and he didn't see anyone who could help him. He sighed and reached for the leg, finding himself a good hold, he started climbing up, only for him to slip right off. He hissed as his ass hit the ground.

"This isn't gonna work." he muttered. He heard a sudden explosion behind him and turned around, covering his eyes. A bright glowing mark had appeared high in the sky, a mark he hadn't seen before. He looked back at Nirvana, groaning to himself.

"I wanna check it out, but my gut is telling me to stick right here. I might as well start climbing." he said, jumping back onto the leg. He felt the thing shake as it lifted off the ground. He screamed in shock and surprise as it rose high into the air. The sudden movement had already made him sick. His stomach was sloshing around, and the pain from before was making it way worse.

" _I'll never...take Wendy's magic...for granted...so long as I...live!"_ he mentally exclaimed. He felt his grip loosen a bit and he grit his teeth, tightening his grasp on the leg.

"Crap...I'm slipping!" he cried out. The giant leg slammed hard into the ground, practically shaking him off. He let out a scream as he fell off the structure, falling down into the forest. He must have been thousands of feet in the air at least. He closed his eyes, not wanting to look at the ground anymore. Seconds before he smashed into it he felt himself be lifted through the air. He heard a giggle in his ear and glanced back, seeing his partner Phoebe.

"Jeez, I just can't leave you alone for long periods of time can't I?" she asked.

"Nice save Phoebe! I owe ya one." he said. She hummed to herself, tightening her hold on him.

"Alright, bake me some cookies when we get back home. You know the ones."

"Consider it done. Listen, we need to get down on Nirvana and put a stop to Oracion Seis...did you bring my motion sickness pills?" he asked. He heard a rattling noise as the girl handed him the bottle.

"Never leave home without them. I always have a spare just in case." she said, giving him a wink. He smiled, popping two pills into his mouth. He swallowed them dry, instantly feeling the effects.

"Man, I gotta thank Wendy and Chelia for making these. How's your leg doing?"

"It's still fractured, I didn't regain enough magic before the sun went down so I wasn't able to fully heal it. I'll be fine, for now we need to focus on the hard stuff." she said. She flapped her wings, speeding up a bit, finally soaring over the edge of the giant structure. They let out a gasp of surprise.

Below them spanned a massive city, made mostly of old lime stone. It looked like it had been abandoned for at least a century, maybe even longer. The massive slow moving structure was in fact an ancient city, something that they weren't even aware of. Aiden swallowed hard, licking his lips.

"Nirvana...is this it's true form?" he asked softly.

"It might be...there's still a lot we don't know. The others might know something, let's go." Phoebe said, shooting off into the city. They slipped into the narrow streets below, rising over the old buildings. They scanned the area, looking around for anyone who was familiar to them. But in a massive city, finding someone would equate to finding a needle in a haystack. They would remain firm in their search, they couldn't let this place destroy everything around them.

Wendy and Carla finally found a good spot to land, wanting to take a bit of a break. The blue haired girl sighed as she sat down on the ground. The white haired girl practically fell over, panting from all the magic power she had spent. Her wings flashed away, and it took most of her will power not to switch back into her exceed form.

"I need to exercise more." she said, glancing at her friend.

"I'm sorry Carla, I've put you through so much today...I'm so inconsiderate." Wendy said, a frown on her face.

"Don't worry about it, I'm happy to help. But tell me, what exactly are we doing here? You aren't going after Jellal are you?" she asked. Wendy cringed, looking away from her.

"Um...not exactly." she said, poking her fingers together.

"Wendy." Carla said, a bit forcefully. The bluenette sighed, brushing some hair behind her ear.

"Okay fine...I wanted to see him again. I just couldn't stay back not knowing what happened to him. I...want to see if he remembers me." she said. Carla sighed, pulling herself to a sitting position.

"Oh Wendy...I'm not sure if he will remember you."

"I know...but It's just...something I have to do. Besides Nirvana does need to be stopped...I've been bitching and moaning all day, and I want to do my part too." she said firmly.

"Well, don't stop on my account." a familiar voice said. The two of them looked behind them, seeing Aiden standing not far from where they were. His coat was billowing in the wind, and he had a firm expression on his face. Several cuts and bruises littered his skin, and his coat was dirty with signs of battle. Phoebe was floating beside him, a visible splint on her right leg.

"Aiden, what are you doing here?" Wendy cried out, clearly taken aback by his appearance.

"What? I can't bail my girl out of trouble? Who the hell do you think I am?" he asked, a smirk on his face. She stood up, running into his arms. He gave her a tight hug, kissing her forehead.

"My god, what happened to you?" Carla asked, standing next to Phoebe.

"We got into a bit of trouble in the woods. Red Hood was all over the place, our old buddy Paul was there too." She said, rubbing her neck.

"That scumbag broke out of jail?" Wendy asked curiously, stepping away from Aiden.

"No, he was never caught. While we were unconscious, some of his teammates got him out, before the council got to them." he said. He took a deep breath, looking at the sky.

"It was a tough battle, but we pulled through, not without some injuries though. Think you can heal my stomach?" he asked. Wendy narrowed her eyes.

"Why?" she asked firmly. He grinned, holding his hands in a defensive post.

"Well, Paul got himself an Iron God Slayer lacrima and when he used his bellow I needed magic, so I sort of...ate his iron." he said.

"You...ate iron? You ate God Slayer Iron?" the girl shouted.

"And it shredded my stomach...please I just need a quick dose of your magic, Phoebe healed me up good but not enough." he said. She sighed, shaking her head.

"You are so reckless! You have scars outside of your body and now inside as well? What am I gonna do with you?" she asked, hovering her glowing hands over his chest. He sighed contently, letting the magic wash over his body.

"Thanks beautiful, I really appreciate it." he said. Carla similarly did the same, finishing up the healing on Phoebe's leg. The orange haired girl took the splint off, stomping her leg on the ground a couple times.

"Hell yeah, Phoebe is back in business." she cried happily, earning a laugh from her friends. Wendy let her magic die down, having finished healing Aiden. He brushed past her, walking toward the edge of the city. The large legs slammed into the ground, pulling the giant object forward. He swallowed hard, eyes widening.

"Hey guys...how fast is this thing moving?" he asked.

"I don't know...is something wrong?" Wendy asked.

"Something is very wrong...if this thing keeps going on the path it's taking." He said, leaving his sentence hanging.

"Nirvana...will trample over the Cait Shelter guild." Carla said.

"Cait Shelter? This thing is going to Cait Shelter? Why there?" Phoebe asked curiously.

"I dunno...but something tells me Oracion Seis is going to try and kill the members there. Remember, our guild comes from a long line of Nirvits, the people who used to live in this place, I'm assuming. We have to stop them." Aiden said, turning around. He noticed a glowing light atop the tallest structure, a tower in the very center of the city.

"There...that must be the royal seat of power, meaning this place's control room is up there." he said, pointing at the top of the tower.

"Alright then, let's stop this thing." Phoebe cried, trying to take a step forward. She tried to move, noticing her legs were literally bound to the ground. They all tried to move, realizing they were all stuck in place.

"You actually think I'll let you do that? There's no way you kids are getting to Brain." a familiar voice said. Aiden hissed angrily, cracking his knuckles.

"You wanna know something, you are really starting to piss me off Paul, truly you are!" he said, glaring at the figure that appeared in front of them. The Red Hood member looked beat to hell, but he was still expelling massive amounts of magic power. His red hood was gone, revealing his burned face and the glare in his eyes.

"The feeling is mutual. It's time to settle this once and for all Kittens, who's going to be the winner? The Almighty God, or the puny Dragon Children?" the man asked, bursting into laughter. His voice echoed through the empty buildings. Team Flaming Skies knew they were in for a fight.


	30. Oracion Seis: The Fight for Cait Shelter

**A/N: Hi everyone. Welcome to a new chapter of The Hellfire Dragon Slayer. We are reaching the climax for this arc, with only two more chapters left before the finale. I gotta say, this arc went by pretty fast, compared to the last arc where I had to come up with everything from scratch. Since I am basing this of an actual canon arc, I have a bit of a guideline. There's a lot of development between characters in this arc and you can see growth in them as well. I hope everyone is liking it so far.**

 **As for the next original arc, I'm not sure what I'll start with. I'm most likely still going to make it, Aiden Flame and the Kingdom of the Crystal Pepsi, but it's going to include the usual filler chapters. So it's going to be that two or three chapter arc, some more filler arcs before doing the Edolas Prelude and then finally starting the Edolas Arc. Sadly since my fucking internet got shut down, Again, I might take a little while writing that arc. I have everything outlined, but I like to watch the arcs I'm writing about so I know what I am doing. I won't like winging things, especially with canon arcs like this. Edolas is going to be rather important. Also, I pose a very good question, Should Lisanna stay dead or remain alive? I ask this because she is of little relevance to the plot, at least until Tartaros where she actually does something. She barely does anything in Tenrou Island, she's just there. It's not that I hate her or anything, I just feel that she's there to replace Lucy, almost...I don't really feel like bringing her back if she's not gonna do anything.**

 **After Edolas, there will be another original arc, exploring the Machias Oc I was sent in by a reviewer. I feel like I could use the challenge, Not sure how long that arc will be, most likely three or four with the usual filler chapters, right before Edolas.**

 **If you guys have any ideas for possible chapters, drop them in the PM box, I don't mind taking them in. I have one idea, for Aiden to enter a baking contest, though his major competition is Mirajane, so he feels the need to outdo himself, leading to failure. I also have another expedition idea for Aiden to retrieve the final gem, located in the Northern Desert, which also holds his home of Shamo Village. That will lead to a bit more back story for Aiden as well as some character development between him and Wendy. It should be interesting.**

 **Well, for now I leave you with this chapter, hope you like it, if you don't then please let me know. Later tators!**

The Oracion Seis Arc

Chapter 29

The Fight for Cait Shelter

Aiden hissed in anger, glaring at the deranged God Slayer standing before him. He had already dealt with him once, and he wasn't sure if he could actually pull a win a second time around. He was still recovering from his fight with Angel, and his previous fight with him. He glanced over his shoulder, a frown on his face. Nirvana was still on course with Cait Shelter, and if he didn't move, he wouldn't be able to save the guild or his friends. He cracked his neck, focusing on his magic.

"You wanna know something, I am sick and tired of seeing that goddamn face of yours. I'm going to have the pleasure of shredding it off, but not before I litter the girl's body with scars." Paul said, streams of iron flowing around his body. Aiden smirked, shaking his head.

"Didn't you they ever teach you that you should let old dogs lie?" Aiden asked. The iron holding him in place literally melted off. He had been focusing his body heat to his feet, subtly heating the pieces of iron holding him to the ground. First burst from his feet, surrounding him in a spiraling twister of fire.

"Hellfire Dragon's Sword Horn!" he shouted, slamming into Paul's chest, he sent the man flying back into a building. The whole structure crumbled and fell apart, landing on top of him. The shackles holding the girls in place broke off, allowing them to move.

"Stay on guard, this guy isn't anything like he was before." Aiden said, getting into his maker stance. Paul burst out of the rubble, a smirk on his face. He ran straight at Aiden, jumping into the air. He slammed his fists together, shifting his aim at Wendy.

"Iron Make: Saw Blade!" he shouted. A giant saw blade burst from the magic seal, flying straight at the blue haired girl. Wendy easily jumped over it, the blade slamming into the ground.

"Look out!" Carla shouted. Wendy looked up in time to see Paul coming for her. She used a gust of wind to blow herself away, but he still aimed his leg at her.

"Iron God Sword!" he shouted. His leg morphed into a giant sword which he swung at the girl. Wendy screamed as she was sent flying over the edge of the structure.

"Wendy!"

"Phoebe get her!" Aiden shouted.

"Aye sir!" the orange haired girl cried, shooting off as fast as she could. Aiden grit his teeth, tendrils of blue flames swirling around him.,

"You don goofed." he said.

"Oh? Do you think you scare me?" Paul replied. The boy ran at him, flames bursting from his hand. He pulled his hands back, fire crackling between his fingers.

"Fire Make: Exploding Sword!" Aiden shouted, quickly drawing his sword. He took a swipe at the man, who morphed his hand into an iron pole, blocking the hit entirely. Fire burst from the blade, uselessly flying all around. The man smirked, tilting his head.

"That all you got boy?" he asked. The man slammed the pole into Aiden's chin, sending him flying up a few feet. He threw three swift punches to his chest. Paul threw a haymaker to Aiden's face, sending him flying through a few buildings. He grit his teeth and stood up, jumping out of the way of an attack.

"I'm not gonna let you beat me this time. Iron God's Bellow!" he shouted, launching the breath attack at Aiden. He growled in pain trying to hang onto the building, but was sent flying through the air, the black iron shavings once again slicing his skin. Carla shifted back into her exceed form and swooped down, catching Aiden before he fell over the edge.

"Nice save Carls." Aiden said, wiping the blood from his face.

"Naturally. I can see why he gave you so much trouble before." she said, flapping her wings. They shot over the buildings, gaining a bit of height. They still didn't see Wendy or Phoebe, a worrying thought for the both of them.

"Yeah, this guy is all sorts of crazy now. I think that lacrima implant broke his mind." Aiden said. The sound of breaking rocks filled their ears as Paul shot at them, standing on a giant pillar of Iron. He smirked, pulling his hand back.

"Iron Make: Metal Stream!" he chanted. A swirling stream of iron slammed into the two Cait Shelter mages, sending them flying back. Carla's grip on Aiden's coat slipped, and the boy tumbled down, slamming into the roof of a building. She grit her teeth, transforming into her human form.

"Alright, I'm getting sick of this. Moon Flash!" she cried, flapping her wings as hard as she could. Her fist swirled with moon light.

"So the kitten wants to fight? I can definitely arrange that. Iron God's Metal Fist!" he shouted, throwing his fist forward. Thick iron plates formed around his fist, his knuckles being covered in rivets. Carla threw her punch at him, only for her to miss. Paul's attack connected, and she slammed down hard into the ground. Her whole body trembled with pain, her rib cage hurt, and she was sure a few ribs had broken.

"Looks like the cat's lost one of her nine lives. Guess I'll have to beat the other eight outta ya." Paul said, jumping into the air. A magic seal appeared behind him as he slammed his hands together.

"Iron Make: Witch's Cauldron!" he shouted, throwing the spell forward. The large cauldron formed in mid air, and was moving toward Carla at a rapid pace. The girl closed her eyes, waiting for the pain to envelop her body, only for the cauldron to get sliced into millions of tiny pieces. Thick blades of wind shot in all directions, carrying the iron away.

"How dare you hurt my friend?" Wendy shouted, finally making her appearance. Phoebe had returned to her exceed form, most likely since she could move faster in her original body. Aiden finally stood up, walking to the edge of the building he hand landed in, staring Paul down.

"Word of advice bro, never piss my girl off..that is unless you want to die." Aiden said, jumping down onto the street. Paul grit his teeth, channeling his magic to his arms.

"I'm sick of your shit!" he shouted, swiping his arms forward. He sent a stream of iron shavings at them, sending them flying back.

"I am not going to loose to you again. Iron God Slayer Secret Art!" he chanted, a vibrant steel colored magic circle appeared under his feet, growing in size.

"You never learn do you?" Aiden asked, tapping into his magic. His body glowed a bright blue as fire swirled around his body. Several magic circles appeared around Paul, the man's eyes widening a bit as he recognized the attack.

"No...not this again!" he cried. He lost his focus, falling into his fear. He remembered the searing blue flames that burned his face, the flames that destroyed his spirit. He cut his spell short and decided to run for it. Aiden shook his head, placing his hands on the ground.

"Hellfire Dragon's Lava Plume!" he chanted. A trail of Pillars chased after Paul, urging the man to run faster. He stepped onto one of Aiden's seals, and howled in pain as the flames swallowed him whole. The pillar exploded, sending him flying through the air.

"Now Wendy!" Aiden cried. Phoebe shot forward, her wings glowing a bright golden color.

"This is for hurting Carla, Sky Dragon's Breakdown Fist!" she shouted, uppercutting the man right in the chin. A thick swirling gale burst from her fist, sending him flying through the city. He howled in pain as he slammed into one of the buildings, large chunks of debris fell on top of him. Aiden knew the man wasn't dead, something like that wouldn't kill him, but it definitely stopped him for now.

"Carla, are you alright?" Wendy cried, landing next to her friend. The white haired girl nodded, giving her a smirk.

"Cats have nine lives you know...but I wish I didn't have to take an iron fist to the chest." she said, coughing a bit. Wendy hovered her glowing hands over her, focusing on fixing the damage.

"Hey Aiden, I have a question for you, where'd you get the sweet coat?" Phoebe asked. Aiden looked at himself, smirking a bit.

"I copped it off a sleeping dude. You know what they say..." he said.

"You snooze you loose. Yeah buddy, I need to find me some new threads." Phoebe said. Having returned to her human form, she noticed her clothes had been torn a bit. She frowned since she was actually wearing one of her favorite outfits.

"I have a question for you Phoebe, how were you able to heal yourself if you were almost out of magic?" Aiden asked, earning a curious look from him. Her eyes widened a bit and she snapped her fingers.

"You'll never believe this...but while I was casting the ritual, I ended up passing out. When I came too, this guy was healing me. It was so unreal. He looked almost like a robot...he said he was a Ma..ma...macius? I don't know, but he had some serious healing power. He was able to share some of his magic with me, enough for me to heal myself. But when I turned back to thank him, he vanished." she said. Aiden furrowed his brows, lips pursed in thought.

"Well now that we can move freely on this place, we need to find the control room and put it out of commission. We can't keep lollygagging about." Carla said, feeling relieved that her pain was finally gone. Aiden helped her to her feet, pointing to the tower.

"Like I said before, I'm willing to bet the controls are up there. Let's hurry." he said.

"Right!" they cried in agreement. Team Flaming Skies was finally on the move. They ran through the deserted streets, avoiding all of the rubble that had piled up from previous fights. A few of the buildings were charred, and it wasn't hard to guess who had done it.

"Wendy...you've been in Cait Shelter longer than anyone I know...did Master Roubaul ever tell you what Nirvana's true purpose was?" Aiden asked. She shook her head.

"No, I only recently discovered that our friends were descendants of the original creators. I'm sorry." she said.

"Don't be, this isn't anyones fault. I just wish I knew what we were going up against." he said. Wendy frowned, feeling a bit nervous. She knew that they were on borrowed time, and that if they didn't do anything, the members of Cait Shelter would be in danger. There wasn't really anything she could do, other than stopping Nirvana. She looked to the path ahead of them, seeing a few figures in the distance. Her face brightened up a bit, as she quickened her step.

"Hey, Lucy! Gray!" she cried out, catching their attention.

"Wendy! Carla!" Lucy cried back, happy to see their friends were okay.

"Hey, it's Aiden..what are you doing here?" Gray asked curiously, looking his fellow maker mage over.

"I thought you guys could use some back up. I wanted to meet with you before shit hit the fan, but you Fairies never sit still." he said firmly. He looked around, seeing a defeated man laying on the ground.

"That one of the Seis?" he asked, pointing to the downed man.

"Yeah, the snake charmer Cobra...Natsu kicked his ass." Gray said, a smirk on his face.

"Nice...we just got through wrecking a guy ourselves." he replied.

"Guys, we have a problem. This place his heading straight toward Cait Shelter, we need to stop it before our guildhall is destroyed." Wendy cried, reminding everyone of their situation.

"We have to get up to the royal throne. I'm sure the controls are up there." Phoebe said, pointing to the top of the tower.

"How much closer have we gotten?" Aiden asked, looking toward the edge of the moving city. He saw Carla looking up at the sky, most likely doing some mental calculations. With her intelligence, he knew she would be able to pinpoint their location.

"Ten miles, give or take. At this rate will be there in half an hour." she said. Aiden grit his teeth in anger. He turned to Wendy, placing his hands on her shoulders.

"Alright, there isn't much time. Me and Phoebe are going back to the guildhall to evacuate. I can't stay here knowing they are in danger, you need to do everything you can here. Stop Nirvana." he said.

"What? But you can't leave...I can't fight without you. All I have done is whine and hide, I'm not confident without you." she cried.

"Wendy, trust me. You are a fighter, you can do this." he said.

"But I can't...not without you. I made a mistake, I revived Jellal, I put myself at risk, and now I don't know what to do. You can't leave, I don't know if I can make it." she cried. He sighed angrily. He knew he would hate himself for doing it. He rose his hand, slapping her across the face. All of them looked at him stunned, not expecting that. He shook her a bit, making her go wide eyed.

"Are you done?" he asked.

"Why...did you hit me?" she asked, rubbing her cheek.

"To knock some sense in that pretty head of yours. You are a Dragon Slayer, a proud member of Cait Shelter. Show me the strength you showed back on Fogbound Lake when you took Nick down, show me the strength you had when Francis beat the shit out of me back in Shirotsume. Show me the strength that lies within you. You can do this Wendy Marvel, you are stronger than you give yourself credit for...so stop being a pussy and show these fucks how sharp our claws can be." he said firmly. She sighed, giving him a nod.

"Alright...thank you...for knocking some sense into me." she said.

"No problem...sorry by the way...I didn't mean to slap you so hard." he said, kissing her cheek.

"Don't worry about it. Go, warn the others." she said. He nodded and turned away from her, walking toward the edge of the city. She caught his arm, pulling him to a stop.

"Take what you can." she said, holding her fist out. He smiled, bumping his fist with hers.

"Give nothing back. Lucy, Gray, I leave this to you and Wendy. Phoebe, let's go." he said, breaking into a sprint, he jumped off the side of the vehicle without hesitation. Phoebe's body flashed a bright orange as she changed back to her exceed form. Her wings glowed a brilliant gold as she caught Aiden mid air. She swerved around one of the legs and shot into the distance.

Alana sat at the bar, a brimming glass of Gin sitting in front of her. She looked all around the guildhall. The people that she had known her entire life were nothing more than illusions. She felt lied too, betrayed, but after thinking about everything that had happened, she couldn't help but forgive the master. He must be taking it a lot worse than she was. She took a sip of her drink, feeling someone sit beside her.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Nobal said, catching her by surprise. She smirked, glancing at the hunter.

"You real, or one of them?" she asked, gesturing to the others.

"What does that mean? I'm as real as they come. I'm human aren't I?" he asked. She chuckled, passing him the bottle of gin.

"You hear what's going on with the guild?" she asked. He gave her a nod, pouring himself a glass.

"I've been here for awhile, right after you joined in fact. Hate to see this place go, but if the master wants to end it...then who are we to question him. Just hope the others are okay with it." he said, gesturing to the rest of the guild members, who were all acting normally now. She frowned. He probably didn't know the truth behind their guild mates.

The door to the office finally opened up, and Mona stepped out, along with Master Roubaul. Neither of them said anything, as he sat down at his chair in the back of the guild hall. He rose his hand, catching their attention.

"My children, tonight...is a night of celebration. For the next few days, let us hold a feast in honor of our friends. The members of Team Flaming Skies, and the members of Team Mystic Artes." he said, earning cheers from everyone. They all moved off, starting to set up the things for the feast. Yun suddenly burst into the guildhall, panting a bit from running. He was followed by Eterna and Flare who were both looking quite tired.

"Hey, I don't mean to alarm you or anything, but there's a giant spider thing moving toward us." Yun said. Alana's eyes widened and she stood up, walking toward the door.

"What are you talking about Yun?" she asked.

"Come see for yourself." the purple haired knight said. She nodded and ran out the door. The courtyard was dark, being illuminated only by the bright torches surrounding the guildhall. Alana looked toward the east side of the hall, eyes widening.

Not far from where they were, was a giant moving vehicle, towering thousands of feet in the air, and it was headed straight for them. Her eyes widened a bit in shock.

"What...what the hell is that?" she asked.

"I dunno...but it doesn't look like it's going to stop." Yun said firmly.

"It looks like a giant spider." Chelia added, the little girl had stayed outside with Iona, both of them having come back that day from a mission in Clover Town. All of the mages stood there, unsure of what to do.

"What the hell are we standing here for? We have to get everyone out of the guild." Yun said, about to run into the hall. Alana held her arm out stopping him from moving.

"We need to talk, all of us." she said.

"What...do you not see the giant spider thing coming toward us? There is no time to talk!" he cried, brushing her arm aside. She sighed, closing her eyes.

"Alana...what's wrong?" Eterna asked, concerned for her friend.

"This will be the darkest night for Cait Shelter, in more ways then one." she said firmly.

"The girl has a point, after we're through with you, there won't be a kitten left standing." a firm voice said. All around the courtyard, several men appeared, all holding magic weapons. All of the mages of Cait Shelter looked at them, unable to react. Eterna frowned, recognizing several of the marks they bore on their bodies.

"Rabid Cerberus, Mystic Compass, The Electric Scorpions...dark guilds under Oracion Seis." She said.

"So, this is an attack by those bastards." Flare said, teeth grit in anger.

"It would seem so. Guys, we need to protect the guild, we're the only ones who can fight!" Alana said firmly.

"You don't need to tell me twice." Eterna said, drawing her sword from it's sheathe. She grabbed one of her spare bullets, placing them into the sword. Flare reached behind her back, undoing the scrunchy holding her braids together. Her hair burst into flames, floating at her sides.

"Alright bastards, I'm going to show you what it means to mess with me!" she cried. She was the first to run forward, morphing her hair into a giant fist. She threw it forward, slamming it into a few of the men.

"Water Basilisk's Bubble Beam!" Iona chanted, launching her attack at the men. They all managed to dodge it, though a few of them were struck by it. Eterna ran forward, clashing sword with another man. Alana just stood there, watching everything go down. She spared a look back at the guild hall. She wanted to go back in there and warn everyone with Yun...but the realization of it being a waste of time struck her like a lightning bolt. One man ran at her, throwing his staff directly at her face. She expelled her magical power just before it hit, which made it break into pieces.

"You...you ruined our way of life. I'm going to show you what it truly means to fear me. Requip: Gungnir!" she chanted, holding her hand to the side. A massive bolt of red lightning struck her hand, exploding on contact. The man that had attacked her took a step back when he saw the massive spear in her hand. She twirled it around her head with ease, a smirk on her face.

"Lightning Halberd: Heavenly Lightning of the Gods!" she chanted, racing past the man. He howled in pain as the massive bolt of lightning slammed into him. The area was bathed in red light, the air buzzed with electrons and small bolts of lightning. Alana turned to face the dark mages in front of her, a smirk on her face.

"Oh, it's been too long since I've had this much fun." she said, licking her lips.

"Come on Master. We need to get you out of here!" Yun cried, pulling on the old man's arm. All of his guild mates were standing next to the man, all of them unmoving.

"I said no Yun, you need to go. I will not leave my guildhall unattended." the man said.

"It's useless Yun, we can't convince him, right now we need to go outside and help the others keep the dark wizards at bay." Repede said. The young swordsman nodded, reaching for his sword. Three men burst through the ceiling, landing in the center of the guildhall.

"Heh heh...alright boys, kill them all." the leader said, holding his sword forward. Yun was quick to react, drawing his Buster Blade from it's sheathe. He slammed the blade into the two men, knocking them out instantly. The leader smirked, holding his Katana at the ready.

"Oh, so you wanna die first then?"

"You know, you bad guys really piss me off. Always the same bullshit, why don't you go back to the hole you crawled out of?" he asked. He threw his sword into the air, snapping his fingers. Each of his swords came down, forming a circle around them. He caught his fusion blade in his hand, grabbing Elucidator from beside him.

"The Azure Fang, so you're the one that took down Rabid Cerberus...I'm going to make you pay for that. Lightning Blade!" the man cried, racing forward, lightning crackling from his Katana. Yun blocked the attack with his Elucidator, a stream of darkness magic swirling from it. He pushed the man back.

"Fusion Blade!" he chanted, joining the two swords together.

"You don't scare me!" the man shouted, running at Yun, sword drawn back. Yun was faster, being able to dodge the attack rather easily. He pulled his sword back, a smirk on his blade.

"Dark Slash Version 1." he cried, taking a swipe at the man's back. He howled in pain as the darkness magic seared into his skin. He grit his teeth, roaring in anger. He ran forward, swiping at Yun, hoping to slash him. Yun calmly dodged each attack, reaching for Dark Repulser which was stabbed behind him. He spun on his heel, driving the sword into the man's chest, sending him flying back into the bar.

"You don't scare me. I've faced men who have had the honor to face me with all their strength. You are nothing more than a pawn in a game you can't win. Attacking my guild, putting my friends in danger, what do you hope to gain here?" Yun asked, keeping his stance lowered. He held his swords tightly in his hands. The man smirked, standing up from the ground.

"It doesn't matter what we gain...so long as this guild falls, we will have completed our mission. Oracion Seis will take over this puny world. Let our darkness be turned into light!" he shouted, running at Yun once more. The teen crossed his swords, blocking the attack. Both his swords hissed with magic power, glowing a bright blue. Yun's eyes snapped open, glowing a bright green in color.

"Starburst Stream!" he chanted. He spun on his heel, driving both swords into the man, sending him flying back. He flashed behind him, throwing another swipe. The man blocked the attack, being pushed back into some tables. Yun raced forward, throwing several speedy strikes at him, slicing through everything in his path.

"What...is this...so fast." the man said. He yelped in pain, feeling the searing swords cut into his skin. He slammed into the ground, glancing back at Yun who jumped into the air above him, both swords raised above his head.

"This is it." he said, spinning around as fast as he could. The man feebly attempted to block it with his sword. A metal clang filled the guildhall as both swords clashed. The Katana splintered and cracked, breaking from the straight. Yun placed the smoking tip of his sword at the man's throat.

"Even if a Pawn becomes useful, it will always fall to the might of a King." he said. He slammed the blunt side of the sword into the man's head, knocking him out. He sighed, recalling his swords back into his fusion blade. He looked back at the rest of the guild members, who looked at him with awe in their eyes.

"I'll keep you safe. Let me get these scumbags out of our home." he said, grabbing two of the men with ease. Repede shifted into his large wolf form, grabbing the last man by the leg, dragging him through the broken debris of the tables. Yun chuckled, watching as hundreds of splinters were driven deep into the man's face.

"Hair Shower: Giant's Fist!" Flare shouted, morphing her hair into a flaming fist. She slammed it into several mages, sending them flying back into the nearby buildings. Iona raced forward, her hands glowing with green water.

"Water Basilisk's Acidic Claws!" she chanted swiping at the men. All of them howled in pain. Acidic water and burns were not a good mix. Iona watched them writhe in pain, a weird sense of accomplishment in her eye. She almost liked torturing these fools.

"Look out!" Flare cried. Iona looked to her right, just in time to see a giant flaming projectile flying at her. The rocket flew straight through her body, slamming into the ground behind her. It exploded behind her, launching rocks and dust in all direction. Her body glowed brightly as it reformed. She looked at the man who had fired at her, shaking her head.

"My body cannot be attacked by physical means. You'll have to try harder than that to kill me." she said, arms snapping outward. Behind her a giant wall of water formed, swirling with great strength. The man looked at it, fear in his eye.

"Waters of the Primordial Sea, bend to my will and sear the flesh off their bones. Water Basilisk's Raving Rapids!" she chanted, launching the wall of water forward. All of the men still standing were washed away by that one attack, all of them crying in pain from the acidic burns they were getting. Iona let out a sigh, thinking the battle was over. Several portals opened up around them, and from them more dark mages appeared. Eterna hissed angrily.

"Teleportation Lacrima. They're coming here through portals, we'll just have to keep fighting until all of them are defeated." she said, blocking the swipe of an attacker. She pushed him back with ease.

"A little easier said than done. I'm almost at my limit here Violet!" Flare cried, glaring at the purple haired girl.

"Then allow me. I will do everything I can to keep them at bay. Requip: Mjolnir!" Alana shouted, raising her hand high into the air. A white bolt of lightning struck it, and the legendary hammer of the God of Lightning. She jumped into the air, tightening her grasp on the handle as she slammed it into the ground. The sheer strength and lightning energy from the attack flowed through the ground, slamming into the enemies ahead of her. They all cried in pain, being launched back hundreds of feet. Alana grit her teeth, seeing the high amounts of dark mages still in the area.

"I was hoping that took you weasels out. Guess I was wrong." she said, spinning the hammer around by it's strap. A loud slam resounded through the area as the giant spider like vehicle kept approaching. It wasn't far away from them now, a hundred miles give or take. She noticed a golden speck flying straight at them. She focused on it, trying to dodge the attacks from the mages coming at her. She smirked, rolling her neck.

"You all are fucked now. Our ace in the hole is coming in hot." she said, punching a man across the face. They all heard a loud roar as the Blue Flare made his entrance.

"Fire Make: Explosion!" he chanted, throwing a giant flaming orb at the ground. It exploded on contact, sending mages flying in all directions. He landed on the ground, rolling across the ground for a few feet. He rolled onto his feet, landing in a fighting stance.

"Alright you fucks! Time to get you off our property!" Aiden shouted, hands bursting into flames. Three men ran at him, sword at the ready. He smirked, slamming his hands together.

"Switch Style: Fire Make: Hell hound!" he chanted, throwing the spell forward. From the magic seal burst a giant flaming dog, letting out a loud bark. It ran forward at the men, pouncing the one in the middle. It held him down to the ground, snarling in his face, flaming globs of spit landing on his body. He howled in pain as the flames seared his skin.

"You're gonna pay for that asshole!" a man cried, throwing several speedy slashes at Aiden. He ducked to the right, barely avoiding the tip of the sword. He smirked, drawing his own blade. The sword burst into flames, glowing a brilliant red.

"Fire Make: Sonic Claw!" he shouted. The blade hissed loudly as he swung it forward. The man parried the attack, but the blade was so hot it burned right through it, slicing it clean in half. The man flew back into one of the houses, his body bursting into flames shortly after.

"Damn, you might be better with a sword than I am." Yun said, making his appearance. Aiden bumped his fist with his own.

"We need to start evacuating everyone." he said.

"No dice, master doesn't want to leave, we'll have to defend the guild instead." he said. Aiden sighed, facing the men that were invading their home. Eterna was locked in combat with three large swords man, and holding her own rather easily. Her movements were lithe and precise, even with the armor she was wearing. Aiden shook his head, blocking an incoming strike. He noticed the man's sword was glowing red with fire. He smirked and took a firm hold of the blade in his hand, biting the tip right off.

"What...my sword!" he shouted, noticing half of it was gone. Aiden chomped up the rest of the blade, his body glowing blue.

"Now I'm all fired up!" he said, racing forward. The man screamed in fear as Aiden swung his sword. He let out a sharp scream, expecting his life to end. He saw Aiden's sword stopped mere centimeters away from his skin.

"Man, this must be so hard for you. Now look what you've done, you've gone and soiled yourself. Tsk tsk...what a shame." he said. The man let out a sigh, only to get a flaming fist to the face, launching back several hundred feet.

"Come on girlie...you can't win against the three of us." one man taunted, dropping his massive Great Sword above Eterna. The girl parried the attack, being launched back into a building. She hissed in pain, loosing a bit of the air in her lungs. She stepped to the side, avoiding a flaming strike that sliced the building in half. She looked at it, eyes widening. The building was in fact her home, the one she shared with the rest of Team Flaming Skies. She grit her teeth in anger, flicking her wrist. She pulled out two of the magic bullets she had inside, replacing them with glowing shell casings, one being purple and one being bright blue.

"Alright, I'm going to show you what it truly means to mess with a knight. Poison God's Venom Strike!" she chanted, racing forward. The Twilight Sword, glowed a brilliant purplish black, poison dripping from the edges of the blade. With a firm shout she swung it forward, unleashing the magic attack. A large wave of poison struck the men, loud cries filling her ears. Her sword hissed loudly as the shell casing was ejected. She turned around, pulling the hammer of her sword.

"Magic of the dragons, grant me your strength, sear the ones who sin! Hellfire Dragon's Blazing Strike!" she shouted, pulling the trigger back. The flaming attack burst from the blade, striking the three man right in the back. Each of them burst into sapphire flames, the magic enveloping their bodies. They were knocked out instantly. Eterna sighed, clutching her head as her sword ejected the spent shell casing.

"Eterna, are you alright?" Alana asked, slamming her hammer into a man's crotch, a thick bolt of lightning struck him right after, knocking him out. She nodded, shaking her head.

"I am, just expelled a bit more magic than I wanted." she said.

"Guys, I don't want to alarm you but..." Flare stopped mid sentence, pointing to the giant spider like vehicle. The front of it was swirling with what magic. It seemed to be aimed right at them. Alana shivered a bit, feeling the gathering magic power.

"Goddamn it, that's a Jupiter cannon. If that attack hits us, none of us will make it out alive." she said.

"Don't worry, Wendy is going to stop it! Focus on this shit bags first, don't get distracted!" Aiden cried, punching a nearby mage. He raced forward, swiping his sword at several mages, flames bursting from the ground. He honestly wanted to fight them with his hands, but his magical reserves were nearing the end. Infusing a sword with magic took less power than using his normal attacks. He glanced at Nirvana, watching the swirling magic intently.

"Come on Wendy, I believe in you!" he shouted with all his might.

xxx

"Did you hear that Carla?" Wendy asked, looking at her partner. The white haired girl looked at her friend, shaking her head.

"I didn't hear anything." she replied. They both kept walking down the darkened hallway. After some deliberation, it had been decided that Nirvana had to be destroyed. By breaking the six lacrimas positioned around the structure at the same time, it would in theory crumble apart. The Oracion Seis had been completely wiped out, the only man left standing was Zero, the alter ego of Brain. She shivered a bit, looking over her shoulder.

"There it is again...it sounds like...Aiden...he believes in me...in us." she said. Her noticed her guild mark was glowing a brilliant blue, filling the darkened hallway with a bright light. Carla's own mark was glowing a bright pink in color. The two of them nodded and broke into a sprint.

They finally reached one of the chambers within Nirvana. Before them was a large lacrima, the biggest they had ever seen. It sat on a pedestal, glowing bright gold as it absorbed the magic around them. The whole building shook a bit as it took another step forward, probably preparing for it's final attack. Wendy took a deep breath, glaring at the orb before her.

"This...this thing, one of the six orbs that can destroy our world. We need to stop it, not just for our sake but for the sake of all of Ishgar. We can't let this keep absorbing magic." she said firmly.

"But Wendy, we're almost out of magic. That fight against Zero left us wiped out!" Carla cried.

"Then I'll absorb the magic in the air, I'll get every single particle of ethernano I can. He's put his hope on our shoulders, our friends lives are at stake. We can't give up!" she said. Carla nodded, flaring her magic a bit. Her entire body glowed a bright white in color, black markings appeared on her skin, taking the shape of dragon scales. She felt her canines elongated a bit, causing her a bit of pain. She took Wendy's hand, giving her a nod.

"Then let's go it. We'll blast this thing to high heaven, and then some!" she said. Wendy nodded, closing her eyes. She focused on the mental timer in her mind, waiting for it to reach zero.

xxx

"Hellfire Dragon's Roar!" Aiden shouted, sweeping his attack in front of him. The flames seared the ground ahead of him, launching mages in all directions. He panted for breath, feeling a pain in his chest. He was scraping the literal bottom of the barrel now. He took a punch to the face, falling to the ground. He quickly stood up, slamming his sword into the man, though he was able to parry it with his own. The sword shattered into pieces, landing all around him. Aiden tossed the hilt aside, seeing as the weapon was useless now.

"Never thought I would see the day the Blue Flare would be beat. Heard you took care of my boys, the Electric Scorpions. I'm about to show you what it means to mess with me!" he said, his body glowing bright with lightning. Aiden sighed.

"Why is it always lightning magic?" he snapped angrily. He had faced so many lightning mages in the last ten minutes it wasn't even funny anymore. He braced for the attack but it never came. From the ground burst thick strands of hair that wrapped themselves around the man's neck, lifting him high into the air. He struggled to get the hair off from his neck, but was unable too. The hair tightened until he passed out.

"Thanks Flare, I owe ya." Aiden said, looking back at his sister. She gave him a twisted grin.

"He's lucky I'm not feeling murderous today." she said. She held out a giant strand of flaming hair to him, which he instantly ate up. He looked back at Nirvana, seeing the white beam had grown brighter.

"There's no time. We need to go big brother!" Flare said.

"No, I'm not leaving! Get Chelia out of here, go to Clover Town and wait there." he said firmly.

"No can do big brother. I'm not leaving you behind!" Chelia said, standing next to him.

"It would be against my believes to leave everyone in my family behind. Sorry boss but I'm sticking around." Yun said, clutching his sword tightly. Alana and Eterna stood next to the black haired boy, Repede standing next to them. Even Mona and Nobal had joined them, all facing Nirvana.

"So, this is it then?" Iona asked, looking at her Cait Shelter mark. It had been glowing a bright green for awhile now, much like everyone elses. Aiden shook his head.

"No...she's going to help us. She'll stop this monstrosity...and when she's back, we'll have a party, until the crack of ass. We'll eat, drink, have fun, shit we can fuck each other if we want." he said.

"I'm gonna have to disagree with that last one boss. I'm not attracted to men." Yun said, making them all laugh. Chelia looked at them in confusion.

"Big brother? How do you fuck someone?" she asked. His eyes widened, and he bit his tongue.

"Well Chelia, when a man and a woman love each other very much. The man takes his..."

"Phoebe finish that sentence and I will end you!" Aiden snapped angrily. The girl zipped her lip.

"What's wrong with you? Giving up already?" one of the dark mages said. The ones who remained standing were about to attack when a loud hissing filled the area. They looked back to Nirvana, seeing the swirling light solidify into a giant orb.

"Fuck this, let's get out of here. The Kittens will meet their maker soon enough!" one man cried. All of the mages picked up the wounded they could, leaving several injured behind.

"To right! To the Left! We will fight, to the death, to the edge, of the earth, it's a brand new world to from the last to the first~"

"Phoebe!" Aiden snapped, glaring at his friend.

xxx

"Now Carla, let's give it all we've got!" Wendy shouted.

"Right!" the white haired girl cried back. Both of them sucked in the surrounding air, filling their bellies up with as much magical power they could. Wendy's eyes snapped open she glared at the lacrima.

"Sky Dragon's Roar!"

"Lunar Dragon's Roar!"

Wendy's swirling gale melded together with Carla's blazing beam of moonlight, creating a thick glowing beam of wind and light. It shot right through the lacrima with such an intense force that it exploded, sending large chunks of lacrima and stone in all directions. All around them, the sounds of breaking glass, rocks and magic could be heard as everyone launched the simultaneous attack. Her ears perked up as she looked down the hall.

" _I'm through playing games with you pal! Metsuryu Ogi: Shiranui Gata: Guren Hoo Ken!"_

The area heated up at a rapid pace, the whole building shaking with unprecedented power. The final shattering lacrima echoed through the building. The whole structure started to shake as it lost power. Carla and Wendy held onto each other as it started falling down, breaking apart under its own weight. Wendy burst into tears of joy, her joyous laughter filling the room.

"We did it! We stopped Nirvana!" she cried, hugging her friend tightly.

xxx

Aiden smiled brightly as he saw the giant structure of Nirvana slowly falling apart. The legs crumbled right off, a loud bang filling the area as it struck the ground with intense force. The beam it had been charging exploded high into the sky, shooting off almost into space before it disappeared entirely. He swallowed hard, dropping to his knees.

"That definitely would have killed us." he whispered.

"The War is Won~!" Phoebe cheered loudly, pumping her hands in the air. She let out a loud scream, shooting into the sky.

"Fuck yeah, Who's the best? Cait Fucking Shelter! Whoo Hoo!" she shouted. Everyone sweatdropped.

"You do know it was a joint mission right?" Iona asked, making the girl drop to the ground. Her wings disappeared, her magic power finally spent. She looked at her hands, frowning a bit.

"Well...looks like my use of Dragon Slayer magic kerfuffled my body." she said.

"Ker-what?" Chelia asked, looking at the orange haired girl.

"Can we all just agree that it's great to be alive?" Yun asked, falling down onto his back. Everyone practically did the same thing, with exception to Eterna who used her sword as a crutch to keep herself upright. One of the mages groaned loudly, sitting up.

"Huh...what happened?" he asked. Chelia roundhouse kicked him in the face, knocking him back out. She huffed, brushing the dirt off her skirt.

"My cousin was right, tough love trumps anything." she said.

"Aw jeez!" Aiden cried, looking at the sky. The wisps of the morning sun were starting to rise over the horizon. He couldn't believe it was already sunrise. Just a few minutes ago the sun had set. No matter, he was able to save the guild, but the victory went to Wendy and Carla, along with the Allied Forces. His eyes dropped closed, as he finally gave into his fatigue, and passed out from strain.


	31. Oracion Seis Arc: Farewell Cait Shelter

**A/N: Man, I can't believe this story already has 30 Chapters. Time sure flies when you are having fun!**

 **Anyway, to me this is a momentous achievement. This story is rapidly increasing in popularity, and has gotten even more reviews than my first Fairy Tail story, Advent of the Stars. I'm glad I continued this...it's thanks to all of you that I got this far. So, I'm going to release this next chapter in your honor, loyal readers, I hope you enjoy it.**

 **Well...this is also the dreaded chapter that's been on my mind for awhile. I have finally written it so I hope you all like it. Chapter 31 will mark the end of the first part of this story. I decided to split the story in two, I'm not going to make the second part a whole new story, but I just want everyone to know that after that chapter, we will be entering the second half of the story. So I hope you all stick around for what is to come. I still need to figure out what to do with the next few arcs. Since I don't have internet I can't watch Edolas or read the manga, I'm running out of data as it is so I have to save it for when I need to post or check PMs. So thanks to that, there might be a lot of filler chapters from now until Edolas, and for that I apologize. It sucks Donkey Balls but it is what it is. People have told me that the original arcs that I'm creating are a breath of fresh air, that it pulls away from the canon, so I guess I can come up with something else to bide time.**

 **And with the end of part one comes more exciting things for part two, or at least I hope so. I'm going to be including more Oc's into the story, because it also pulls away from the canon, though they won't all be part of Fairy Tail or will join them. I just hope you all stick around, because I know too many oc's in a story is never a good thing. If they are balanced then I suppose they are alright.**

 **I'm also, most likely going to give Lucy her Star Dresses a bit earlier. Well at least I'll be giving her the Aquarius Star Dress so she at least has some other form of magic that isn't her Celestial Gate Keys. I'm gonna work on making her a well rounded fighter, I have a lot of ideas on how to include her into the story, and be sort of a big sister for Aiden, although he has a lot of big sisters right now. I don't know why it is, but all of his friends are girls, I spoke about this briefly before, but I just don't get why they all are. Kinda funny when I think about it.**

 **I will also be including an all new oc named Yuna. She's going to be based off the same character from the Sword Art Online Movie. I like her design and when I like something I try to incorporate it into my story. I haven't decided what magic type to give her. I have several, I was going to give her the Diamond Gate Keys and make her a Celestial Spirit mage, but I also thought of giving her her own unique magic, called Paradigm Shift. Basically she has three roles, Attacker, which focuses on Attack magic and Physical enchancing Magic, Ravager, which focuses on Elemental magics, and finally Synergist which focuses on stat boosting magics, and also includes elemental enchantments. Like if someone who doesn't use Fire magic gets enchaned with one of her EnFire spells, their magic will again a Fire Affinity, making those susceptible to Fire magic weak against them. She can only use one magic type at a time, so if she's in Ravager mode, she can only use Elemental magics and if she wants to switch, she has to change into another role. I think that's a little overpowered in my opinion, but I also think it's a type of magic that takes a lot of focus, since you are constantly shifting your magic types around, it must also be rather tiring. Think of it like Requip, every time she wants to change magic, she just "Requips" into another role.**

 **But anyway, that is just an idea. I might go with it, I might not. It all depends...so for now, I bid you, Adieu...hope you like the chapter.**

The Oracion Seis Arc

Chapter 30

Farewell Cait Shelter

It was morning when Aiden awoke. He didn't know how long it had been since he had passed out. Several hours at most. His vision was blurry, but he saw a bright blue head of hair in front of him. He didn't have to see to know who it was. He sat up, wrapping his arms around the girl, who gave him a tight hug back. No words were exchanged between them, they were just happy to be together again. His vision cleared, and he looked around, seeing all of the destruction left behind by the attack the night before. The magic council was standing post, as the mages were being lifted and thrown into carriages.

He noticed several members of Cait Shelter were walking around, handing people, who he assumed were part of the Allied Forces, food and water, along with spare clothing. He clutched his head, gritting his teeth. The throbbing in his head only became more pronounce by that action. He felt Wendy's hands on his head, and his headache vanished instantly.

"You were right...I shouldn't have doubted myself." she whispered. He smiled.

"See, you can do a lot of things when you believe in yourself. Now, I believe I need to reward my brave dragoness for kicking major ass today." he said, capturing her lips in a kiss. She gasped in surprise, allowing him to slip his tongue into her mouth. She closed her eyes, wrapping her arms around his neck, melting into the kiss. Sherry frowned as she watched them from a distance. She had been wearing an outfit one of the members of the small guild had given her. She honestly never thought tribal outfits went well with her hair color, at least until she tried it out.

"Hey boss, good to see you awake." Yun said, making the two dragons pull away from each other. Wendy glared at the young man, while Aiden just grinned.

"Good to see you too bro. They did a number of on this place, but we can fix it up right?" he asked.

"Yup, seems like most of it was collateral. We can pool together some funds from our rewards and fix the village up." He said, sticking his hand out. Aiden accepted it, being pulled back to his feet. He took a deep breath, feeling a slight pain in his chest.

"Careful, you expelled all of your magic. I wouldn't recommend using it for awhile." Wendy said, grabbing onto his arm.

"Man, fighting all of those people really brought it out of me." he said. He could still feel his magic container filling up with magic. Had he really expelled all of it?

"Hey Aiden, do you think you could come with me real quick? I want you to meet the guys from the Allied Forces." Wendy said, taking a hold of his hand. He nodded, allowing her to pull him along.

"Man, those two really are in love." Yun said, crossing his arms. Eterna stood next to him, arms crossed. For once she was out of her armor, having requipped it into her own pocket space.

"Are you jealous of them?" she asked. He scoffed shaking his head.

"I am not jealous of them. They are young and in love, so what? I would rather be single and ready to mingle." he said happily. Eterna shrugged.

"And here I was about to ask you for a night on the town. Your loss." she said, giving him a wink. His eyes widened a bit as he walked after her.

"Hey wait, are you serious or are you teasing me?" he cried out, earning a giggle from the girl.

"These are the boys from Blue Pegasus. Hibiki, Eve and Ren...Mr. Ichiya is off with Jura and Erza reporting to their masters." Wendy said.

"So, you guys watched out for my girl. I'd like to thank you for that, she can handle herself, but sometimes she makes me worry." Aiden said, rubbing his neck.

"Don't worry man, we would never allow her to get hurt. She's too cute for that to happen." Hibiki said, giving him a smile.

"Indeed, our Master wouldn't forgive us if we let her or anyone get hurt." Eve added. Ren remained silent, looking over at Sherry who had been standing by herself for most of the morning. Aiden caught his gaze, a smirk on his face.

"Ren was it?" he asked, earning a nod from him. He looked back at Sherry, giving her a wave.

"She's been through a lot. Following a guy who doesn't like her back, that isn't her style...maybe you could teach her a new kind of love." he said. The dark skinned man blushed a bit, though it wasn't that noticeable.

"You think so?" he asked.

"Yeah, she's really nice when you get to know her. And she loves kids." he said.

"Go talk to her man, make us proud!" Eve said, clapping his shoulder. The man nodded and steeled his nerves, choosing to approach the woman. Aiden smiled brightly, wrapping his arm around Wendy's shoulder.

"I'm a good wing man right?" he asked.

"If you say so." she said, giving him a shrug. He yawned, still feeling a bit tired.

"Well..I'm gonna go take a shower, if the building still has power. I'm sure the master wants to talk to all of us at some point." he said.

"Okay...be careful alright?" she asked. He chuckled, turning around.

"I always am. Oh, do you think you can patch my coat? I like it too much to give it up." he said, taking it off. Hibiki and Eve started mostly in shock when they saw the seared scar on his back.

"I'll take a look at it." she said, taking the coat from his hands. He gave her a wave, walking off to their apartment.

"What happened to him?" Eve asked.

"Hmm? Oh, you mean that scar right? While we were heading to Fogbound Lake, we were attacked by Red Hood. One of the men used Solid Script and threw acid at him. I was able to heal it, but he'll have that scar for life. I have one too." she said, gesturing to her leg.

"You kids have had it rough haven't you?" Hibiki asked.

"Not really. We take every mission we can. After all we have to do our part and help the people of Fiore right?" she asked, a bright smile on her face. The two Blue Pegasus mages shared a look, not really knowing what to say.

"So, you guys really want to become my spirits?" Lucy asked curiously, staring at the four spirits in front of her. Aries the Ram, Scorpio the Scorpion, Gemi and Mini the twins and Caelum the Chisel. Scorpio nodded, crossing his arms.

"Of course, you showed us spirits that you truly care. Besides, having my girl's contractor as a friend would be wicked!" he said.

"After everything I've been through...I just want to be with Leo again." Aries added.

"Us too. We like Lucy!" Mini cried.

"Lucy is nice to us, she loves us!" her brother Gemi added. She also got some loud beeps from Caelum, which she assumed were good news.

"Alright...I would love it if you all joined me. All of my spirits are my friends, and I would never treat you like Angel did. So...thank you...for choosing to side with me." she said, giving them a bow. She looked at them, a bright smile on her face. All four spirits had their keys in their hands, or in Caelum's case, floating above him. Lucy graciously accepted them. She was once step closer to being a great Celestial Spirit mage.

xxx

"So, what are we going to do now Master?" Alana asked, leaning against the door frame inside the small office. Roubaul was standing in front of her, looking at the ground.

"You can see it right? The might of the thing that I created...I can never forgive myself for putting you all in danger." the old man said. Alana sighed, looking away from him.

"It's alright Master. I'm sure you have your reasons, but remember what I said last night. You are going to tell Aiden and Wendy, along with everyone here the truth. If you are going to leave...then at least let us give you a proper farewell." she said. She bit her lip, holding back her tears. She felt the man take her hand in his own. She looked at him, seeing nothing but his bright smile.

 _(Flashback)_

"Um...excuse me...is this a guild?" a voice asked. Roubaul looked up from his mug, looking toward the doors. Standing there was a young woman, no older than fourteen, with long black hair, which reached down to her waist. She was wearing various pieces of armor on her body, with the royal crest emblazoned on them. In her hands was a violet sword. She was soaking wet, evident from the rainfall outside.

"Of course it is. We're a wizard guild, you can join us. We can have lots of fun together!" a little girl with long blue hair cried out. Floating beside her was a kitten, dressed in a pink gown. The girl's eyes widened.

"Is that a floating cat?" she asked.

"I'm an exceed, not a cat!" it cried out, stunning the young girl. Roubaul chuckled, shaking his head.

"We have a position open for the bar...you can join us if you'd like. You don't have to, working part time is still enough." he said. She shook her head.

"No...I want to join, if you'd have me. My name is Alana Toujou...I wanted to be a Royal Knight, but I didn't pass my exams...I just want to get away from the big city." she said.

"Nice to meet you Alana...my name is Roubaul..and this is Wendy, one of our newest mages, along with her friend Carla...they'll show you around. Wendy, would you mind giving her our mark?" the man asked. The little girl nodded, running around the bar. She rummaged a through a drawer, pulling out the magic stamper they had gotten from the Magic Council.

"Here we are...where do you want it miss?" she asked. The young girl thought about a good spot. She tapped into her magic, allowing her armor to disappear from her body, leaving her in a white shirt and a black skirt. She lowered her black stocking, showing a free spot on her outer thigh.

"Right here." she said. Wendy nodded, pressing the stamper onto it. It glowed brightly as she pulled it away, leaving a black mark on her skin.

"I thought black would suit you, seeing as you have long black hair." the girl said, a light blush on her cheeks. Alana ruffled her hair, giving her a smile.

"Well, you're assumption is correct. Black is my favorite color...I don't know much about mixing drinks and stuff. But I am a good cook, my friends think so at least. I can make lunch!" she said excitedly.

"Okay, Carla let's go to the kitchen!" Wendy cried, looking at her small friend. She sighed, giving her a nod.

 _(Flashback ends)_

"What was that?" Alana asked, letting go of Roubaul's hand.

"My memory of your arrival. We were so alone here, but then you showed up that rainy day and joined us. Wendy was so happy to have a friend, even if she was a little older than her. You have no idea how happy that made her." he said.

"You did this for her didn't you? That little girl that you said made you smile..this was all for her, so she wouldn't get lonely." Alana said. He shook his head.

"Yes, at first it was for her. But it started to change...soon enough, it became your guild too, and then it became Nobal's and Mona's...and Aiden's...this guild belongs to everyone. That's the reason why I can't choose another successor...I've lied to you for too long. It's time for all of you to spread your wings and soar. See where the tail wind takes you." he said. She nodded, holding her hands to her lips.

"Okay...I'm sorry master...I'm so sorry." she said, leaving the man's office. He sighed, taking a deep breath. He forced a smile on his face.

"Time to face the music as they say." he said.

xxx

"It was totally cool. Walking through all of that steam to find that dragon statue, and then popping that crystal in place. It felt like a real treasure hunt. The climb to the lake itself was a bit hot, but when we got there, it was so worth it." Aiden said, a grin on his face.

"The Sorcerer said you fought a dragon, is that true?" Natsu asked, earning a nod from Aiden.

"Yeah, her name was Desert Storm, but she was just the soul of a dragon. She disappeared after all of our attacks, but we ended up fighting her son Nicholas Storm, the Earth Dragon Slayer." he replied.

"Hang on a second, so there's another dragon slayer out there?" Gray asked curiously.

"And he uses the power of Earth?" Lucy added.

"Mhmm...I hate to admit it, but the bastard knocked me out. It was Wendy who kicked his teeth in. I was just a nuisance." he said, rubbing his neck.

"Not true, you defeated Team Skull right?" Iona added, stopping next to his friend.

"Actually that was you. Hydro Cannon into the distance remember?" he asked, causing her to tilt her head.

"I must have forgotten. I don't bother remembering the shit on the bottom of my shoe." she said.

"Talk about harsh." Lucy said, shivering a bit. Iona blinked a few times, giving her a smile.

"It's nice to see you again Miss Heartfilia, how are you faring?" she asked.

"Um...a little sore, but I'll be fine." the blonde said.

"Hey wait...we're you the ones who pointed her to our guild?" Aiden asked curiously.

"Yeah, it was Erza who drew her the map. We were out on a job in Hargeon and she just popped into the restaurant we were at." Natsu added.

"Yes, and she ended up ordering the entire menu, and paying with a diamond no less." Gray asked. Aiden looked at the Basilisk Slayer, a shocked look on his face.

"You paid your tab with a diamond?" he asked.

"Indeed...why is it such a big deal? They grow in my home all the time, I have no qualms in giving them away." she said.

"You are sitting on a gold mine and don't even realize it." Happy said, frowning with disbelief.

"I never saw any gold...or silver..just crystals." Iona said.

"I didn't mean it literally." the blue exceed added.

"Aiden, I fixed your coat!" Wendy cried, grabbing his attention. He excused himself from his friends and raced over to where the blue haired girl stood. She handed him the coat, a smile on her face. He quickly put it on, noticing it was snug on his body now.

"It fits perfectly now." he said.

"Well, I did fix it. I memorized your size so I was able to make it fit better, and I fixed the frayed part from where you tore the sleeve off." she said, poking her fingers together. He smiled, kissing her cheek.

"I love it, thanks beautiful. I can always count on you." he said.

Master Roubaul finally made his appearance, walking out of the guild hall, followed by all of the other members of the guild. Team Flaming Skies along with Team Mystic Artes decided to go and check on them. After the long battles they had, all of them had been worried about their friends.

"Hey Master, are you alright? I wasn't able to check on you last night." Aiden said.

"I'm fine my boy. Still a bit shook up after seeing Nirvana again." he said.

"Again...what do you mean by that?" he asked curiously. Alana placed a hand on his shoulder, shaking her head. The old man just stood there silently.

"Fairy Tail, Blue Pegasus, Lamia Scale...and our own Wendy Marvel and Carla...I thank you for putting a stop to Nirvana. Aiden, everyone...you did a magnificent job protecting our guild last night." the man said.

"Aw shucks, it was no biggie master." Yun said, scratching his cheek.

"So long as I get to burn my enemies and turn their skin into ashes, I'm happy to fight." Flare said, giving the man a grin.

"That girl scares me." Lucy muttered, catching her attention. Flare's eyes widened a bit, a blush staining her cheeks.

"Blondie." she muttered under her breath. That seemed to creep Lucy out even more. So much so that she hid behind Gray.

"You all deserve my deepest gratitude. Without all of your efforts, I fear this world would have been destroyed by that monstrosity." the man said.

"Hey, we we're just doing our job right. How about we forget about all of that and party?" Natsu cried cheerfully.

"I agree, men...we must celebrate this momentous occasion. All of our guilds have come together and joined in this union. We must not let this chance go to waste!" Ichiya cried. He was sparkling brightly, and posing a lot, something that really creeped Aiden out.

"Our Chief is right. Come on, we must dance!" Hibiki cried, following Ichiya's movements.

"I can see why Blue Pegasus is seen as a massive joke these days." Eterna muttered quietly under her breath, causing Yun and Repede to break into laughter. A glare from Alana silenced the two of them.

"I think we should celebrate! Come on Aiden, you owe me cookies!" Phoebe cried.

"Is there one day where you don't think about food?" Carla snapped, glaring at the orange haired girl.

"Yes, on Sundays. I usually count my money on that day, so I'm busy doing that!" she said.

"I stand corrected, there is nothing else in your brain except cookies and money. What a shame." the white haired girl said, shaking her head.

"Yeah, let's party hard and fuck people!" Chelia cried loudly. Everyone stopped what they were doing, looking directly at the little girl who was still dancing like it was no tomorrow. She stopped, meeting everyones pale faces.

"What?" she asked.

"Who taught you how to say that?" Sherry cried angrily.

"Um...Big brother Yun did it." she said, pointing to the swordsman.

"What? Hey don't blame that shit on me! It was Aiden who said it last night not me!" Yun said.

"Don't shove this onto me dick head. It was you who said it, prepare to face her wrath moron. Spread your cheeks before she does so for you." he cried.

"I am not spreading my cheeks for no woman. Women spread their cheeks for me!" he snapped. His eyes widened, catching the smirk on Aiden's face.

"You bastard, you set me up!" he cried. He was about to throw a punch at him when he was swallowed up whole by a sand monster. Sherry clenched her hand, tightening the sand the creature had been made of.

"You are so dead Yun Lowell! Don't think you've escaped my wrath!" she cried.

"Maybe we should calm down. Master Roubaul has something to say." Alana said, a frown on her face. Aiden looked at the black haired girl, her mood was rather unusual.

"Lana, is something wrong? You're never sad." he said.

"I think you should listen to what the master has to say little man. It's really important." Nobal said. Mona gave a silent nod. The old man took a breath, gathering his thoughts. After a second he begun speaking.

"I would like to apologize to all of you. I've kept the true origins of Nirvana and the Nirvit a secret from all of you." he said.

"It's alright master. I guess I understand why you didn't want us to know, after all it isn't your fault that your ancestors created something like that." Aiden said, giving the man a grin.

"My boy...I'm afraid there's more to it than just that." Roubaul said.

"If we listen to this, do we still get to party?" Natsu asked.

"Don't be inconsiderate Natsu!" Lucy exclaimed. The fire dragon slayer frowned, but decided to keep his mouth shut.

"Quite rambunctious are you? Anyway, I would like to tell all of you the truth behind Nirvana. We are not decedents of the Nirvits. We are the Nirvits." the man said. Wendy gasped, completely taken aback. Aiden was rather confused about the whole thing, while everyone else remained silent.

"We infact were the ones that created Nirvana over 400 years ago. It was a time that was ravaged by war. We were a peaceful people, wanting to stay out of the conflict, but our hand was forced. I was the one who created it, a magic that would turn darkness into light, creating an era of peace."

"Hold on, you mean to tell me this was created to stop a war?" Gray asked, earning a nod from the man.

"Indeed. We created this magic to end all wars. Our people settled on top of it and created a bustling city. We were a symbol of hope among the kingdom. But the peaceful times didn't last. Nirvana indeed did replace the darkness with the light ending the war. However we were not ready for the repercussions of our actions. For every action, there is an equal an opposite reaction. Light cannot exist without Darkness, and vise versa. Nirvana took it upon itself to absorb all of that darkness and turn it into light, but one cannot exist without the other, so the darkness of those that lost the will to fight in the war, was transferred to the Nirvits." He said.

"You mean...all of the Nirvits were turned evil?" Lucy asked.

"I see...it was the same thing that happened to us." Gray said, remembering how one of the Oracion Seis had switched sides, the same with Sherry when she thought Lyon was dead.

"It was a gruesome scene. Men, women and children, all took up arms against each other. No one survived, save for myself. No...that isn't true anymore. My body perished long ago, I am but a spectral apparition...a manifestation of my soul." Roubaul said.

"That isn't possible...you can't be just an apparition." Wendy cried out, not believing what the man was saying. Aiden was still in shock, trying to process everything. The man gave them a sad smile, his body glowing a bright gold. Slowly, the people around them started to disappear. Aiden took a step back, eyes widening.

"What's going on, why are they disappearing? Jack, Hal, Mary." he cried, hoping to get a response from them, only for them to disappear.

"I'm sorry. But I've lied to you for long enough...this guild...it never truly existed. The people you see before you are nothing but illusions, crafted by my magic." he said.

"Illusions? With their own personalities?" Lyon cried out, unable to believe what he was hearing.

"This must have taken a massive amount of magic power." Jura added.

"Why...why would you do this to us?" Yun cried angrily. If there was something he hated was loosing someone close to him. He had lost many people in the past, and this made him feel like his heart was ripped out.

"I did it for the same reason I made this guild. To see your smiling faces. I had settled myself in this abandoned village, in order to keep watch of Nirvana, until someone strong enough came along to stop my creation. That is until a young man came into the village, holding a little girl in his arms.

" _Please, you have to take her in."_ the voice cried, echoing through the area. It was most likely Roubaul using his magic to allow them to hear it. He looked at Wendy giving her a smile.

"His eyes showed so much conviction, I just couldn't turn him down. She woke up not long after that, all alone with no one but me. I couldn't bare the thought of seeing her cry, so I used what remaining power I had to make this place into a guild. All of the people around her were nothing but machinations of my magic."

"That isn't true! Why would someone do something so cruel to me?" Wendy cried out, anger flowing through her. Tears rolled down her cheeks, she wasn't going to bother wiping them away anymore.

"This can't be...all of our lives here couldn't be more than a lie." Carla added, watching the people she grew up around slowly fade away.

"Alas, I had only intended to keep this guild active for Wendy and Carla's sake...but a young woman who failed her Knight test in Crocus came here one day, asking me for a job. It wasn't long before a young hunter came along, hearing all sorts of stories about the animals that lived in the woods, and the clothing he could create with the pelts. Soon enough, came a young woman, a long decedent from my own son. And more recently, a hot headed Dragon Slayer, his exceed companion, a black haired swordsman, a beautiful knight in shining armor, a young basilisk slayer, and two children of Gods. This guild that started as nothing more than an illusion, became a place filled with hope, and it all started with a little girl, who taught me how to value life, and showed me how to smile again."

"Wendy...she's the reason why...she was always the reason." Aiden added, eyes brimming with tears. The last of the guild members disappeared, leaving the true mages of the guild remaining.

"What...what about Yamato? Does she know about this?" Phoebe asked, brushing the tears away from her face.

"Indeed, I told her of this before she left on her mission. I offered her my position as guild master to maintain this place alive, but she refused. She said she needed more time, but I realized that one so young shouldn't be thrust into something they aren't ready for. I have made preparations and signed all the official documents...you are all free to choose where you go." he said.

"You can't do this Master...you said we could be together forever. What about my friends?" Wendy cried angrily. He smiled.

"You don't need me or the guild anymore Wendy. You've got plenty of friends already...Forgive me...I should have told you this a long time ago, but I couldn't bring myself to tarnish such a beautiful smile." he said.

"Gramps...you can't leave us yet. There's so much I wanted to do here, so much I wanted to talk about. You finally gave me a place to stay, I didn't know who I was after my family was murdered. I just traveled around, causing trouble and sleeping under bridges with not a single jewel to my name. You gave me a home, a loving family, you can't take that away from me!" Aiden shouted, his shoulders shaking.

"Aiden Flame...I still remember the day you came to us. You were so hurt, a broken arm and a swollen ankle. A reckless young man who killed a Vulcan in the middle of a rain storm, with fire magic no less. You were someone admirable, but you have become nothing short of a man, keep your head up and follow the tail winds. They are in your favor. Be free, but never let go of the things you cherish. I was never your family, Wendy and the rest of your friends were." he said, giving him a smile.

Aiden just stood there, watching as the old man he came to see as a grandfather finally disappeared, and with it went his guild mark. The remaining Cait Shelter mages could only watch, teary eyed as each of their guild marks faded away into nothingness.

"Master! You can't leave me! Please don't go!" Wendy cried, running toward the spot where the master had once been. She saw nothing but sparkles floating to the heavens. Her legs quivered as she fell to her knees, screaming at the top of her lungs. She clawed at the ground, cursing everything she could think of. She felt someone wrap their arms around her and looked back, seeing Aiden right behind her.

"It's gonna be alright Wendy, it's gonna be alright." he said.

"No it's not! He left us all alone! We're nothing without Cait Shelter, I want my friends back, I want my family back!" she cried. His lip quivered, more tears running down his cheeks.

"I want them back too. But there's nothing we can do right now. It sucks, it fucking hurts having to loose so many people. I never wanted you to experience that pain like I have for so long. I wanted you to be spared from it, but nothing lasts forever. The master...he did this for you...for us...so we wouldn't be alone. Truth of the matter is, we never truly were. We have each other, and that in itself is something beautiful. So chin up, let's see where the tail winds take us next." he said, giving her a bright grin.

Even though his heart was breaking and his face was soaked with tears, he would smile. He would smile for her. Roubaul had regained his hope after meeting Wendy, so he would make her his hope. Aiden's shining beacon of hope, the one person he would willingly spend the rest of his life with.

"I agree with you Aiden...you've changed so much in the little time I've known you. Two years ago, you were nothing more than a reckless kid, who loved nothing more than causing trouble, but now you are a respectable mage. In time..your wounds will heal...I'm sure of it. So if you want..you can come with us, to Fairy Tail." Erza said, placing a hand on Aiden's shoulder. He looked back at her, seeing a warm look on her face. For a brief second he thought he saw his sister in her. But he shook it off, giving her a nod.

"We need time...we can't just leave...we have gather the paperwork, and explain all of this to the council...we also have to wait until Yamato returns, she...needs to be here." he said.

"I understand. Our doors are always open for you." she said. She looked back at her friends, gesturing for them to follow. One by one, the members of the Allied Forces took their leave, wanting to leave the former members of Cait Shelter alone.

xxx

Yamato Sakatonaka was finally back in Fiore. She had stopped in the city of Rose Garden, to rest up after the long journey. She was currently in a bar, sitting in the back of the building with three empty bottles of vodka sitting in front of her. She leaned back, gasping a bit as she finished a fourth one. The alcohol wouldn't do much to her, other than get her buzzed. Being a God Slayer meant that your body gained the abilities and traits of a god. Being a Poison God Slayer meant she also had resistance against poison. Alcohol could poison the body in high quantities, so her body naturally turned it into magic power. She frowned, glaring at the other patrons. They were all looking at her as if she were a bug.

Then again, the Viper Princess drinking her brains out in a bar was a pretty rare sight. Still she found it rather annoying that everyone was staring at her. She glanced at her wrist, waiting for Roubaul to call her, to say something to her, but it had remained eerily silent. A sudden violet glow filled her eyes and she looked down at her guild mark. The mark of Cait Shelter, it was slowly disappearing from her skin. Her eyes widened in shock. The tail, the body, and then finally the head...it was all gone, like it had never existed. She just started at her bicep for the longest time, confusion, anger and sadness welling in her mind. She stood up from her seat and walked to the bar, slamming her arm against the counter top.

"Uh...what can I do for you miss?" the bartender asked. She tossed a sack filled with Jewels at the man, glaring into his eyes.

"I want to buy every fucking bottle of alcohol you've got. I also want everyone out of this bar for the rest of the day." she said angrily.

"Ma'am...I can't do that." he said. She threw another sack at him, her glare intensifying.

"Now." she hissed. He nodded, looking at everyone.

"The Bar is closed, everyone get out!" he shouted. They didn't need to be told twice. Everyone picked up their belongings and ran out. No one wanted to be around when the Viper Princess was pissed off.

xxx

Aiden sighed, as he leaned back against the building that made up his his home, or what was left of it. The Allied Forces, finally having completed their tasks, went off on their own, returning to their homes. Erza had offered to stay behind, but Alana reassured that they would be fine on their own. And thus, the ex-members of Cait Shelter remained behind. It was eerily silent, something he would never get used to. This village had been his home for the last few months. He had finally found a place to call home, and it had been ripped right from under. It had only been three days since Roubaul moved on, and he could still not wrap his mind around it.

Wendy had been a bit distant as well, choosing to stay alone. He wanted to check on her, but he knew she would come back when she was ready. She needed to mourn the loss of the man that took care of her. Looking up at the sky, he still couldn't believe that Roubaul had done this all for her. Create a guild, with magical illusions all bearing unique personalities? He just couldn't wrap his mind around it. Still, it was a shame that he was gone. He looked at his bare shoulder, remembering the mark that had once decorated it. Even now that the truth had been revealed, he refused to accept it.

"Hey, thought you could use some company." Yun said, giving him a greeting. Aiden looked up, giving him a silent nod. The young swordsman sat down, setting his Fusion blade next to him. He looked around, frowning a bit. Iona and Chelia had been spending time together, the little girl wanted to be with her friend as opposed to leaving with her cousin. She didn't want to be separated from her family. Phoebe and Carla were also gone, and Alana and Eterna were busy handling the paperwork with Mona and Nobal. They were pretty much alone.

"I'm gonna miss this place...I thought I could stick around for longer than a month." Yun said, giving a dry chuckle.

"So, where are you going now?" Aiden asked, after a minute of silence. He shrugged.

"Where ever the wind blows me next. Blue Pegasus extended their arm to me, but I'm not sure if I belong in a guild like that. I don't see myself as a womanizing pretty boy." he said. Aiden rose a brow.

"You sure about that? I remember you hitting on every girl you saw back at the Magnolia Festival. You would be a good fit with Blue Pegasus. I've already made my choice." he said.

"Fairy Tail?" Yun asked, earning a nod from him.

"Yeah...it makes sense. I've gotten along with Natsu and everyone else since I took that mission back on Galuna Island. I don't see myself anywhere else...but you know I can't really leave. I need to wait until my team is assembled before I can make a decision."

"I know what you mean. I already told Flare and Eterna that they were free to choose where they went, but they want to stay together." he said.

"That reminds me, you've gotten close to them. It's really hard to befriend Flare like that, how'd you do it?" he asked. Yun chuckled, leaning back against the wall.

"It was during that Fogbound Lake mission you guys took. We took a mission like that too." he said.

"Ah...maybe you can tell me it later." Aiden said.

"Sure...but I'm honestly not sure what to do. Sherry wants Chelia to go with her to Lamia Scale, Iona wants to stick around with her friends, and I'm not sure what Wendy and Carla are doing." he said.

"Wendy needs time to heal...but she's already decided to come with me to Fairy Tail. She doesn't want to split up, and we are dating after all." he said.

The two of them heard voices from the guildhall and noticed Mona and Nobal walking out of it. They had some packs in their hands, along with a few other provisions. Aiden hastily stood up, running toward them.

"Hey, you guys leaving?" he asked. Mona gave him a nod.

"I'm heading to Crocus to deliver the paperwork to the Magic Council. After that, we're on God's good humor." she said.

"Any idea where you'll be heading?" Yun asked curiously.

"Well...I've always been a hunter, I hear Quatro Cerberus is looking for rough and tough dudes like me. That might be my place." Nobal said.

"I'm interested in clothes making, I hear some of the girls from Mermaid Heel have their own stores. I think that might be my place." Mona replied. Aiden smiled.

"Well, if you do head to Sea Brook, tell Master Juliana that I said hi." he said. The woman nodded, giving him a hug. Nobal clapped his shoulder, a smile on his face.

"We'll be alright...Cait Shelter made us stronger..but it's time to see what the world has to offer us." he said. Aiden nodded, holding his hand out.

"Take what you can." he said, his lip quivering. The two smiled, bumping fists with him.

"Give Nothing Back." the said in unison. With that, the pair took their leave, slowly walking out of the courtyard. Aiden waved them off, until he couldn't see them anymore, he slowly lowered his hand, letting out a sigh.

"They'll be fine." Yun reassured.

"I know...but neither of them know any magic. I'm not sure they can even fight if they need to." he said.

"Pfft, I'm sure Nobal can fight. He's a hunter after all..and Mona doesn't look it, but there's something special about her. Like I said, they'll be fine." he said.

"Hey you guys, I don't want to alarm you or anything, but we need to show you something." Phoebe said, leanding next to the two. Carla landed next to the white haired girl, pointing to the remains of Nirvana.

"It's over there." she said. Aiden nodded, giving Yun a firm look.

"Let's go...whatever it is, it has them rattled." he said. Yun grabbed his sword, strapping it across his back. They followed the two girls over the small bridge that connected the courtyard to the forest. Thankfully there was a path that cut around the lake.

It didn't take them long to reach the remains of Nirvana. After the lacrima that powered it up got destroyed by the Allied Forces, the thing fell completely apart. He had passed out by that point, but he did see it start to crumble. It made him glad that no one was hurt from that single action. He couldn't imagine what it felt like to be under that thing when it came down.

"Over here, we were flying around to see if we could find some Boars to hunt, but we instead found something else." Carla said, pointing ahead of where they stood. They kept walking, jumping over large chunks of limestone and the remains of buildings. They walked up a small hill, and once they reached the top, they saw what Carla and Phoebe had been talking about.

All around were several piles of gray sand. Aiden didn't know exactly what it was, but looking toward the forest, he saw a large path had been cut through the trees. Walking over to one of them, he saw that it had been laser cut. The trunks had black burn marks on them. He ran his finger over one of them, seeing the soot that had been lifted off on his finger tip.

"Man...that must have been some weapon. No way a person could have done this." Yun said.

"There's something odd about these piles too. I was looking closely at them, but it doesn't look like sand." Phoebe said, kneeling next to one large pile. Aiden wondered over to it, taking a small whiff of the area. He gagged a bit, taking several steps back.

"It doesn't look like sand, because it's not. These are human ashes." he said.

"Christ, are you sure?" Yun asked, eyes widened in surprise.

"Trust me, I've smelt human bones before. What the hell could have done this?" he asked curiously. They heard a loud thump not far from where they stood, and looked toward the forest, seeing a large tree start to fall. Without wasting a second, the four mages raced toward it. Aiden held his arms out, stopping his friends from going forward. Another tree fell down in front of them. Aiden took a deep breath, and walked forward, hiding behind a tree.

His eyes widened a bit when he saw the figure standing in the clearing ahead of them. Well, he called it a clearing because all of the trees in the area had been cut down. He just watched in awe as the figure kept cutting trees down. It suddenly stopped, not moving for a few seconds.

"What is it?" Carla asked, standing next to Aiden. He shrugged.

"I'm not sure." he said. The figure suddenly turned around, firing a concentrated magic blast at them. Aiden pulled Carla back as the blast struck the tree, obliterating it entirely. A small smoking crater was left behind. The figure kept launching magical blasts at them, destroying every tree they hid behind.

"Hey stop firing! We mean you no harm!" Aiden cried, hoping to calm the person down. Thankfully they did.

"Step out where I can see you, hands up."

Aiden and the others did so, walking out of the forest. The figure stood tall, a good three or four inches above them. His arms and chest seemed to be made out of very thick metal plating, almost robotic in nature. It's head sat atop it's shoulders, eyes glowing brightly, his expression unreadable. He had black hair, which reached down to the nape of his neck. He was wearing a pair of white jeans over his metallic legs. On his back was a large metallic backpack of sorts, which had a mini-gun attached to it. He also had a rocket launcher strapped to it.

For the longest time, no one said a thing. They just stared at each other. This man, if he could be called that looked really imposing. Aiden noticed a crest on the side of his metal arm, a crest he vaguely recognized. Phoebe kept looking at him, humming to herself. She let out a gasp, running at the figure.

"Hey, I remember you. You're the one who fixed my leg right? You gave me magic." she said.

"Huh? This is the person that helped you Phoebe?" Aiden asked. The girl gave a vigorous nod.

"Yeah, he scared the shit out of me when I woke up, but he's really nice." he said. The person looked at them, lowering his mini-gun.

"My apologies...I thought you were enemies. I've been facing off against many of them since I awoke in this land." he said.

"Enemies...you mean dark mages right?" Yun asked.

"Probably the ones who got away after Oracion Seis got arrested." Carla added.

"Yes, I have faced many dark mages for the past day. All of them want to take control of me, use me for their own nefarious schemes. So I destroyed all of them."

"You k-killed them all?" Phoebe asked, taking a step back.

"Heh, good riddance. Those fucks were the ones who attacked our guild after all." Aiden said, crossing his arms.

"Guild mages? Are you a guild of light? I see no markings on your bodies." the man said. They all frowned, sadness welling in their hearts.

"Our guild broke apart a couple days back...we...are free lances mages now, at least until we head to our new guilds. My name is Aiden Flame, this is my partner Phoebe. That's Yun Lowell and our friend Carla." he said, introducing his friends.

"First Lieutenant Gira Devastator of the Alvarez Empire...or at least was after the war." he said.

"War?" Aiden asked curiously. Yun hummed to himself, snapping his fingers.

"Oh right, I remember that. Two years ago, the country of Alakitasia waged war on Ishgar for some reason. They sent in hundreds of soldiers, but the Magic Council ended up firing Etherion at them and drove them back. I remember it was all over the news for quite some time." The swordsman replied.

"Indeed, I was part of that Platoon, along with many of my Machias friends. We are a peaceful people, trained in the art of Military Warfare. We wanted nothing more than to destroy the dark guilds in our home country of Alvarez. However the empire is quite cruel with everyone, dark mages or light mages, the Emperor's rule is absolute." He said firmly.

"Man, this place sounds rough." Aiden said, earning a nod from the man.

"We were sent out on February 23rd x782 at 0400 hours. Our mission was to suppress a certain guild and retrieve a special item. We are not aware of what it is or for what purpose it would be used. At 1500 hours on March 2nd x782, the Magic Council fired Etherion destroying all of our foot soldiers. Many Machias remained, but are now scattered throughout the country. I received news that we were all labeled KIA and abandoned by the Emperor."

"You were all abandoned?" Phoebe cried, shock written on her face.

"Indeed, most of us were damaged, myself included. In order to undergo self repair, I needed to enter a state of hibernation. For the last two years I have been dormant. But it seems this moving empire has awakened me. I sent out a flare to reconnect with the Machias left behind, but so far I have received no news from my friends." he said.

"Um excuse me...if I may be so bold, what is a Machias?" Carla asked, holding her hand up.

"Forgive me, I seemed to have skipped that detail. Machias like myself are a race of humanoid machines. We live among humans and can blend into human cities to not raise suspicion. Our nation was formed hundreds of years ago, however it was destroyed when the Emperor took over. Our numbers dwindled and now not many of us remain. I have been in the service of the Alvarez Empire for the last two hundred years. But now that I have been labeled KIA, I have decided to pledge my loyalty to Ishgar. I cannot stand the rule of a man who abandons his comrades." he said firmly.

"I can't believe this...this world keeps on surprising me." Aiden said.

"Aw, it's okay Gira. I'm sure your friends are out there safe and sound." Phoebe reassured, patting his arm. He gave her a nod.

"Indeed, you remind me a lot of one of my comrades. She was a Second Lieutenant in our platoon, but I have not received information from her. Alas, the only thing I can do is keep my hopes up." Gira said, looking a bit sad.

"You know, maybe you should ask a guild for help. They can help search Fiore for your friends, there are tons of guilds here who would be willing to take that mission on." Aiden said.

"Hey yeah, I'm sure if you explained everything, someone would help you. Maybe even the King himself." Yun said.

"That wouldn't be wise. He is still seen as an enemy of the state. If he goes to Crocus and requests an audience with the king, he might get arrested." Carla said.

"That's true...man..this sucks. We aren't in a legal guild anymore so we can't help you." Aiden said.

"It is alright Aiden Flame...I require no assistance. If my comrades saw the flare, they should all be leaving hibernation. I shall search for them." he said.

"Well...if you do need help, we're most likely going to join another guild, so look us up. We'll be glad to give you a hand." Phoebe said, giving the Machias a bright smile.

"Thank you, I shall remember your kind words. I wish you luck on your endeavors." he said, walking off into the forest. It wasn't long before his loud footsteps couldn't be heard anymore.

"That certainly was interesting." Yun said, scratching his head.

"Yeah...at least it distracted us from what's been happening. Let's go back to the guildhall...maybe the others are feeling better." he said. His friends nodded, turning back toward the guildhall.

"You know...seeing Gira like that, willing to search for his friends on his own...it made me realize just how vulnerable he is." Phoebe said.

"Pfft, he is nothing short of vulnerable. You are wrong on that front Phoebe." Yun said.

"No...I get what she means. He's all alone, taking on a daunting task. Searching for his friends all around a region he doesn't know...it must be killing him inside. But he has hope. It opened my eyes...we have it good, we have friends. I think..it's time we moved on from what happened." Aiden said. They all sighed, giving him a nod.

"I agree...Cait Shelter was our home..but we can't stick around anymore. We need to be strong, and move on. Master Roubaul wouldn't want us to stay here moping all the time." Carla replied.

"Alright...then when Yamato comes back, let's all vow to leave this place and grow stronger. Whether that's together or not, that will depend on us. It doesn't matter where we end up, we'll be Cait Shelter mages forever." Aiden said.

"Aye, I agree with that!" Yun said, giving him a grin.

"Good, then let's do what the master asked us to. Let's follow the tail wind, until we find our place in the world!" the blue haired boy said, looking up at the sky, a bright smile on his face.

Everything was still so fresh in their minds, but seeing Gira really made them realize how good it was to have friends. They weren't alone. Realizing that, they all vowed to move on. It would hurt, but it would be better than moping around all the time.


	32. Oracion Seis Finale: New Beginnings

**A/N: Well, the time has finally come. I am delivering the final chapter of the Oracion Seis Arc. I hope you all have liked the series so far, I've been getting good feedback, and that's always nice. After this chapter, we'll be delving into some filler stuff, since I won't be able to watch any episodes for while. I would hate for this to go into Hiatus because I don't have ideas for Edolas. I mean I do, but I want to watch it so I have a guideline to follow. It's most likely going to be from Aiden and Phoebe's point of view, I might throw in another new character in there to help him out.**

 **Again, I encourage you to submit ocs. Even if they are for one time use, it makes my work a little easier, and who knows they might become relevant to the plot if I feel like it. I always like seeing what you guys can come up with. The Oc sheet is in my bio, so feel free to drop those in.**

 **As I said last chapter, this will mark the end of Part I of the story. Part one is the Era of Cait Shelter and the time that Aiden spent there. Part Two will begin the Era of Fairy Tail and will follow Aiden's adventures with the Strongest Guild in Fiore. So I hope you like this part, the beginning chapters will be about Aiden trying to fit in, while accepting work from the guild itself.**

 **I have also been thinking a lot about the later arcs of the story. I already have plans for the Grand Magic Games and Eclipse Gate arcs. There's also going to be a filler arc before the Sun Village arc, I don't know what it will be about, but it will replace the Eclipsed Celestial Spirit arc. Not to hate on it or anything, but it was pretty weak compared to other arcs in the series. I have big plans for Tartaros, I want to see just how much I can change it without straying away from what happens. As you know I fucking detest Alvarez with a passion, I've been a fan of the series since day one, but I just don't like this arc at all. I feel like it's gone down in quality. The fights are predictable and boring, some of the things that happen have no shock value at all and I'm just tired of reading it, but I promised myself to finish this series and I will. I just hope Dragon Cry will be good and will give us the proper end we need.**

 **As such, I am not including Alvarez at all into the story, that arc can fuck itself. Avatar will instead take it's place, after all of that bullshit is through and over with, I will give the story a proper final arc and be done with it forever. But there's a lot of time before then, so for now I will focus on what I have.**

 **So, without anymore rambling, I shall leave you with the very end, of the Oracion Seis arc. Enjoy it, and if you don't well, I recommend telling me why that is, and if you don't feel like it, then well you may as well go read something else. I'm not here to please everyone.**

 **Also to our guest reviewer, yes, I do like Sword Art Online, but I think it's also fucking trash. I like Aincrad and Mother's Rosario, everything else can die. Not sure about the new movie, but Yuna looks cute, so I'll give it a chance.**

The Oracion Seis Arc

Chapter 31

New Beginnings

Another day had passed, and once again the former mages of Cait Shelter woke up to silence. Aiden frowned as he made his way to the kitchen. He had spent most of the night packing all of the things he had, and placing them all in his requip storage. It was a bit of a strain, since it required him to form a bigger pocket, but he had been able to handle it. Part of the kitchen had been destroyed during the attack on the guild, making it hard to cook in the room. Thankfully, they had plenty of non-perishable foods, and the refrigerator needed to be emptied. Walking into the kitchen, he found his girlfriend laying over the counter top, having fallen asleep. He shook his head, walking over to her. He shook her shoulder, causing her to jolt up.

"I'm awake!" she cried, giving him a far off look. She yawned, stretching her arms.

"Morning to you too sleepyhead. Did you really fall asleep here?" he asked.

"I was hungry." she said simply. She stood up, groaning a bit as her back popped. Sleeping upright was never a good idea. Aiden walked over to his cupboard and opened it, stepping back as literally hundreds of empty jars of Nutella fell out of it. They all rattled on the ground, one after another. After they were all on the ground, he couldn't help but look at his girlfriend, who had a sheepish smile on her face. He also noticed the chocolate on the sides of her mouth. He shook his head.

"I cannot believe you ate this much Nutella." he said.

"You know I eat chocolate when I'm stressed, don't be mean!" she snapped, making him chuckle.

"I'm not mad at you. I spent all night eating Sour Patch Kids and grape Nerds. I just needed to feel better."

"Ugh...how can you eat that stuff?" she said, shivering a bit. He chuckled, shaking his head as he grabbed a can of fruit.

"I still can't believe you hate sour food. You make the cutest face when I mention Pickled Plums." he said. She grimaced, her eyes widened. The mere thought of those demonic fruits was enough to piss her off. He chuckled, popping the can open.

"You might want to wash your face. You've got chocolate all over your mouth." he said. She blushed brightly, brushing past him. He grabbed a spoon, shoving the fruits into his mouth.

"At least she's happy again...man I love seeing that smile." he said happily, sucking on the spoon a bit.

After he finished his breakfast, he left the small house, once again stepping out into the empty courtyard. His friends were already outside, talking among themselves. He noticed a couple of suitcases as well. He frowned, already knowing what that meant.

"Hey, about time you woke up!" Yun said, giving him a wave. Aiden smiled, waving back. He ran over to where they stood, a smile on his face.

"What's up?" he asked.

"Well...we've decided on what we want to do. Me, Flare and Eterna talked it out, and we've decided to follow our gut. We want to travel around Fiore a bit and get stronger as a team." Yun said.

"I realized just how weak I was during that fight. I got tossed around for most of it, big brother had a lot of time to train after he left home. I want to get better at fighting, and Yun promised he would train me." Flare said.

"I also wish to grow stronger. Being trapped inside this sword for so long made me miss a lot of things. I want to see the world, and get stronger for myself. Training with Yun is really fun too, I like seeing his face when he strains to push me back." Eterna said, a smirk on her face. The boy in question huffed under his breath, looking away from the violet haired knight.

"So...any plans on where you are going exactly?" Aiden asked. Yun gave him a nod.

"Yeah...I thought about it a lot...and decided I want to give Blue Pegasus a shot. I know I said I don't look like a pretty boy, but I just want to see what it's like. If I like it, I'll stick around if not...then we'll just move on." he said.

"We've all agreed to join. Master Bob was gracious enough to give us a free trial. We've actually got a train to catch. Once we settle in, we'll visit you in Magnolia." Eterna said, grabbing her suit case. Aiden nodded firmly. He gave the girl a hug.

"Thanks for everything Eterna...you're a great friend." he said.

"No..thank you. You talked Alana into letting me go, got my sword those crystals...you made me feel alive again. I can never repay you for that." she said, kissing his cheek. He blushed a bit, a bright grin on his face. Flare hugged him as well, wrapping her crimson hair around his body.

"Ugh...Flare, you're crushing me." he wheezed, only for her to tighten the hug.

"I love you big brother...I promise the next time we meet, I'll be stronger!" she said.

"I'll hold you to that. Take care of yourselves, and don't bite off more than you can chew! Don't forget to snap into a Slim Jim." he said. The three mages looked at him oddly, before bursting into laughter. They all bumped fists one last time before leaving for Clover Town. Just like that, his friends were gone, his sister once again out of his life. He frowned, holding back the tears threatening to spill. He felt someone take his hand and he looked down, seeing his smiling girlfriend standing beside him.

"They'll be fine...just like we will be." she said. He nodded, pulling her into a hug. He ran his fingers through her hair, feeling his nerves calm down significantly.

"Thanks for being here for me sweetie."

"Sure...you were here for me when I needed you. So I'll be here for you...do you think we can talk about something?" she asked. He pulled away from her arms, giving her a curious look.

"Sure, what about?" he asked.

"I..want to get stronger. Learning new types of wind magic would be ideal but...I'm not sure if I can do it." she said.

"What are you saying? Of course you can! Expanding your knowledge and power over magic is something everyone should do. Look at me, I know two types of magic, Fire Make is the most versatile magic I've got. Combining it with my Dragon Slayer magic makes it a deadly combination. If you'd like we can head to the magic library and look around." he said.

"Well...I was thinking of...I dunno..creating a type of magic?" she asked.

"Creating magic...do you know how challenging that is? Creating new spells from your own magic is alright, but making a whole new type of magic? That would take forever." he said.

"No...I think I can do it. I was researching types of maker magic in the guilds library and...I found something interesting. A hundred years ago, a young woman tried to create Wind Make Magic. However she was never able to solidify it. I think, if I combine it with my Sky Magic, I could potentially create a new kind of maker magic." she said.

"Hmm...It might work. Well, it has to work...after all Fire Make Magic was created by Jehoash of the Pregrande Kingdom. The old man explained everything to me and trained me in it. The most important thing you need to know about maker magic is that focus is key. You need your hands in order to create it and channel the magic itself." he said. He got into a stance, placing his fist into his open palm, a bright blue magic seal flashing before him.

"After you get the focus down, you can create anything you see in your mind. From a tiny bug, to a massive hammer. Like so, Fire Make: Hammer!" he chanted, throwing the spell into the air. A giant hammer of blue flame burst to life, slamming down hard enough to rattle the entire area. The fire broke apart, turning into light wisps of flames that broke apart in the wind.

"Just like that?" Wendy asked curiously.

"Well..it took me months of practice to get the focus right. Through repeated practice, you'll be able to channel the magic and create things on the fly. You've seen how many things I can make right off the bat? The thing with Maker Magic is that it also has it's weaknesses. If you attack someone before the spell is cast, or run into someone like Sherry, the things you make can be taken over, if you use a Dynamic style. You can also create one thing at a time, any more than that and you might run the risk of it backfiring." he said.

"Okay...I'll keep that in mind. I need to do more research on this so I can learn how to do it...but I also want some hand to hand training." she said, poking her fingers together. He chuckled, flicking her nose.

"You could have just asked. You and Carla have greatly improved, but there's so much you two can do on your own. I'll show you how to mold your dragon slayer magic to make it as effective as you can. So far you only got a few offensive techniques. But your magic is unique, you can make turn your defenses into offensive spells. By enchanting yourself, you can make yourself stronger."

"That's true...even before I learned my Sky Dragon's Breakdown Fist, I could enchant my arms and legs with wind magic to attack. I still haven't perfected my Sky Dragon's Elbow either. I just..want to be more useful you know?" she said.

"Says the girl who wiped the floor with another dragon slayer." he said, giving her a smirk.

"It was the adrenaline!" she cried out, making him chuckle.

"Hey guys, good to see you're both doing well." Iona said, greeting her teammates. Chelia stood next to her, giving them a smile.

"I missed you big sister, where did you go?" she asked. Wendy frowned, looking back at the remains of Nirvana.

"I just needed to be alone. I wanted to think things through, if joining Fairy Tail was a good idea or not. I thought about going somewhere else but...they were so nice to me. I don't want to seem ungrateful." she said.

"I understand what you mean. Fairy Tail has been nothing but nice to us in the past. They wanted to stay here with us until we could leave, but Alana said we would be fine. I'm not sure how she's doing." Aiden said, glancing back to the guildhall.

"She's alright, she's just sad that the master is gone. She said she was going to Fairy Tail with us and ask for a bartender job. She doesn't want to be apart from us." Carla said, joining their friends. Phoebe stood beside her, glaring at Aiden.

"You still owe me some cookies." she said.

"Well I would bake you those cookies but our stove is fucked, and so is our gas line, and the rest of our kitchen." he deadpanned, glancing back to the house.

"I'll bake you those cookies later Phoebe, you deserve them for being a good girl." Wendy said, making the girl grin.

"Oh, I like her. Hurry up and get married already!" she cried, making the two teenagers blush. The sound of footsteps suddenly filled the area, along with the sounds of something being dragged. Looking back at the top of the hill, all of them focused on the lone figure walking down it, a familiar head of purple hair filling their vision. They all watched the figure intently as they stopped, looking over the entire area. Aiden frowned, looking down at the ground. He steeled his nerves, replacing his frown with a smile. He held his arm up, waving her over.

"Yamato, welcome home!" he cried. The woman didn't do much, but she started walking again, dragging her suitcase after her. Aiden decided to go meet her.

"So...this is the Viper Princess?" Iona asked, looking at the woman who was entering the guild's premises.

"Yeah, she's really nice. Like a big sister to us all...she hasn't been around much. As soon as she joined she ended up taking a mission to the country of Seven." Wendy said.

"Big sis, where's Seven?" Chelia asked, tugging on Wendy's dress. She gave her a smile.

"Seven is a country that's north of Fiore. It's a kingdom just like this one, and there are hundreds of magical guilds as well. I hear it's really cold in the northern parts." she said.

"I've never seen snow. Do you think we might get snow this year?" she asked.

"We might, depending on where we go." Carla said, making the girl's eyes sparkle a bit.

"Can we make snow angels when it does snow? Please?" she asked, giving them all a puppy look. Iona ruffled her hair, giving her a smile, something she didn't do rather often.

"Sure, we'll go find a big snow bank, make snow angels and have a snowball fight." she said.

"Awesome! It's gonna be so much fun!" she said cheerfully.

"Hey, long time no see." Aiden said, giving Yamato a hug. She hadn't even stopped when he ran up to her. She didn't say anything, just looked away from him.

"Um...yeah." she said, an emotionless tone in her voice.

"How was your mission?" he asked, letting go of the woman.

"It was alright. I just had to disband some dark guilds that were threatening the safety of the Sevenese Kingdom. The King of Fiore thought it would be a good way to establish good relations with them." she said.

"That's good to hear. We've...had some issues ourselves but..we're alive and well." he said, giving her a grin.

"No we're not. Because of me, Cait Shelter doesn't exist anymore." she said firmly. He frowned, shaking his head.

"It isn't your fault. You told Master Roubaul you needed more time to think about it and the mission took longer than you thought. I don't blame you, Wendy doesn't blame you. No one does. It was just...fate." he said.

"You seem to be taking this rather well...do you know how hurt I am? Roubaul called me the night before. He said he was sorry for lying to me, and that he was disbanding the guild for our sake. He said I wasn't meant for the role of guild master." she said.

"And you aren't. None of us are or we would still be a guild...he made this guild for Wendy, so she wouldn't be alone. We turned his puppet house into a home, and it was time for us to break away from that false reality. We've been waiting for you to return to make a decision." he said.

"Why? We aren't guild mates anymore." she said.

"But we're still friends and we're a team. Team Flaming Skies isn't going to be breaking apart. All of us made a choice, and we want you to make one as well...we'll be fine with whatever you choose." he said. She was about to say something when she felt someone slam into her. She looked down, seeing it was Chelia, the pinkette was hugging her leg tightly.

"Big sis Yamato! I missed you so much!" she cried. She couldn't help but smile. She knelt down, hugging the little girl.

"I missed you too sweetheart. I brought something from Seven for you." she said, opening her suitcase. She rummaged around it for a second, pulling out a small keychain with a lacrima attached to it. The little girl looked at it in wonder.

"Here, it's called a Snow Lacrima. If you channel magic into it, you can make it snow for a few minutes. The kids in Seven's southern cities played a lot with these. Since it's so hot, it didn't snow often there, so they made these to pass the time." she said.

"Wow, what are the odds of this. We were just talking about snow, right Big sis Iona?" the girl asked, taking the blue haired girl's hand. Yamato's eyes widened a bit.

"You're the Princess of the Basilisks...what are you doing here?" she asked curiously.

"I joined the guild as of late, during our expedition to Fogbound Lake in fact. I only spent a month and a half as a member of this wonderful institution, but Aiden reassured me that no matter where we went, we would be together as a team." she said firmly.

"Did he now?" she asked, standing up. She looked at the young man, who gave her a sheepish grin.

"I wanted to be a better leader, so I have to keep my team together. Which is why I'm asking you to come with us, we've decided to join Fairy Tail, together. We wouldn't be the same without you there." he said, holding his hand out.

"But...what about the others? Where did they all go?" she asked.

"Yun, Flare and Eterna are joining Blue Pegasus for awhile. They're going on a training journey. Mona and Nobal are off to the capital and after that, joining Mermaid Heel and Quatro Cerberus respectively, and Alana is also joining Fairy Tail." Wendy said.

"She left already, we're the only ones left." Carla added. Yamato sighed, looking away from them.

"How could you want me to be part of your team? Because of me, Cait Shelter disbanded. I could have taken that offer, but I was selfish, and for that..all of us are split up!" she said.

"It isn't your fault Yamato. Stop blaming yourself...it was inevitable for Master Roubaul to keep this place going. He told us he was happy with whatever we did after he passed on. He wouldn't want us to blame ourselves for not accepting his offer, or for wanting to think things through. He just wants us to follow our dreams." he said. She bit her lip, slowly reaching for his hand. She hesitated a bit, before finally taking it.

"Oh right...I forgot. Before we climbed Mount Horn, I made all of these for everyone in our team. Here's yours Yamato." Wendy said, handing the girl the violet Paopu charm. The girl looked at it oddly, seeing how well made it was. She noticed a Cait Shelter charm attached to the leather strap at the top point. She looked at Wendy, a curious look on her face.

"Is this a Paopu charm? You do know these fruits are rare right?"

"Yeah, we found several of them back on Galuna Island. It took me awhile to make them, and I wanted to give this one to you before you left, but I wasn't done. I also made some new charms for them..since we're no longer in Cait Shelter, I figured we should make them match the new marks we're going to get soon." she said, digging her hand in her pocket. She pulled out several different colored charms, all in the likeness of Fairy Tail's emblem. She handed them to each of her friends, leaving the blue one for last. She handed it to Aiden, who looked at it with a smile.

"I like it...this will be our new beginning." he said, pulling his charm from around his neck. He carefully removed the Cait Shelter one that had been placed at the center of the charm, swapping it with the Fairy Tail one. Much like Yamato's he now placed the Cait Shelter one on the leather strap, right next to the star charm that held it all together.

"Well...if there's nothing else to do here, I suggest we get a move on. We'll need to find an apartment and figure out a lot of things." Yamato said.

"Oh, I heard from Lucy that Fairy Tail has an all girl's dormitory. We can bunk there from then on." Phoebe said.

"That leaves me out." Aiden said. The orange haired girl smirked, patting his chest.

"Well we could change that, transformation magic is rather easy to learn." she said. He scoffed, jerking her hand away from his body.

"If it's all the same to you, I would rather stay together. I've grown rather accustomed to our dwelling. It would be...awkward without you." Carla said, a blush on her cheeks.

"We've already packed everything, just give us a few minutes to grab everything." Wendy said. The girls all broke off, heading back to their old apartment to grab their things. Aiden on the other hand held his hand out, summoning two violet suitcases, along with various other things.

"What..what is this?" Yamato asked.

"Well, I took the liberty of packing all of your stuff, everything in the smaller bags are Yun's gifts to you from the Magnolia Festival. We had a lot of fun and thought buying you some souvenirs would make you happy when you came back." he said. Yamato smiled, brushing a stray tear from her eye.

"Thank you guys...I spent so many years on my own, having friends like you really makes this all worthwhile." she said.

"Hey, I'm glad you're our friend. You...make me feel like I have a place to belong you know." he admitted.

"Why is that?" she asked curiously.

"You...remind me a lot of my sister Kurumi." he replied.

"Oh...right. I remember you telling me what happened to her." she said, earning a frown from him.

"Yeah, she would be around your age if she was alive."

"I would have loved to meet her kiddo. She sounds like a wonderful person." she said.

"Yeah...she was great." he said, looking at the sky.

xxx

High above the skies of Fiore, was a large Magic Airship. It was a large vessel, being black in color with red markings. It was rather imposing and quite intimidating. It had a large red heart marking on the front of the ship, which seemed to be made of thorns. This was the ship of the Dark Guild, Grimoire Heart.

Standing next to the bow of the ship looking at the waters below was a young black haired woman, who was wearing a rather revealing outfit. She had a large cross scar on her back, with the mark of her guild right in the middle of her back. She was holding a lacrima in her hands, reading the news. This young woman was one of the Eight Kin of Purgatory, a woman known as Ultear. She had been an interloper, a person responsible for infiltrating the Magic Council.

"So, those fools fell to the might of a coalition of guilds? What idiots." she snapped, her eyes scanning over the news.

"Not only that, but it seems a few familiar faces were involved." a new voice said. The woman looked over her shoulder, seeing a young man standing next to her. He was around twenty two years old, with icy blue hair. He had a scar across his face, one of his eyes was pure white, his iris being a bright icy blue. He was wearing a black winter coat, with matching black pants and boots. He was dressed for the winter weather, even though it was late summer in Fiore.

"Oh, familiar faces to you?" she asked.

"To the both of us. Looks like my sweet little brother was involved in fighting one of the Oracion Seis, as well as defending his pathetic little guild." he said, showing the news paper to the woman. It had a picture of all of the mages that took down the Oracion Seis, the coalition of guilds, Fairy Tail, Blue Pegasus, Lamia Scale and the now defunct Cait Shelter guild. She frowned, narrowing her eyes.

"So, it seems Fairy Tail is still making the news, how typical." She said.

"Well, it's Fairy Tail. They are the most rambunctious guild out there, tiny little maggots really. I want to freeze them all and add them to my collection." he said. The woman chuckled, shaking her head.

"Now now Brandon, remember. We can't go around killing people with no good reason. Unless the master approves of course." she said.

"Yeah yeah, Aiden is lucky I don't go after his pathetic ass. I still remember his face when I killed our sister. Shame I didn't find her body, I would have loved to turn it into a target for my icicles." he said. He released a bit of his ice magic, freezing the newspaper in his hands. He crushed it with ease, allowing the little bits of ice to flow away through the wind.

"Any news from Rustyrose and Zancrow?" She asked.

"Negative, they're still searching for the source of that dark magic. We're getting so close to it I can taste it. I can't wait to freeze Zeref in ice, it's going to be wonderful. And he'll look simply amazing with my collection." he said.

"Just remember, we need to conduct our research first. Finding the keys to unseal him has been quite the hassle, but I'm sure the work will be done for us. Anyway, I have a mission for you, I want you to find the remaining guilds under Oracion Seis and bring them to our side. If they refuse, well...use your imagination." she said, giving him a smirk. He bowed, giving the woman a wink.

"As you wish sister. I'll do anything as long as you command me too." he said. His body started cracking, until it finally broke into a million little snowflakes. She rolled her eyes.

"Always one for a dramatic exit. That boy will never learn."

xxx

"Well guys, here we are." Aiden said, glancing back at his friends. Team Flaming Skies had finally arrived at their new home, the Fairy Tail guild. The building still looked as imposing as the first time they saw it. Yamato's eyes nearly bulged from her skull.

"This is their guildhall? It didn't look like this last time I was here." she said.

"They remodeled after Phantom Lord attacked them. They have a pool now." Wendy said.

"And a sauna, which I still want to try." Phoebe added, having missed out on it the last time she had been in town.

"Well I guess now you can use it as much as you want. Word of advice, don't stay in the middle of the guild hall unless you want a table thrown at you." Aiden said, taking the lead. The team sure was glad magic was real, seeing as they would still be carrying all of their luggage with them, as opposed to the small suitcases they had in their hands.

The guild was still as lively as ever. The hustle and bustle was a change of pace from the normal quiet of the Cait Shelter guild. Even though it was different, Aiden was excited for this new experience. A part of him had admired Fairy Tail growing up, but the thought of joining them never crossed his mind. He ducked to the right as a green bottle was flung in his direction. He rolled his eyes, shaking his head.

"Man...I sure didn't miss that." he said. Being in the middle of a fight as usual was Natsu and Gray. The two them were going head to head, flinging magic at each other, at least until Natsu caught Aiden's scent. He stopped Gray cold, holding his hand out.

"Yo, finally made it!" he cried out in greeting. Everyone stopped what they were doing, looking over at the team of mages. Aiden swallowed hard, letting out the breath he had been holding.

"Yeah, sorry it took so long. We had business to handle and were waiting for Yamato. Is Master Makarov around? I would like to speak with him." he said.

"The master is in his office, follow me Aiden." Mira called out, catching his attention. Aiden gestured for his teammates to stay behind while he followed the barmaid upstairs to the master's office.

"Hey guys, so glad you finally made it. Did you get lost on the way?" Alana greeted, a grin on her face. She was still wearing her tribal outfit, and was holding a platter in her hands. Right on her thigh was a black Fairy Tail emblem, over the spot her Cait Shelter one used to be. Yamato pulled the girl into a hug.

"Lani, I'm so sorry. I should have been there for you guys." she said.

"Hey don't worry. I was a bit mad over the whole situation, but I'm settling in fine. Everyone here has been so kind to me, and I love the challenge of cooking for so many people. Do you wanna see the menu? It's freaking massive!" she said cheerfully. Yamato nodded, giving her friend a smile.

"Yeah, sure let's see the menu." she said, being dragged away by her friend.

"Carla! You really came!" a familiar voice cried. Carla groaned a bit as she saw the blue tom cat flying toward her. He was expecting him to attempt giving her a hug, but he actually stopped in front of her.

"Are you really joining us?" he asked curiously.

"Yes, we decided as a team to stick together. I guess we'll be partners from now on tom cat...I mean...Happy." she said, holding her hand out. She shook his paw, causing him to blush.

"Would you like a fish? I have plenty to spare." he asked. She sighed, shaking her head.

"I don't like uncooked fish." she said.

"I do, sign me up. We can tear it apart together buddy." Phoebe said, grabbing the blue exceed. She hugged his face into her breasts, making him get a nose bleed.

"So squishy!" he cried, though it came out muffled. Phoebe grinned, walking further into the guild hall.

"Well, at least someone likes his attention." Iona said in a deadpanned tone. Carla was just shocked to have witnessed her friend do that. Then again that girl had a bottomless pit, so she was most likely after the fish. She would never know.

Aiden found himself in the master's office. He had been looking around at the various awards the guild had won over the years, along with the many achievements and metals they had gotten. He also noticed a picture of a young girl, surrounded by a few others. Underneath it read, Founding Members, so he figured it was a rather important item.

"So...you finally arrived. How was the trip over here my boy?" Makarov asked, after remaining silent.

"It was alright. Thanks to Wendy I didn't get sick on the train, and we were able to talk more about our goals." he said.

"And what are those goals?" the old man asked curiously.

"Well...if you allow us, we want to be the strongest mages we can be. Erza offered us a place here, a new home after we lost ours. I'll admit, I got attached to the idea of being in a guild. Everyone around me was family...I've lost so much already, the thought of being alone again scares me. Fairy Tail will offer that sense of security that we all need right now, especially after we lost our previous guild." he said. The old man nodded to himself, rubbing his chin.

"Well...you are rather powerful for your age, and you have been in the news a lot. A rising guild speeding through the charts, so many achievements and admirable accomplishments. You even discovered a long lost lake. You know, my father spent many years searching for that place and never found it. Imagine my surprise when a group of kids located it by chance?" he asked.

"Well..it wasn't just chance sir...it was perseverance. We kept hope alive, we wanted to find that lake and we weren't going home until we did. It's such a beautiful place, but we all decided not to disclose it's location. We don't want it to be ruined by tourism." he said.

"A wise choice indeed. With so many achievements under your belt, it would be a sin not to welcome you into our family. Master Roubaul, may he rest in peace, told me quite a bit about you. I can sense your magic power son, and I've seen your magic in action. But, I have a personal question, why are your flames blue?" he asked. Aiden tilted his head, loosing himself in thought.

"I'm...not sure. My father, Atlas Flame, said that my blue flames were a result of perfect combustion. Something that isn't easy to achieve with magic alone. He said I have some sort of innate power within me that made my flames blue. I honestly don't think it's anything special." he said.

"You would be wrong in that assumption my boy. That blue fire isn't a natural occurrence. It was the same for my father, he was known for being a wielder of Red Lightning, a magic type that isn't used by many. It supposedly only occurs..."

"When the magical electrons that form the lightning bolt are perfectly in sync. I read up on red lightning while I was at the magic library." Aiden said.

"Very good...keep practicing hard Aiden Flame, and one day you might find the truth behind those sapphire flames. Until then, you are welcome to stay here as long as you like. It can be a new adventure." the old man said, giving him a grin. He held his hand out, and the boy shook it.

"Aye, thanks so much master. It means so much to me that you would accept." he said.

"Of course, now because you are entering a new guild, your status as an S-class mage is being demoted. If you want to be recognized as an S-class mage within this guild you'll have to take the exam. I'm making an exception with Yamato because of her merits with the council, but understand that I can't do that with everyone."

"No it's alright. S-class missions are tough, and you want everyone who's passed your test to be strongest they can be before taking them. I have a long way to go, even when I was an S-class mage in Cait Shelter, I didn't feel like one." he said.

"I'm glad you understand. Also, just as a first time thing, I would like to assess your ability to complete a mission, so I would like for you to find someone else in the guild to partner up with for a quest. It doesn't have to be right away, but I would like for you to build relationships with the people here."

"Sure thing, I'll relay the message to the rest of my team. I'm correct to assume Mira issues the marks right?" he asked.

"That's right son...once again welcome to Fairy Tail, I hope you like your time here." he said.

"Thank you master." he said, leaving the man's office. Makarov hummed to himself, looking at the picture of the Founding Members.

"Blue Flames eh? Are they as special as your lightning old man? Or is it something else?"

Aiden made his way back downstairs, quickly moving toward the bar where his friends were still waiting. Wendy looked up from her book, a smile on her face.

"So, how'd it go?" she asked. He gave her a grin.

"We've been approved. We can get our marks right now if we want." he said.

"Alright! This is gonna be so cool!" Phoebe cried out, clearly happy.

"Did the master say anything else?" Yamato asked.

"Yes, he made you an S-class mage for the guild. He also wants all of us to take missions with other people for the first week so he can asses our abilities. I kind of agree with that, we need to start building friendships with our new family." he said.

"Well, if you want your marks I can give them to you right now." Mira said, holding the stamper in her hand. Phoebe shot forward, rolling her sleeve up.

"Me first, I want it in gold." she said, pointing to the center of her bicep. Mira rolled her eyes, pressing the stamper against her skin. Phoebe practically screeched when she saw the new mark on her skin.

"Can I go next?" Chelia asked, giving the white haired woman her signature puppy look. The girl practically melted, wrapping her arms around the girl.

"You are so adorable. I can eat you up!" she said, picking the girl up.

"Big brother, can Mira also be my sister?" Chelia asked, earning a laugh from Aiden.

"Sure Chelia, Mira can be your big sister too." he said.

"Yatta, a new big sister!" she cried, wrapping her arms around the woman. Mira pressed the stamp against her calf, leaving a bright green Fairy Tail mark behind. Iona went next, getting hers on the back of her hand, also in green. Yamato got hers right after, deciding to get it on her left arm instead of her right, she didn't feel like placing a new emblem were her previous one used to be.

"Alright, that just leaves you three." Mira said, looking at Wendy, Aiden and Carla.

"Well, I am going to be staying in human form for awhile. Thanks to using my Dragon magic a little early, I've had trouble transforming back into my exceed form. I'll have my mark on my waist, in pink please." she requested, lifting her shirt up to reveal the free spot. Mira pressed the stamp against her skin, the mark flashing to life.

"Huh...I didn't take you to like such a girly color Carla. I thought you would pick white." Aiden said.

"Why would I do that? If I return to my exceed form, then you wouldn't be able to see white against my fur." she replied. He chuckled, rubbing his neck.

"True." he said.

"What about you Wendy?" Mira asked.

"Um...right here...in blue." Wendy said, pointing to the spot on her bicep. After she had gotten her new mark, she turned to Aiden, the final member of the team. He gave her a grin.

"I'll have it in the same spot, and the same color." he said.

"Aw how cute. Matching guild marks...you two make such an adorable couple." she said happily, pressing he stamper against his skin. It felt rather warm. He remembered when Alana gave him his Cait Shelter mark, it had felt so weird and new to him. It wasn't the first mark he had gotten before, but it still felt so surreal to him.

"You are all set. Everyone, I would like you all to welcome Team Flaming Skies to Fairy Tail. Make sure they know the ins and outs of this place, or I'll be really mad." Mira said cheerfully. A shiver went down everyones spines.

"Woo, new members! Party!" Natsu cried out, throwing confetti everywhere. And just like that the guild was back to it's normal rowdiness. Team Flaming Skies could only stare in awe as everyone just went right back to partying. Wendy took Aiden's hand, giving him a light squeeze.

"Well...what do you think?" she asked.

"Feels weird...but..it feels like home." he said.

"Anywhere you guys are at is home to me." Phoebe said.

"Me too...you've shown me so much over the last few weeks. I don't think I could live without you guys. Being alone isn't fun...I regret not leaving that cave earlier in life." Iona said.

"I promise you guys, I'm going to stick around more. No more long missions unless we go as a team. I can't bare leaving you behind again." Yamato said.

"It's alright Yamato, we already forgave you. Let's just...enjoy ourselves!" Aiden said firmly.

"Yeah party! Let's all have fun and fuck people!" Chelia cried loudly. Everyone dropped what they were doing staring at the little girl. All of them then looked back at Aiden, who grew pale in the face. He tightened his fists, gritting his teeth.

"Goddamn it, Yun!" Aiden shouted, glaring at the ceiling of the guild hall.

xxx

"Achoo!"

"Bless you." Eterna said, glancing at her leader.

"Where did that come from?" Flare asked, looking at her friend.

"I don't know. I guess someone was talking about me." Yun said. He glanced at his shoulder, seeing his azure colored Blue Pegasus mark. Eterna had a crimson one on her bicep, and Flare's was orange, though it was hidden under her dress.

"How come I get the feeling that Aiden is getting his ass kicked right now?" Repede said.

"I dunno...I did put Chelia up to a little prank. Call it revenge for what he did to me a couple days ago." he said, giving the dog a grin.

"You really are bastard aren't you?" Eterna said, shaking her head.

"You love me anyway. Now come on, Master Bob wants us to hurry up on our first mission, and we can't let him down. So let's go Team Mystic Artes, let's follow that tail wind!" Yun cried, breaking into a sprint. The two girls and his faithful dog raced after him, following the winds of new beginnings. Now that Cait Shelter was gone, a previous era had ended, and it was the start of a new one. A new era for the Children of Roubaul, and the new adventures they would be getting into.

 _ **End of Part I**_


	33. From Kitten to Fairy Arc: Fitting In

**A/N: Hello everyone and welcome to the first chapter of The Hellfire Dragon's Second Part. As I stated last chapter, this will serve as the beginning of the Fairy Tail era of the story. From now on, you'll be reading about Aiden's tribulations being a Fairy Tail mage. He'll have a hard time fitting in and adapting to the new environment, but he will be able to fit in soon enough. There will also be a good delving into his past, more than I have done in previous chapters. I am also planning a story arc that will explore Yamato's past and how she decided to become a Poison God Slayer. It's going to be interesting, so stick around.**

 **As we approach the later arcs of the story, it's becoming a bit harder for me, because of my lack of internet, it's making research a lot harder. Right now I'm trying not to take too much time with my posts so I don't waste my data. There's no internet cafes nearby either, so I can't just walk to one. On top of that, my laptop's keyboard is missing several keys, making it hard to type on the go. So I'll most likely limit my posts from once a day to once every two or three days. When everything is settled, we will return to the normal posting schedule.**

 **Man, I've thought up so many ideas for the Eclipse Arc of this story. I gave myself a challenge, how fucked up can I make that arc without breaking away from the story itself and not delving into excessive gore? You'll definitely be enjoying that arc when we get to it. Especially because I plan to expand a bit on the future that Future Lucy came from.**

 **I also have a lot of ideas for the Tenrou Arc, a lot of people have told me they absolutely love Brandon's inclusion in my story, so you'll definitely love him during that arc of the story, so stay tuned for that.**

 **As for Edolas, I was honestly considering skipping the entire arc. I had several ideas, but since I haven't watched it in forever, I couldn't exactly come up with a guideline for it. But after thinking about it, I've come up with something that might work. It's going to be like the Oracion Seis arc, only the Edolas arc will be entirely from Aiden's point of view, so no one will know what's going on with Natsu and Wendy during this time period. I mean come on, we all know what happens, and I'm not going to rehash it. Edolas is going to start out way differently, so different in fact that you all might think it's a different arc entirely, but I assure you it is going to be Edolas. So I hope you don't hate me for what I turn Edolas into. No one really complained about Oracion Seis anyway.**

 **So, without further ado, I give you chapter 32 of the Hellfire Dragon Slayer. Please digest it in small bites, and let me now how it tastes!**

From Kitten to Fairy

Chapter 32

Fitting In

It hadn't been long since Aiden and his team arrived at the Fairy Tail guild, it had been two days at best. All of them had been staying at a local inn until they could find a place to buy. Aiden and Yamato decided to put their money together to buy themselves a house rather than rent an apartment, which would have been more expensive in the long run. It had been rather quiet today, mostly because Erza, Gray and Natsu had taken a mission together, and the need to fight had lessened. A few of the other members had also stepped out, so the guild was actually quite peaceful.

Wendy had decided to take her first mission with Fairy Tail, and since she couldn't ask Aiden to tag along, she asked someone else instead. Aiden had been rather mad when Freed volunteered, but Mira assured that he wasn't the same man he had met back during the festival. He had no choice but to let her go, but he sent Happy and Phoebe with her, just for her to be safe. The premise of a large Salmon fillet was enough to get Happy onboard, and he just offered cookies to Phoebe and she was practically out the door. He sighed, flipping to another page in the magic tome he had gotten from the library.

He had decided to learn some more types of Fire Magic. Wendy's request had been admirable, and he himself started to realize that he couldn't rely on his Fire Make and Dragon Slayer magic all the time. He thought about gathering more Celestial Spirit Keys, but shook it off. That kind of magic didn't appeal to him. He didn't feel like hunting down keys just to call upon spirits to fight for him. He liked fighting himself, and keeping a gate open while fighting himself would be hard. He thought about expanding his Requip Storage to include magic armors, but also thought about how expensive it would be to have one made, so he quickly disregarded that. He sighed, closing his book.

"Something wrong Aiden? You've been down in the dumps all day."

"Nothing's wrong Mira...just a bit bored." Aiden replied, glancing up at the barmaid. She placed a mug of root beer in front of him, giving him a smile.

"Why don't you take a mission? Everyone else in your team left, save for Carla. You'll need to do it eventually." She said.

"I know...I'm just not up for it right now. This is all so new to me...back in Cait Shelter, it was so much...smaller. Having all this room, being surrounded by so many people...I feel out of place." he admitted.

"Hmm...I get what you mean. Fairy Tail has grown big over the last few years, mages come and go, some join up for the work, others just for fun. Sometimes they leave for personal reasons...other times they...pass on." she said, trailing off. He looked up at the white haired barmaid, giving her a curious look.

"Last time I was here you were talking about loosing someone. Tell me...who was it?" he asked.

"It's a bit hard to talk about." she said.

"I'm sorry...I shouldn't have been so heartless." he said. He grabbed the mug, taking a huge gulp from it.

"No it's alright...we don't talk about it a lot here but. Me and Elfman had a little sister...her name was Lisanna." she said.

"Really?" he asked.

"Yes, she was a Take Over mage like us. Back in my wizard days, I used to be the strongest S-class mage in the guild. They called me the She-Devil because of my unique take over. Elfman and Lisanna made up the rest of our little team. We ended up going on an S-class mission one day and...we weren't ready for it. There was this monster and Elfman tried to take it over...he lost control." she said. Aiden gasped a bit, connecting the dots. He glanced over at the large white haired man, who was currently arm wrestling with Gajeel, while Cana was taking bet money from the others.

"Elfman...accidentally killed her didn't he?" he asked softly. She gave him a nod.

"The monster was fighting back, and in his rage Elfman lost sight of his emotions. Lisanna tried to bring him back, but he attacked her. She died in my arms. Her body disappeared afterward, we couldn't even bring her back home." she said, tearing up a bit.

"I'm so sorry. I didn't know something so horrible had happened to you Mira. You seem so happy all the time I just figured..." he didn't finish the sentence, not really knowing what to say.

"I used to be mean spirited, so much so that I fought with Erza on a daily basis. But after we lost Lisanna, I decided to become nicer, and live for her. It was her final wish after all...I quit being a mage and started working the bar, and took up modeling as a side job. I take missions only if I need the money, but the guild pays good so I barely leave."

"It's sad to hear this...this guild has a lot of friendly faces...but I can tell most of them are hiding their pain." he said, taking another sip from his drink.

"Yes, but one of the things that makes Fairy Tail special is that we all help each other out. Your problems are my problems, and we deal with them together. So if you ever need anything, you can always ask, we'll be happy to help!" she said cheerfully.

"Thank you Mira, it makes me happy to know you've got my back. I guess I can tell you more about myself. I'm actually from Shamo Village, an oasis village in the desert north of Crocus." he said.

"What...you mean the village that was burned to the ground by the members of the Tower of Heaven?" she asked.

"I think so. It was actually my brother who burned the village down. I don't know why he did it, money...power, sex? All I know is that he killed all of our parents. All of the kids...I don't know what happened to them. One of the members of Oracion Seis, the girl named Angel is from that village as well. I promised I would find her little sister Yukino for her." he said.

"That's so cruel...how can someone like that exist in this world?" Mira snapped, her face darkening a bit. Aiden shivered a bit, taking another sip of his drink. Now he knew why he shouldn't piss her off.

"I'm not sure. All I remember about that night is the fact that I couldn't sleep. All of us stayed up playing a board game, my parents went to sleep right after me and Kurumi, my sister did. I couldn't sleep so I went into my sisters room and went to sleep with her. The sound of crackling woke me up, and I guess the smoke woke her up. I still remember that image, seeing our parents bathed in blood, lying dead in their bed, stab marks all over their bodies. Jesus, it's so sickening." he said, shuddering a bit. He noticed from the corner of his eye that a few people had been listening to him for awhile. Took a deep breath and kept talking.

"Kurumi and I ran into our brother Brandon outside. He was clutching the knife in his hand, telling us we would be next. She bought some time for me to run off with her Ark of Space magic...but it wasn't enough. He ended up killing her in front of me. The only thing I could do was run, through a blazing inferno." he said, taking a sip from his mug. He closed his eyes, remembering the fire he had to run though.

"It was hot...I couldn't breathe and the smell of burning wood just made it worse. My lungs were burning as if they were made of paper. But I couldn't die, I couldn't give up or he would win. I don't know how long I ran through that burning forest. Hours, days...all I remember is finally getting out of it, and making a solemn vow to the moon and stars, that I would find my brother and kill him. Make him pay for his disgusting act." he said, placing his empty mug on the counter.

"Um...what happened after that?" Mira asked. Aiden chuckled, shaking his head a bit.

"I found myself in the Sun Village. I thought it was filled with people like me, but instead it was filled with giants. I was scared shitless but they were so kind to me. They even treated my minor burns. I remember the one that took me in, Jeremiah, talked about how lucky I was. He then took me to the Eternal Flame to get it's blessing. Seeing that towering orange flame, it made me scared. I screamed and clawed at him until he set me down, and I ran away. Ironic isn't it? A Fire Mage that's scared of fire." he said, igniting his fist. He stared at the blue flames as they burned around his hand.

"Atlas Flame taught me that fire didn't just destroy. It was light, warmth, reassurance, power. He taught me these things before implanting the Dragon Seed inside me, the source of my Dragon Slayer magic. I was still scared of fire, hell I still sort of am..but I realized that if I wanted to find my brother, I needed to become friends with my worst fear, and embrace it. For so long I just traveled around, secretly hoping I ran into him so I could turn him to ash...but joining Cait Shelter, it made me forget about that. Even now, I'm just glad all of that hatred is gone. That doesn't mean I'm not gonna find him, I at least want to know why he did it." he said, finally finishing his story.

"Wow kiddo, didn't think you had such a rough past." Cana said, feeling a bit bad. She actually set down her drink, not wanting to touch it for awhile.

"I agree with her, but I'm happy to hear you've let go of most of that hatred. It isn't good to hold onto a grudge like that." Macao added, giving the teen a smile.

"Oh, you mean like the one you have on your wife for leaving you?" Wakaba added.

"What was that you bastard? You wanna go?" the man cried, glaring at the other mage.

"Anytime any place." the man added, and just like that, another brawl had started. Aiden chuckled, shaking his head.

"Never a dull moment here is there?" he asked.

"Nope, master thinks testing each others strengths is a good way to build friendships. So long as they don't wreck the guildhall that is." the barmaid replied.

"Hey Mira, I need help with the lunch rush. Think you can give me a hand?" Alana cried, stepping out of the kitchen. The girl gave her a nod, grabbing Aiden's empty mug.

"It was nice chatting with you Aiden, but I need to get back to work. Don't be afraid to make friends...we're all friends in Fairy Tail after all." she said, giving him a wink.

Just like that, he was once again alone. He felt way better than before, like a massive weight was lifted off his shoulders. He felt himself smiling brighter than before. His eyes wondered over to the request board, seeing all of the papers posted on it. Maybe he would take a mission, at least to ease his boredom. But then he remembered he would need a partner for it.

He sighed, looking around the guild. He saw a few familiar faces, and several unknown ones. He saw a familiar head of blonde sitting at a table by herself, or rather draped over it. The resident Stellar Mage had been rather sour as of late, and he didn't know why. He smiled a bit standing from his seat. He placed his book back into his Requip Storage and started making his way over to her.

"Oh man...what am I supposed to do for rent? Those three idiots took off without me and now I'm screwed!" Lucy said, clawing at the table. She had been angry at her friends at not inviting her, but Erza had told her it was a mission which was a bit out of her level. She wasn't that experienced in fighting so she couldn't go. It made her feel useless sometimes. She heard someone clear their throat and looked up, meeting eyes with one of the new arrivals.

"Hi Aiden, something the matter?" she asked curiously.

"I was about to ask you that. Money troubles?" he asked, crossing his arms.

"Ugh...you Dragon Slayers and your acute senses! Yes, I'm having money troubles. The mission to fight Oracion Seis was a joint affair, so the reward money went to the masters of each guild, since I've been recovering I haven't been able to take any missions. I'm stressing out a bit because my rent is due in today." she said.

He hummed to himself, reaching into his pocket. He pulled out his wallet, pulling out his Magic Credit Card. It was a magical device that stored money, and was much safer than sticking it in a bank. Aiden didn't really know much about banks so he felt safer with one of those. He tapped the side of it, a green magic seal appearing over it.

"Well, I guess I can help you with that issue. I don't mind." he said, pulling out a hundred thousand Jewels from the card. He handed the three stacks of bank notes to the girl, who just looked at him in shock.

"I...I can't take this. This is your money, I can't take it." she said.

"Consider it a loan, you need the money right now. How about this, you go pay your rent and then when you come back we can take a mission. You can pay me back then." he said.

"Alright...I guess I can do that. Thank you so much Aiden, you're such a sweet person." she said, kissing his cheek. He blushed a bit, feeling embarrassed.

"No no, I don't mind. I owe you guys a lot for what you did for us, so it's no issue. I'll go take a look at the board to see if I can find something." he said. She nodded, grabbing her messenger bag.

"I'll be right back, thanks so much!" she said, sprinting out of the guild. He ignored the whistles he got from the other males in the guild and headed toward the request board, looking the papers over. There was a man standing there, also looking at the board. He gave him a shy wave, eyes on the board.

He saw several missions, spread out by ranks. The center board was A-C ranked missions, while the right board was D-F rank missions. To the very left was the S-class mission board, which only had nine requests on it. He even saw a 100 year quest on the board, right next to an SS Class mission. He shuddered a bit at the thought of how hard that mission was. He turned his attention to the B class missions. He reached up for one, only seeing it get snagged before he grabbed it.

"Interesting...this is going to be fun." a gruff voice said. Aiden turned around, meeting the crimson eyes of Gajeel Redfox.

"Seriously? Couldn't you take another mission?" he asked.

"Nope, this one caught my eye. You got a problem with that Flame Brain?" he asked.

"I don't know, you tell me Rivet Face. Phoebe isn't here, if you want I can finish the fight from last time." he said, expelling a bit of his magic power as an intimidation tactic. Gajeel smirked, his body glowing a bright metallic green.

"You don't scare me boy. How a kid like you got made into a Dragon Slayer is beyond me, but I don't want any issues. We'll settle our debt another time." he said, ruffling his hair as he walked toward the door.

"Fuck you." Aiden shouted at him. He glanced over his shoulder, a frown on his face.

"Shamo Village huh? Never thought I would run into a survivor." he said simply, leaving the building. Aiden just stood there, thunderstruck at the remark. He shook it off, glancing back at the board.

"Probably him fucking with me." he muttered under his breath. His eyes landed on another request, which rapidly took his interest.

 _ **Mages needed to take care of a heard of Vulcan. A Team of Three or more is recommended, more details on arrival. Location: Calysta Town. Reward:700,000 + Celestial Gate Key: Perseus the Hero.**_

" _I'll be damned. This sounds perfect, especially for us."_ He thought to himself. He read it over again, focusing on the top. He would need a third person for this job. Carla was out looking for apartments, Chelia and Iona were in town on a mission and everyone else in his team was gone. He hadn't seen Yamato at all either. That meant he would have to ask a third person for help.

He looked around the guild, no one prominent standing out. He sort of wished Dilynn was there, but he heard from Max that she was visiting her parents. Aside from her he didn't know anyone else. His eyes landed on a young woman, who was hiding behind a large post. She seemed rather shy, and hadn't really interacted with anyone as long as he had been there. Looking a bit closer, he realized that this woman was Juvia of the Great Seas. A former member of Phantom Lord like Gajeel.

She looked a bit different than the last time he had seen her, then again that had been a magazine cover. She was wearing a rather revealing outfit, and her blue hair had been cut rather short. Aiden looked her over, deep in thought.

" _Well...she used to be an S-class mage, so I know she's strong. I'm not sure what her relationship with Lucy is but...I'm sure we would make an okay team."_

Nodding to himself, he started walking toward the young woman, who hadn't moved an inch from her spot. As he approached her though, he noticed she was blushing like crazy. Her eyes were closed as she was facing the ceiling. He shuddered a bit when he heard her say Gray's name, followed by a few other unsavory things that should really be kept secret. He cleared his throat, catching her attention. He heard a soft pop, almost as if her fantasy had broken into pieces.

"Sorry to bother you...I uh...well..if I may be so bold, I need someone for this mission. I was curious to see if you'd join me." he said.

"I don't take missions unless it's with my darling Gray. But...I suppose I can make an exception this time around. My name is Juvia." she said, holding her hand out. He smiled, accepting her greeting.

"Pleasure to meet you Juvia, just call me Aiden. This mission required three people, and I already asked Lucy to join me, so I hope you don't mind." he said.

"Love Rival." she hissed, startling the teen a bit.

"What was that?" he asked. Juvia blushed, looking away from him.

"Nothing at all. So, what's the mission?" she asked, brushing the statement off like it didn't happen. He handed her the paper.

"Just an extermination quest. I decided to pick an easy one, since Lucy doesn't have much experience. Both of us were S-class mages before, so we can cover her if she needs it. Somehow I don't think she does." he said firmly.

"You have faith in someone you barely know?" she asked curiously.

"Well, I've seen her fight before and I know she can take care of herself. During the Galuna Mission, she did exceptionally well. Hibiki told me she handled herself against one of the Oracion Seis on her own. I trust that she'll do fine." he said, a smile on his face.

"Hey Aiden, I'm back. Thanks again for the money, my landlady didn't yell at me this time." Lucy said happily, greeting her friend.

"That's great. I picked out our mission, hope you don't mind, but Juvia is tagging along with us." he said. Lucy looked at the blue haired mage, who was giving her a death glare. She chuckled, tugging on her skirt.

"Are...you sure about that?" she asked quietly.

"Mhmm, so let's stop wasting time and let's go!" he said excitedly.

"I'll get it approved by Mira." Juvia said, leaving the two mages alone.

"That girl has a death wish on me, I'm not sure if I'll survive this." Lucy said, shivering a bit.

"You'll be fine. If you can survive Sherry, you can survive Juvia." he said, patting her shoulder. Once the mission was approved, the three mages left the guild hall. Aiden was really excited about this new mission. He glanced at his Fairy Tail emblem, a proud smile on his face.

Xxx

"Ugh...god." Aiden groaned, as he stepped off the train. He was covered in sweat, clutching his aching stomach. In his excitement, he forgot to grab his motion sickness pills, so he had to deal with the horrible movement of the train. He took a couple deep breaths, calming his nerves down.

"Would you like some water?" Juvia asked, holding an orb of water in front of him. He took a sip from it, gulping it down shortly after. He sighed contently, feeling his stomach settle down.

"Thanks Juvia, I feel better now." he said.

"It's no issue. Gajeel hates to admit it, but he gets motion sick too. Whenever we went on missions together, I made sure to give him lots of water, he was able to build up an immunity to it, but only for short rides." She said.

"Wow, wish Natsu was that easy to cure." Lucy added, not wanting to remember the Fire Dragon Slayer and how much he puked on train rides.

"Well, let's head to the mayors office. I'm sure he wants us to hurry and deal with the problem." he said, taking the lead of his team.

"You know, I've noticed that you're a natural leader. We're you elected to be the leader of your team?" Lucy asked, clearly making small talk. He shrugged.

"Not really. It was me and Wendy at first. We made the team after I gave her the mark of the Sun Village. Carla and Phoebe joined us as well because they were our partners. After awhile it just grew. Yamato is the oldest in our team, but even she says I'm a better leader than her." he said.

"I've noticed you are rather mature for your age. You're 14 correct?" Juvia asked, earning a nod from him.

"Yeah, I am rather mature for my age. That mostly stems from my situation, loosing your family and your home at a young age sort of forces you to grow up. Even while learning my magic, I was still a bit immature. It was my old master, Jehoash who told me that in order to grow stronger, I had to bite my tongue and focus on training my magic, rather than complaining all the time."

"Oh right, I remember you told me he taught you Fire Make Magic." the blonde said, earning a nod from him.

"He's from Pregrande, magic is more advanced there than in Fiore. He was the one who created Fire Make Magic. He spent his whole life perfecting it, but never took on a student. When he saw my blue flames, he took me under his wing and taught me everything I know. It was hell, no pun intended. Maker Magic takes a lot of focus and dedication to learn, and if you add that with an immature eight year old with leeches on his ass, you get a bad combination." he said, making the two girls laugh.

"I suppose it's a good thing that you are this mature. It makes you focus more on the task at hand. Wish my teammates were a bit more like you." Lucy said.

"What are you talking about you blonde bimbo? Gray is the picture of maturity! He has strong looks, toned muscles and a nice butt! He is the most mature of the men in Fairy Tail!" Juvia snapped.

"Are you sure we're talking about the same Gray? The guy who has no qualms with showing his family jewels to the whole world?" Lucy cried back.

"Why are you even looking there? They don't belong to you!"

"Kinda hard to do when his ass is hanging out!"

"Ladies, you're causing a scene!" Aiden snapped, causing them to stop. They noticed several people looking at them, a few of them being children. They blushed brightly and quickly quieted down.

Finally arriving at the mayor's office, the three mages made their way into the building. The secretary greeted them and took them over to the mayor, who had patiently waited for them. He was a short man, nearing his forties, with graying black hair. He was dressed in a pressed blue suit, his face showing an expression of authority, though it also showed a bit of concern.

"Hello, we're the mages of Fairy Tail, we came for the request you posted." Aiden said, deciding to speak for everyone.

"Yes yes, welcome. I'm so glad you three showed up, we're having a bit of a problem." he said.

"A heard of Forest Vulcan correct?" Juvia asked, earning a nod from him.

"Indeed, you see Calysta Town is a small farming community. It's already early fall, but the summer crops are being harvested for the Summer Sun Celebration. It's a festival held to welcome in the Fall Season while bidding farewell to the hot Summer Season. We were gathering food from the local fields when we were ravaged by those monsters. They totaled thirty, but there could be more." The man said.

"Hmm...that is a problem, especially in a town surrounded by forest. Do you know in which way they went?" Aiden asked.

"Yes, they took off north. There's a large lake in that direction, along with some rocky cliffs. One of our scouts saw a gathering of Vulcans there, so they might be mating. If you don't mind, I would like for you to take care of them, kill them, drive them away, anything." he said.

"Alright Sir, leave it to us! We'll get the job done!" Lucy said. Juvia scoffed, looking away from her.

"Easier said than done. Vulcans on their own are rather dangerous, but if it's the mating season, they will be three times as aggressive. If Gajeel were here, he'd be having a field day. We can't take them lightly." the water mage replied.

"I doubt they're as dangerous as mating Wyverns. Those are pain in the ass to deal with, ugh...especially the lightning ones." he said.

"Well, if you have everything you need, I would ask you to hurry on. We don't know when the next attack may be." the mayor said. The three mages reassured that they would handle it and left the mans office, heading toward the northern part of the Evergreen covered forest.

xxx

"Alright, so what exactly is the plan?" Lucy asked, as the three mages made their way through the forest. Tall Evergreen trees rose high into the sky, the scent drifting through the area. Rotting needles and broken branches littered the forest floor, along with many fungi and other plant life. Aiden took a whiff of the air, trying to pinpoint the location of the Vulcans.

"Normally, I would consider a pincer attack, but since our enemies outnumber us, it might be wiser to stick together. Juvia what type of water spells can you use?" Aiden asked, glancing at the water mage.

"I can use my Water Slicer to send out sharp blades of water, I can turn my body into water and form large orbs of water to hold enemies in place." she said.

"Alright, I want you to trap as many Vulcans as you can in your Water Lock. Lucy, do you have any spirits that can help Juvia?" he asked.

"Ugh...I got one, she's my strongest spirit but she's a bit of a pain." Lucy admitted, looking at the ground. He hummed to himself, snapping his fingers.

"Okay, I guess I can assist you Lucy. I'll gather up the stragglers and see if I can gather the untouched food to bring back." he said, reaching into his pocket. He withdrew the diamond key that belonged to the Celestial Dragon and held it forward.

"Whoa, is that a gate key? Where did you get it?" Lucy asked, eyes wide as she stared the trinket down.

"Oh this? Carla found it during our expedition. It belongs to the Celestial Dragon. Here, I'll show you. Open, Gate of the Celestial Dragon! Kanna!" he cried out. The tip of the key flashed brightly as the gate opened. In a bright flash of light, the small dragon spirit appeared. She rubbed her eyes, giving Aiden her normal emotionless expression.

"Greetings Master. How may I assist you?" she asked.

"We're on a mission and we need help. Our targets are some Forest Vulcan, more than thirty in total. We'll need you to back Lucy and her spirits up, okay?" he asked. She nodded, holding her arms up.

"Um...what's she doing?" Lucy asked curiously. Aiden wrapped his arms around the little girl, lifting her off the ground. She settled into his body, resting her head on his shoulder.

"She just wanted me to pick her up. She's really sweet, almost like a little sister." he said, continuing his walk.

"Celestial Spirits sure are interesting." Juvia said.

"I'll say." the blonde mage replied.

After a few minutes, they reached the lake the mayor had mentioned. It sat at the base of a large rocky bluff. The water looked crystal clear, and it looked really beautiful. Aiden thought it would be a good place to build a home, but it didn't compare to the beauty of Fogbound Lake. He looked around, his eyes carefully scanning the area. He heard the sounds of grunting and looked to the east. There was a small clearing near the lake front, where all of the Vulcans were resting. He also noticed various of them were engaged in...activities. He covered Kanna's eyes, not wanting her to see that.

"So it is mating season for them." Juvia said.

"Don't be calm about this, jeez you damn perv!" Lucy hissed.

"Guys, we have the element of surprise here. Juvia has a lake to work with and we have the magic to back her up. Alright, the plan is simple, Kanna will attack first, Juvia you gather the ones that try to run and me and Lucy handle the rest." Aiden said.

"Seems simple enough, alright I'll get closer to the water." the blue haired girl said, walking to the right. She jumped down, keeping her movements as quiet as she could as she headed down toward the water. Aiden set Kanna down, looking her in the eye.

"Okay, those creatures over there need to be destroyed. So don't hold back on your power." he said. She nodded, walking to the edge of the cliff. She held her hand up, an emotionless look on her face.

"Oh great dragon, grant me the strength of the stars. Gather, Storms of Oblivion." She chanted quietly. Lucy and Aiden started in shock and awe as dark clouds started swirling above them. The wind picked up, so much so that they had to hang onto one of the trees. Juvia looked up at the edge of the cliff, her eyes focused solely on the little girl. She glanced at the other side of the lake, where the Vulcans were. They all looked up at the storm clouds, already panicking.

"I've got you in my sights. Celestial Prominence." she said, forming a giant orb of glittering midnight blue light in her hands. With a flick of the wrist she threw it at the Vulcans. It slammed into the ground, swelling in size. It exploded outward, the blast was enough to send everyone flying back, and knock the trees down within a mile radius of the blast. All of the Vulcans died instantly, a giant gaping hole was left behind, and floating above it was a giant mushroom cloud.

"Yay! I win." the little girl said, holding her hands up in the air.

"Holy Fucking Shit!" Aiden shouted. His clothes had been blown back and frozen in place from the force, along with his hair. His face was covered in soot and dirt.

"S-So much power." Lucy said, in much the same state as Aiden.

"Master said not to hold back. I'm tired from that attack, see ya later." she said, fading back into the Celestial Spirit world. Juvia climbed back onto the cliff size, her face as white as a sheet.

"Let us not speak of this to anyone."

"Agreed!"

xxx

"So, how was your first mission together?" Mira asked, as the three mages walked back into the guild. Aiden sat down at his seat, his head falling onto the counter top.

"It was alright." he said simply.

"Just alright?" she asked.

"We promised not to speak of it." Juvia replied, her face was still a bit pale. Lucy was brushing her hair with a comb, trying to make it not stick up. Aiden dug his hand in his pocket, holding a Crystalline gate key in his hand.

"We got the full reward and this gate key, though I already promised it to Lucy." he said, handing the blonde the key.

"Oh no, I can't take this. You deserve it Aiden, after all it was you who...nevermind." she said.

"No take it, I think I'm all set having one spirit with me." he added, shoving the key in her hands.

"If you say so." the blonde said, accepting the key from his hand.

"Well, I guess we'll have to wait for the report to come in, but I'm pretty sure you passed the test." Mira said, giving Aiden a smile.

"Yeah...though I have to wonder, how Yun and his friends are doing." he said, a curious look on his face.

xxx

"Are you sure it's over here?" Flare asked, leaning against a brick wall. Yun pressed his finger to his lips, giving her a nod.

"It is...just stay quiet...Eterna, go ahead." he said, glancing up at the roof. The violet haired girl disappeared, the sound of her gunblade filling the area. Yun and Flare watched on as the girl jumped from the roof of the building, slamming her sword into the ground. Lightning burst from the cobblestone, sending the dark mages flying in all directions. He gave Flare a nod and she ran into the plaza, quickly subduing all of the mages with her hair.

"Nice job, Blue Pegasus sure is lucky to have wizards like you among them." One of the Rune Knights said, after all of the dark mages had been shoved into the cart. Yun smiled, hand on the hilt of his sword.

"It was nothing, we just stuck to the plan." he said.

"Well, I'll send Master Bob the good news. Here's your reward for this mission." the man said, handing them 600,000 Jewel. Yun smiled, counting the money briefly.

"Thanks a lot sir. Don't hesitate to call again if you need help." Yun said, giving the man a wave.

It wasn't long before the team of three had returned to Athena City, the home of the Blue Pegasus guild. It was a city several hundred miles north of Crocus, the capital city. There was a beautiful mountain range not far from where they were, making it a rather alluring place to live. The town was large, and most of the buildings were made out of bricks and limestone.

Yun had actually found out the town was named after the Goddess Athena, who was the goddess of War and Wisdom. Seeing as most of the mages of Blue Pegasus were rather smart, it made sense for their base of operations to be located here.

The guild hall was actually a luxurious mansion that sat at the highest point of the city, over looking it all. It was a pink building, with bright blue wings coming out from the sides. It had broad windows letting in a lot of sunlight. The crest of the guild sat proudly on the front of the building, along with two flags, the flag bearing the crest of the kingdom, and a flag bearing the crest of the city. The team of three was slowly making their way back after a hard day of work.

"Settling into the guild work has been rather easy. I guess our previous knowledge from Cait Shelter really helped us out a lot." Eterna said, counting her share of the reward.

"And we all have money for the expenses of our new house. I can finally get myself a new dress." Flare said, looking at her violet dress with disdain. She had seen a really pretty orange one town and had fallen in love with it. Yun stuffed the bills into his pocket, placing his hands behind his head. Repede was sleeping on his shoulder as usual.

"Man, can't believe it's been a week already since we all split up. Wonder how Aiden is doing in Fairy Tail?" he said, glancing up at the sky.

"I'm sure he's doing fine. He's the type to adapt to a new situation...and if Wendy is by his side, he'll be just fine." Flare reassured, thinking back on her brother.

"That's true...they probably can't keep their hands off of each other." Yun said, a smirk on his face.

"Oh hush up you. They are still too young for the crap you are thinking about. They're most likely still in that puppy love kissy stage where they have to kiss each other every waking moment." Eterna said.

"You talking from experience?" the boy asked curiously.

"Oh course! I got my first kiss at fourteen, it was the best day of my life. Sadly the boy's lips tasted like potato chips." she said.

"Man, I remember my first kiss...the girl that kissed me wasn't thinking straight. We were playing truth or dare and she had just eaten hot sauce, so my lips were aching afterwards. It was the hottest kiss of my life!"

"Yun, you are such an idiot you know that?" Repede snapped, causing the three of them to laugh. Flare however remained silent, looking at the ground.

"I uh...never kissed anyone." the orange haired girl said, causing her friends to stop.

"Seriously?" Yun asked.

"She lived in the Sun Village remember? That's a village of giants, I doubt she had anyone real to kiss. Unless she wanted to kiss Aiden, and that would just be weird." Eterna said.

"I don't see Aiden as a love interest. He saved my life from some marauders when I was little. We were also forced to take baths together since we only had one human sized bathtub. We just...never thought of each other that way." Flare said. Yun grinned, wrapping his arm around her waist.

"Aw don't worry! Someone will kiss you one day. You aren't ready for that yet, you need to get used to human contact, aside from us that is. Calling people by their hair color isn't idea." He said.

"I know...I'm just...rather awkward. I don't know what's right from wrong." she said.

"We'll teach you. You're handling yourself just fine, so don't fret..you'll be another quirky human like the rest of us soon enough!" Eterna said, giving her an encouraging tone. The three of them entered the guildhall, once again being greeted by the plush surroundings.

The Blue Pegasus guild wasn't like Fairy Tail, and it was way different than Cait Shelter had been. It was styled like a fancy five star restaurant, and it actually was. A lot of people from town came to the guild just to sample Master Bob's cooking. Some of the mages were dressed in suits and dresses, and acted as the waiters for the establishment. In the back of the building was a lavish bar, filled with different types of alcohol, next to the bar was the Request board, bearing all of the quests sent to the guild. It was still something they were getting used to.

"Men...welcome back. From that amazing Parfume, I can tell you were successful in your mission." Ichiya greeted, sparkling like always. Yun smiled, handing him the report.

"Yup, those flunkies were easy to deal with. They stood in the same place for most of the time." he said. The man skimmed the report, giving them a smile.

"Indeed, you are making headway in our guild. We are proud to have you, men." he said.

"Yoohoo, would you care for a drink?" an elderly man, dressed in a pink spaghetti strap shirt, with little wings said, waving them over.

"I'll take one master." Eterna said, stepping over to the bar. The man quickly mixed her a Martini, the girl's favorite drink. Yun shook his head.

"Master, would you mind if we took a few days off? We wanted to visit our friends in Fairy Tail, see how they are doing." Yun said.

"Of course, you've done excellent work since arriving here. Just make sure to give my regards to Macky for me." the man said, handing Yun a glass of wine.

"Um, excuse me...could I speak to the master please?" a young voice called out. Everyone looked toward the door, seeing a young blonde woman standing shyly by the entrance.

She was of average height, with long dirty blonde tresses cascading down her shoulders, though she had them tied up in a ponytail. She had a beautiful complexion, with bright blue eyes. She was wearing a strapless silk dress, which reached down to her calves. Even though she was young, she was very alluring, the picture of youth. That was enough to set the Trimens off.

"Well, hello there my beautiful lady, could I interest you in come campaign?" Hibiki asked, holding a bucket in front of the woman, with a bottle of Cristal inside.

"Perhaps you would like to freshen up?" Eve said, joining his friend with some hot towels.

"You can join us in the sauna if you like...I'm not doing this for you, I'm doing it to ease my nerves a bit." Ren added, kneeling in front of her.

"Down boys, down. We don't want to overwhelm her." Yun said, brushing the three men away. He turned to the young woman, giving her a smile.

"Hey there, what can I help you with?" he asked.

"I uh...I've heard good things about this guild...I wanna become a member." she said softly. Yun smiled, taking a hold of her hand.

"Come on, I'll bring you to Master Bob." he said. The woman flushed a cherry red, not expecting the young man to be so forward.

"Hey master, this girl wants to join us." he said, grabbing the elderly man's attention. The blonde woman was taken aback by the man, not expecting him to be...well...dressed the way he was. He gave her a warm smile.

"Hello dear, welcome to Blue Pegasus. You're interested in joining?"

"I am. I heard that you guys were taking members in, I want to be a good mage in the future, but I'm also interested in modeling. One of your previous members was a model yes?" she asked.

"Ah yes, Karen Lilica. She used to be an exceptional mage, but tragically she ended up dying on a mission. We haven't had a model for this guild since that time. If you'd like, you can try the guild out, see if you like it." the man offered.

"It's really fun here miss. We take missions from all over the place, and everyone is kind. Plus you get to drink Cristal whenever you want." Eterna said, finishing off her third glass. Flare looked at her, astonished at the fact that she had downed two Martini's and three glasses of Champagne as well.

"I know, why don't you join our team? We could use another member, and we'll show you how the guild works." Yun suggested. She gave him a sheepish nod.

"I'd like that."

"Well, all that's left is to stamp you in. Flare, would you care to do it?" Master Bob asked, handing the girl the stamper. She smiled, graciously accepting it.

"Where would you like it? And what color?"

"On my arm, in violet." the girl replied. Flare pressed the stamp against her arm, leaving the mark of Blue Pegasus behind.

"No for our records, what's your name?" Bob asked, pulling out a binder from underneath the bar.

"Right, I'm so sorry. I'm so nervous I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Jennifer Realight, but you can call me Jenny."

"Yun Lowell, these are my friends, Flare Corona and Eterna. This is my partner Repede, he's a Celestial Spirit." he said, pointing to the puppy on his shoulder.

"Sup babe, you can pet me anytime." the dog replied, giving her a wink.

"Uh...alright...it's nice to meet you. Thanks for allowing me to join your team." she said, giving him a bow.

"Sure, Team Mystic Artes always has room for more friends. Anyway master, we'll be leaving for Magnolia Town in the morning. Is that alright?"

"Yes of course, I hope you all have a good time visiting your friends. And tell Aiden not to be a stranger. I don't understand why he denies ever taking missions from us." the man said, placing his hand on his cheek. Jenny's eyes widened a bit.

"Did you say Aiden? As in Aiden Flame?" she asked. The four of them looked at the girl, quite surprised.

"Yes, he's our friend. We used to be in a guild together, do you know him?" Eterna asked curiously. Jenny grit her teeth, her eyes darkening a bit.

"I do...please tell me where I can find him."

"H-He joined Fairy Tail...did he do something to you?" Flare asked, feeling quite nervous.

"Oh yes, he did a lot to me. But now it's high time I pay him a visit." she said, giving the mages a grin. Yun didn't know why, but he feared for Aiden's life.

Xxx

"Ugh...I felt a shiver go down my spine." Aiden said, looking over his shoulder.

"Why is that?" Lucy asked.

"I'm not sure...but I've got a bad feeling all of a sudden." he said, glancing at the blonde stellar mage. She shrugged.

"Well, lets just keep looking. I'm sure there was a good house for sale around these parts. You sure you don't want to stay with me?" she asked.

"Yeah, I would rather stick together with my team. Besides, if anyone else decides to jump aboard, it would be good to have a place for them to stay." he replied.

"That's true...we'll I'm sure we'll find a good place for you guys soon enough." she said cheerfully. He nodded, that weird feeling still bothering him. He just hoped something bad wasn't going to happen.


	34. From Kitten to Fairy Arc: Starstruck

**A/N: Here we go again. Chapter 33 has been completed...for your reading entertainment.**

 **I have just started the first official chapter of the Edolas arc. It's gonna be a bit challenging, but I was able to read the manga chapters and see a couple fights, so I'll be all set. Once again, it will be mostly from Aiden's point of view, shifting between him and Wendy. It might also shift to Phoebe as she will be a rather important character. We will also learn a bit more of Yamato during this arc, so I hope you all look forward to it.**

 **For now, I will leave you with filler. Yes, amazing delicious filler. Filler is what makes a story, after all what's the stuff that makes Oreo cookies the best? the Filling. What makes Jelly filled donuts awesome? the Filling...so have your fill of this filling filler chapter.**

 **This has been a public derp announcement.**

From Kitten to Fairy

Chapter 33

Star Struck

Another day had passed, and Aiden once again found himself at the guild hall. He had been wanting to explore a bit more of Magnolia today, but Yamato had asked him to meet her at the guild. Not only that, he also got a call from Wendy, telling him that she would be back by noon, so he was rather excited to see her again. He had already selected a few missions for them to go on, as their team was still a bit split up from the testing period. Regardless, he was just glad that his partners were finally coming back from their first mission.

Yamato had been rather silent. She had been getting used to everything in Fairy Tail, but she kept blaming herself for what happened to Cait Shelter. Aiden reassured that everything would be fine and that it wasn't her fault, but she still felt bad. Aiden figured she would need a bit more time to get used to it. Carla was sitting beside them, reading a book on advanced Lunar Divinity techniques. She had expressed wanting to learn more about her magic, thus leading her to find all the books she could on the topic. She was also trying to find away for her to get a handle on her magic. She, like Phoebe was suffering the after effects of using her Dragon Slayer magic without proper practice.

Aiden had explained to her, that without a dragon seed as the source of her magic, she was at risk of loosing her humanity. He didn't know if people turned into dragons or not, but the legend of Acnologia struck a chord with them. She promised herself not to use it until she found away to not put herself in danger. She had performed the Moon Drip ritual the night before, but since it wasn't a full moon, she hadn't been able to get enough of the drip. She had been able to make a potion out of it, but right now it didn't even fill a corner of the bottle.

Yamato finally decided to speak, having pulled out several sheets of paper from her messenger bag. She set them all down on the table in front of the young man. He saw the bold letters on a few of them, realizing it was House listings.

"Well, this is what I wanted to talk to you about. I found several places for sale in town yesterday. Some are relatively close to the guild hall, but are rather on the expensive side. There are a few in the center of town, but are a bit rundown. I just wanted you to see the listings yourself." she said, passing him the papers.

"I found a few as well. Lucy and I spent most of the afternoon looking around, and I found a good one on Strawberry Street." he said, passing her the paper. He looked through the papers she handed him, reading the information written on them. A few contained pictures of the buildings, while others just had a general description.

"Hmm...none of these feel right." he said, setting the papers down. Yamato sighed, leaning back in her seat.

"I get what you mean. It's rather hard to find a place where we all live comfortably, are close to the guildhall and isn't far from the Market. I also don't feel like paying extra to remodel some of these places." she said.

"Well then, I may have the solution to that. I spent all afternoon exploring the town and I found the perfect place for us." Carla said, withdrawing a piece of parchment from inside her blazer. She handed it to Aiden, who was quick to unfold it. His eyes widened when he saw the picture.

"A mansion?" he asked.

"Mhmm, it used to belong to a very rich individual. It's a few blocks away from Fairy Hills and overlooks the city itself. It's a ways into the forest, but it's a gorgeous location. It overlooks the ocean, and it has a large courtyard, which would be perfect for practicing our magic. It has sixteen bedrooms, eight bathrooms, two half bathrooms, a large kitchen, a foyer, ballroom, library and a large dining hall." She said.

"You forgot the pool and the inground sauna. This place sounds really good, but it's rather pricey." he said, flipping the paper to Yamato. Her eyes widened a bit when she saw 50 million jewels written on it.

"That would be almost all our money. We don't even know the condition of the place inside." she said.

"Actually I do. The owner took me on a tour and I assure you, it's worth every penny. He's in dire straights and is selling the property so he can move to Bosco with his family. He inherited it from his father who used to be a well known Politician." Carla replied. Aiden shrugged, looking at Yamato.

"It's your call. We can check it out, or we could hold off and find another place. I don't mind putting in my half of the money." he said.

"I know...I'm just pondering it. We also have to worry about property tax and all of those other things." she said, looking at the ceiling.

"That's true...I overlooked that little detail." Carla added, a frown on her face. Aiden withdrew his portion of the money from his Magic Credit Card, placing it in front of Yamato, who gave him a weird look.

"I want you to hold onto that. Like I said, the choice is yours, if you can find us a better place, then feel free to buy it. I'm not good with negotiation and the like, so I trust you." he said.

"Alright...perhaps I can talk to this man and get him to lower the price a bit. Fifty Million seems a bit steep." she said, placing the money in her own card.

"Would you like to go now? I can take you there if you'd like." Carla said, earning a nod from the Poison mage. The two girls bid farewell to their leader, slowly making their way out of the guildhall.

"Yo, heard you were thinking about buying a place. That true?" Gajeel asked, catching Aiden's attention.

"Yeah, a big mansion not far from Fairy Hills. Why? Got a better place in mind?" he asked.

"Nah, a mansion sounds good, but I heard rumors about that place being haunted. I don't know if you believe in ghosts and shit." he said. Aiden scoffed, looking away from him.

"Not really...anyway why are you here? You don't seem like the type to engage in friendly conversation." he said, crossing his arms.

"You're right, but I came to talk to you about somethin' else. Come on." he said, gesturing to the door. Aiden sighed and got up. It was better to see what he wanted than to be a hard ass. Besides, he had already decided to forgive what happened between them years past. That didn't mean he wouldn't sock the man in the face if he rubbed him the wrong way.

"So...what's this about?" Aiden asked, once they were outside and away from the guildhall.

"It's about the village. Have you gone back to it?" he asked, earning a curious look from Aiden.

"I haven't set foot in Shamo village since it burned down. Don't really want to go back either. But I got a question, how the hell do you know about that village anyway?" he asked.

"Because Fire breath, I come from there too. I wasn't born there, but after Metalicana found me, he would take me there at night. I would work for a few hours and buy scrap metal for us to munch on. He said it would be practical if I learned how to speak and write from experience. The night the village was burned down, I ended up running away. Metalicana and I flew off and settled down on a mountain range not far from there. I didn't think anyone made it." he said.

"Yeah, well I did. I had to if I wanted to find my brother, but I let go of that rage. I'm sure my sister would want me to move on, instead of remembering that horrible night. I'll never let it go, the pain she must have felt...looking at those silver skies, seeing nothing but smoke. The bastard can rot for all I care." he said, spitting at the ground.

"I hear ya, killing innocent people...it doesn't sit right with me. I ever run into him, trust me, I'll bring his ass here so you can finish him off. But this isn't the real reason I brought you here. You mentioned something about a little girl named Yukino, I tracked her down." he said, handing Aiden three sheets of paper. Sightings and locations of the little girl. Apparently she was a Celestial Spirit mage as well.

"Why are you doing this? I thought you hated me." Aiden asked. Gajeel scoffed, walking past him.

"I ain't one to hold onto the past. Just felt I owed ya, for hurting your cat...so I did you this solid. Take it or leave, doesn't matter to me." he said, walking off. Aiden glanced over his shoulder, watching the Iron Dragon Slayer walking off into town. There was still so much he didn't about him, but what he did know was that he wasn't some brooding asshole. He actually did care about his friends, that was enough to make Aiden forgive him.

He decided to review the information Gajeel had given him. It seemed like the latest sighting had been in Hargeon Port. He wondered why she had decided to go there of all places, but he remembered he didn't know what she had been up to. He did see one picture where she was holding a golden gate key up, so he figured she must have gotten her hands on a golden Zodiac spirit.

"She's doing well for herself, I guess that's a good thing. Angel will be happy to know this. But I'll have to speak with Yukino herself at least once. I want to know how she's doing." he muttered to himself.

He felt a sudden weight on his back, almost enough to make him fall. He held his arms out, flailing a bit as he got his balance back. He noticed some orange hair in the corner of his eye and sighed, knowing who it was.

"Jeez, did you gain weight or something? You feel like an anvil." he said.

"Hello to you too dick head. Here I thought you would be happy to see me again." the girl cried out. He chuckled, shaking his head.

"I am happy Phoebe. I missed you a lot, how was the mission?" he asked curiously.

"It was great. Wendy handled herself in battle quite nicely!" Happy added, floating into his line of sight. He was holding a half eaten fish in his paws.

"That's great! I knew she could handle herself."

"Freed was really nice too. The trains to Oshibana were out so we had to walk for three days just to get there. He caught some Flying Fish for us, but they were absolutely terrible, I nearly cried. I can't believe he ate them without complaining." Phoebe said.

"When you have nothing to eat, you'll stomach anything. Except leeches." Aiden said, shuddering a bit. His partner finally got off his back, noticing Freed and Wendy were slowly making their way to the guild.

"So, how goes the house hunt?" Happy asked.

"We found a few places, Yamato and Carla are off looking at a mansion. It's quite luxurious, but really expensive. I'm not good with negotiation so I left it to her."

"That's good, knowing you we would most likely loose the house and the money. Makes me remember the time you tried to barter with that guy in Oak Town and totally ended up getting swindled." Phoebe said, giggling at the memory. Aiden frowned, glancing away from her.

"Hey, I thought it was an actual Photon Sword, I didn't think it would actually be a flash light." he cried back.

"Hi Aiden, I missed you!" Wendy cried in greeting, hugging the young man. He smiled, hugging her back.

"Hey Beautiful, I missed you too. Wow did you get taller? Or did I get shorter?" he asked, making her giggle. He noticed she had grown a few inches during the time she had left. She was almost at eye level with him. Wendy smiled, twirling a strand of hair.

"I think I'm about to hit my growth spurt, I'm not sure though." she said.

"Well Miss Wendy, we successfully completed this mission. You outdid yourself in this mission, and I will deliver the report to the master post haste." Freed said. Aiden narrowed his eyes.

"Freed." he said.

"Ah, greetings Aiden. Before you ask, I assure you that no harm came to Miss Marvel while we were gone. She in fact requested that I begin teaching her the art of scripture. I will begin preparing a lesson plan when I have the time. If you'd like I could teach you as well." he said.

"Scripture, Dark Ecriture you mean?" Aiden asked.

"Well, I figured since I am an enchantress to some degree, that I could work on enchantments. Script magic is the easiest to learn, and it would be rather useful if used correctly. I...hope you don't mind." she said, pressing her fingers together. He smiled, ruffling her hair.

"I don't mind at all. If you can find a use for them, then go for it. I also see that Freed is a good man, despite his wrong doings in the past. So I'll let old dogs lie, after all I don't want enemies here." he said, giving the man a nod.

"I also owe you an apology for that. I was being misguided in the past. I am atoning for my wrong doings by being more involved in the guild. I miss my friend dearly, but he asked us to grow stronger and make friends. So please, accept my apology." he said formally.

"It's cool bro. Aiden has a big heart, so long as you feel bad for what you did, he will always forgive you!" Phoebe declared, giving the man a grin.

"She's right. All is forgiven, please take care of Wendy. She's really intelligent so I know she'll pick your teachings up easily. We've already started on her Maker Magic, and she's improving quite a lot." he said, making the girl blush brightly.

"I assure you, she'll know how to write complex formulas by the end of the month. For now, I will leave you be. I shall seek you when my lesson plan is complete."

"Okay, thanks a lot Freed, I really appreciate it!" the girl said. He smiled, giving her a nod before stepping into the guildhall.

"So, on a better note, guess what we got?" Phoebe said, grabbing his attention.

"A bar of gold?" Aiden asked, crossing his arms.

"Ha, you wish...although that would be pretty sweet." she said, already picturing herself with the golden bar.

"Phoebe...stop stalling!" Happy cried. He looked about ready to explode from excitement too. From the looks of it, Wendy was also pretty curious about what they wanted to say. Phoebe reached into Happy's small green pouch, pulling out what looked to be tickets.

"There's this idol going around Fiore and she has a show tomorrow in Hargeon. She's called Yuna and she's from the Pregrande Kingdom." she said, handing Aiden one of the tickets. He looked at it, shock written on his face.

"No way, Yuna can't be touring in Fiore. She's like the best singer of this generation! She's only fifteen but she's already a famous starlet. The Wizard World Monthly magazine said she was on the top ten list most likely to go Double Platinum this year. This is amazing!" he cried in excitement.

"Um...Aiden, who's Yuna?" Wendy asked. Aiden gasped in apparent shock and disgust.

"How dare you ask me who Yuna is? The sheer thought of you asking that question appalls me. Oh the humanity, the unbridled audacity!" he cried, placing his hand on his forehead.

"Stop being an asshole and answer my question." she snapped in annoyance. He chuckled, shaking his head.

"Sorry...like I said before, Yuna is a really popular Idol from Pregrande, the kingdom way in the north of this landmass. She hails from the capital city of Pregrande, Latvia City. Her native tongue is Spanish, but she sings almost perfectly in Ishgarian. Some say she was raised here, others say she grew up in Iceberg. Whatever the case may be, she is the hottest singer of this year and the fact that we have front row seats is amazing. Are these fake?" he asked.

"Nope, while in Oshibana, we ended up helping this couple out with some furniture. These tickets were for their daughter and her friends, but apparently they had already bought them. Instead of money, they gave them to us as a reward. All four of us can go."

"Wow, my first concert! What should I wear?" Wendy asked, looking herself over. She was wearing her usual green dress, though it had started growing a bit tight on her. Perhaps she would have to design another one.

"You'll look fine with whatever you wear. Hey, we can consider this a date, seeing as we still haven't gone on one." he said, she gave him a nod.

"Alright, I'll go grab my stuff from the inn and we can head to Hargeon." she said excitedly. They were about to leave when a familiar voice called out to them.

"Hey, Wendy, Aiden!"

The two mages smiled brightly seeing their friends not far from the guild. Aiden smiled, waving them over.

"Yun, everyone!" he said cheerfully. His eyes then settled on the fourth person of the group, eyes widening in shock. She met eyes with him, anger washing over her face.

"No way, it can't be." Aiden said, taken aback. Phoebe followed his gaze, a smile splitting across her face.

"It is, it's Jenny!" she said. The mages finally arrived at the guild, all of them looking around.

"Man, it's been awhile since were here. How's it going?" Yun asked, greeting his friends.

"I'm doing fine, but I'm more surprised to see you here. You joined another guild?" he asked, looking right at the blonde. She didn't reply to him, rather she just slapped him across the face.

"What the hell was that for?" Wendy cried, about to jump at her. Aiden held his arm out.

"Don't...I'm pretty sure I deserve that." he said.

"Of course you do asshole. How dare you act like nothing is wrong? You fucking left me behind!" she shouted.

"Left you behind? What is this about?" Yun asked. Aiden sighed, looking away from them.

"Me and Jenny...well...she used to be my partner. Back when I was in Mermaid Heel." he said.

"Not your partner, your girlfriend!" she snapped.

"Wait..you two have history together?" Eterna asked.

"It isn't history...we just kissed one time and she blew it out of proportion. I couldn't handle it so I left the guild in the middle of the night. I was focusing on finding my father and gathering information on Brandon. I didn't have time for a relationship." he said.

"Any you thought leaving in the middle of the night was a good idea? What the fuck Aiden, do you know how bad I felt? How long I cried? You broke my heart, and it's taking every ounce of self restraint not to punch you right now." she said. He held his arms out, standing right in front of her.

"Do it, punch me as hard as you can. I deserve much more than a slap for breaking your heart." he said. The girl pulled her fist back, slamming it right into his nose, sending him flying back several feet. He just sat there stunned, clutching his nose.

"Okay, I didn't think you would do it." he said.

"Maybe we should go. You need to explain to us your history with him, we'll be here all week so we'll visit soon." Yun said.

"We're leaving for Hargeon this afternoon. There's a Yuna concert and we're not missing it. We'll be back Wednesday morning." Aiden said, earning a nod from Yun. He was a bit disappointed, seeing as his friends came from so far away to visit them. Wendy knelt down next to him, hovering her hand over his bleeding nose.

"So, are you going to explain to me who that was?" she asked. He had never seen the Sky Maiden glowing with jealousy before. It was a rather odd sight, especially since she was sweet and kindhearted all of the time. He sighed, giving her a nod.

"Alright, two years ago I was taking missions for Mermaid Heel. It took me awhile to reach the east side of Fiore from the Sun Village and when I got here, I had no money. The only way we would survive was to join a guild, but none appealed to me at the time." he said.

"So, me and Aiden joined Mermaid Heel, the closest one at the time. Master Julianna let us stay until we had enough money saved up to move on. Normally, she wouldn't have considered Aiden, but he was able to convince her. Or rather, _she_ was able to convince her."

"She? What do you mean by that Phoebe?" Happy asked curiously. The girl grinned, shrugging off her pack. She dug through it, finding her picture album. She turned to a specific page, turning the book to him.

The picture she showed him was that of a young girl, around twelve years of age or so, with long waist length blue hair. She was wearing make up on her face, and bright green eye shadow around her eyes. Her eyes had also been lined with black eyeliner and she was wearing black lip stick. She was wearing a bright blue halter top, with a golden neck strap tied into a bow around her neck. She was wearing a frilly white skirt, white knee high socks and blue flats. A pink mark would be seen on her bicep. It was the mark of the Mermaid Heel guild. She was surrounded by several other young women, all of them smiling brightly.

"Who's this?" He asked curiously.

"That Happy is Aiko, she is Aiden's alter ego." she said.

"Alter ego...wait...you dressed up like a girl?" Wendy asked. He sighed, sitting up from the ground.

"Yes, in order to not raise suspicion, I dressed up like a girl. Julianna's defense was, since I was twelve I could pull it off. Seeing as most girls that age are still developing, no one would notice my lack of breasts. So she had a few girls slap a skirt on me and paint my face. Aiko was born...hell you see the choker? That was magic voice changer." he said. Happy held his paws to his mouth, breaking into a fit of giggles.

"Aw, that's so adorable. Look at you Aiden, you look so cute!" he exclaimed.

"Watch it Cat, or else I'll send you flying, and you won't need your wings!" he snapped angrily. Wendy took a look at the picture. She bit her lip, trying not to laugh.

"He looks cute right? Maybe you can spice up your relationship a bit." Phoebe said, giving them a wink. Aiden slammed the book closed, stuffing it in his Requip pocket.

"That's enough of that shit. Let's go, before we miss our train to Hargeon!" he said, stomping toward the train station, that however didn't stop him from hearing their laughter.

Xxx

"So, he dressed like a girl?" Yun asked, his face was red from laughter. Jenny gave him a nod, enjoying herself as well. If Aiden was there, he would have surely snapped in anger.

"Yup, I remember in order to make his outfit more believable, a few girls ended up making him a padded bra. He even wore frilly panties. It was the funniest thing ever. Of course I didn't know that at the time, so we were made partners rather quick." she said.

"So...what exactly happened that would make you punch him in the face?" Eterna asked. She sighed, looking at the sky.

"Well...me and _Aiko_ went on a lot of missions. She told me all about herself, even though he was just wearing an outfit, the story she told me was anything less than the truth. I started growing a bit close to her, trusting her. We ended up talking about our first kiss, neither of us had kissed anyone at the time so we sort of...you know."

"No way...you kissed Aiden thinking he was a she?" Yun asked, eyes wide in shock.

"I did. I don't have anything against girls you know, honestly if you have a good personality and you are kind to me, I'll give you a chance, man or woman it doesn't matter. It was just a stupid kiss, something kids always do. I don't know what came over us, but we just started making out. I guess it was childish curiosity, heat of the moment stuff." she said.

"Let me guess, you got too into it and then you felt him poking your thigh?" Flare said. They all stopped, looking at the orange haired girl. She shrugged.

"I took baths with him remember? I know all about his love rod."

"Alright moving on...did that happen?" Yun asked.

"Yes, do you know how weirded out I was? Especially with the explanation? I was just confused and sexually frustrated. I may have yelled at him...I went to his house the next day to apologize and he was gone. I asked our master, but she said he came in the middle of the night asking to be let go. He signed all the papers and left just as fast as he showed up. She didn't tell me his real name, all she said was that he was looking for a Dragon, Atlas Flame. It wasn't hard to find him with that information."

"But why didn't you go to Cait Shelter to talk to him?" Eterna asked.

"I was scared. I was scared that he wouldn't want to listen to me, I was his friend and his partner and I let my emotions drive a stake through our friendship. Over time I just let go of the shyness and it turned into bitterness, when I heard that he had joined Fairy Tail, I swallowed my hate and came here. But clearly that didn't turn out the way I had hoped it did."

"Aw, don't worry sweetie. I'm sure you two can talk it over and be friends again, just make sure he doesn't poke your thigh again. I'm sure Wendy would kill you." Yun said, earning an elbow to the ribs. The blonde humphed and walked away, nose held high. Eterna giggled as she brushed past him, Jenny was already starting to grow on her.

"This sucks...I wanted to spend time with big brother. I've grown a bit more accustomed to fighting. I wanted to show him what I learned." Flare said, a frown on her face.

"Well..he said something about a Yuna concert. I hear she's the most popular popstar of this generation." Yun said.

"Indeed she is. A rising starlet, the Idol that melts even the coldest hearts with her voice alone. And I happen to have back stage passes for her concert." Jenny said, pulling four plastic cards from inside her shirt. She gave her friends a smirk.

"I'll be damned...girls do use boobs to store stuff." Yun said, scratching his chin. Eterna sighed, she couldn't believe he was more interested in the fact that Jenny had those hidden in her shirt, rather than the tickets themselves. But that was her leader for her.

xxx

A soft sigh escaped her lips as she poured through the papers in front of her. She had read them hundreds of times already, but she needed to memorize the words on it. Lyrics, lyrics to a song, a song that she didn't write. She loved to sing, absolutely relished in the feeling of sharing her voice with the world, but it annoyed her to no end knowing she couldn't sing her own songs. It was always what her manager wanted, what he thought would be the next big hit, not what she wanted. When she signed up with him, she never thought that her input would be so worthless as to not get consideration.

She looked up at her mirror, her crimson eyes staring back at her. They used to be bright and filled with joy, but now they were cold and emotionless. Even when she was smiling, she would reveal her true emotions with her eyes. Her long white hair was tied up in a bun, various colors could be seen near the tips, something she had done to give herself more style. She for one was glad not to be in her idol get up, being in an over sized tee shirt and loose fitting shorts was the best feeling in the world for her.

She was only sixteen, but she was already seen as a popular idol around the world. She had started in her home of Pregrande and moved down the continent, finally choosing to take her tour to Fiore, where she currently was. She had starred in many commercials, been in hundreds of magazines and had millions of photo shoots. She advertised make up brands, cereals and everything under the sun. When she was on stage and the lights shined on her skin, she positively glowed. She had always been happy being on stage, but lately she just wanted to quit.

She attributed it to magic. She was rather proficient in it, though she trained herself in secret. If her manager found out that she was a mage, he would be absolutely livid, mostly because he himself couldn't use magic. She was glad for that, those who can't use magic also can't sense it, so it made hiding her abilities rather easy. She didn't want to quit singing, but she was growing tired of singing emotionless songs. Her contract was almost up with her current company, and it wouldn't be long until she was forced to renew it. She sighed, pushing the papers away.

To the whole world, she was Yuna the Siren, a popular idol, fashion icon and clothing aficionado. But she truly wasn't any of that. She was just Yuna, and she hoped someone would someday see her as that. Her love of singing fell short to her true self. Especially when she couldn't express herself the way she wanted. She was just happy to be alive and that this was one of her final concerts before she was due for a renewal. When that time came, she would hit the road and disappear from the world.

She heard the door open and took a deep breath, spinning around her chair. She was facing her manager. A tall imposing man in a black suit, with a pair of thin glasses on his face. He had a clipboard in his hand, and was smiling a bit.

"Good afternoon Yuna, are you doing well?" he asked.

"As well as I can." she said. Her voice was soft and alluring, the voice of an angel, or so the fans had said. She had never heard a single one of her recorded tracks, mostly because the songs in her opinion were crap compared to what she wrote.

"Sweetheart what have I said about staying positive? You look like a brooding emotionally challenged person. Come on, smile. It will make your skin glow!" he said.

"Dennis, I will smile whenever I feel like it. Right now I am tired, and hungry and have to attend rehearsals for the next three hours. So please leave me alone." she snapped back, standing from her seat. The man sighed, watching as she walked to her bathroom. She had to grab her make up pouch from within. She absolutely hated having her make up done by someone else, so she did it herself just to save the trouble.

"Why the sudden attitude? I thought you would be happy..this is your first performance in Fiore. After that we move onto Crocus and then Rose Garden before the tour is over." Dennis said. The girl glanced away from her mirror, pressing her lips together as she capped her lipgloss.

"I am happy. I just want to sing my own songs for once...don't you think it would be better than that auto generated bullshit I have to sing?" he asked.

"That auto generated bullshit as you so eloquently put, is what our partners want to hear. They want you to do the best you can."

"In other words, they want me to sing their music so they get their pockets lined with cash. But fuck me right? I'm just someone they can throw away at a moments notice. I hear Bulma is getting up in the ranks." she said. Bulma was a fellow idol, a girl who was two years older than her, and more popular with the younger audiences.

"Bulma sings children's music. They call her the Children's Idol of Choice for a reason. You on the other hand pander to a more broader audience."

"Of preteen girls who think love is everything in life. Please..the songs I sing are shit, but you won't admit it because my voice is lining your pockets with cash. Now get out unless you want me to beat you up for being a perv." she said. The man nodded, heading for the door.

"Remember, there's an autograph signing today in front of Hargeon's Crystal Plaza.

"Yes, I am aware. Buh-bye." she said, brushing him away. She sighed happily once the door was closed. She honestly disliked that man. The company had appointed him as her manager instead of her older sister Musashi. She wondered her her sister was doing for a brief moment, but was sure she was doing fine. She reached up to the butterfly hair pin holding her bun together, and with a single motion allowed her hair to cascade down her back. She grabbed her hair brush and started the meticulous task of brushing her hair.

After she was done she grabbed a generous amount and started braiding it. Once she was done with the first braid, she pinned it to the side of her head and allowed another strand to cover it. She did the same with the hair on the left of her face. Once down, she grabbed her red ribbons, forming two small balls of hair at the sides of head, she tied them with the lengthy ribbons. Once done, she lined her eyes with black eye liner and put some mascara one. She smiled brightly, now that her make up was done, she could breathe easy.

She closed her eyes, focusing on her magical energy. She glowed a brilliant gold color as her clothes flashed off her body. They were instantly replaced with her idol outfit, or at least one of them. She had various wardrobe changes during a single concert. Dennis was still believing her when she said she used lacrimas to change.

This outfit was what she called her "Normal" outfit. It was a black dress like outfit. She was wearing a collar around her neck, with a red and black bow on the front, which had a glittering red ruby in the center.

She was wearing a long pair of black gloves with crimson lines running over them. They were fingerless, allowing her for better access to her microphone. She didn't remember how many times she had dropped that thing during practices. Two thin pieces of fabric connected her gloves to the collar around her neck, holding the top part of the dress together. She was wearing a stripped strapless dress underneath, that reached just below her mid thigh. Around it, she wore a corset like piece of clothing, that was secured to her body with a single strap running across her chest. There was a large white ribbon attached to the back, along with a lengthy glowing feather attached to the front of the skirt.

She was wearing long thigh high boots, which were a solid black color, with glowing red lines running it's length. They had a thin heel to them, raising her height by a few inches. Thin straps wrapped around her leg to hold them onto her leg. She looked at herself in the full length mirror. Nodding to herself. She looked at her hands, frowning a bit as she noticed her nail polish had chipped a bit. She couldn't afford to waste time fixing it. She needed to go now unless she wanted to be shouted at. She sighed, heading toward the door. She wasn't looking forward to this concert, not by a long shot.

xxx

"Fuck, I hate trains." Aiden muttered, as he stepped out of the train station. He had forgotten his motion pills at home once again, and thanks to the repeated uses of Troia, it had been rendered ineffective. He didn't have Juvia with him this time, so it made getting over his nausea all the worse. Wendy rubbed his back softly, making him feel a bit better.

"There there, it will be alright." she said softly.

"I fucking hate you. Sky Dragon my ass, how the hell don't you get sick?" he snapped, holding back the urge to vomit. The girl grinned, placing her hands behind her back.

"I'm just special." she said.

"Hey, did you hear? Yuna is doing an autograph signing!"

"Are you serious? What the hell are we waiting for!"

A pair of youths ran past them, heading deeper into the town. Aiden and Wendy shared a look, a smile working its way onto their faces, though Aiden's was wider.

"This is so cool, I'm gonna have her sign my arm and then I'll have it permanently tattooed onto my skin." he said.

"Are you crazy? Tattoos hurt like hell." Phoebe added, following her partner. He chuckled, waving it off.

"Compared to the shit we've gone through, getting a tattoo is like walking on a bed of nails. At least it isn't lightning magic." he said, shuddering a bit.

"Why do you hate lightning magic so much?" Happy asked curiously.

"Yeah, I never did understand that." Wendy said.

"Well...there was this one time I was taking a leak in a river, and there was an electric eel. I ended up slipping on the mossy rock I was standing on and I landed on it. Imagine my shock when the thing unleashed a Zeus sized bolt right on my ass. It took me weeks before I could walk straight again." he said.

"I remember that...fun times." Phoebe said, shuddering a bit.

"You've had a lot of weird accidents haven't you?" Wendy said, earning a chuckle from Aiden.

"I have, I was once blinded for two days by potpourri. Not a fun time either." he said, remembering that fight in Crocus when he was ten. She shuddered at the thought.

It wasn't long before they found a huge line of people, all of them waiting to enter Hargeon's Crystal Plaza, the biggest plaza in the entire city. It was also the one in front of Hargeon's Coliseum, and the would be site of Yuna's performance. There were at least three hundred people in that line, give or take. Aiden frowned.

"Man, we're gonna have to wait forever just to see her." he said.

"You seem to be a big fan of her, but I've never even heard her music. Is it that good?" Wendy asked. He gave her a nod.

"Yeah, her music takes you places. I remember when I first heard her voice, it reminded me of the good times I had growing up, in the Sun Village, all of the good adventures me and Phoebe shared, and even the good times in Cait Shelter. I slept a lot with my sound pod, music eased my nightmares a bit, and when I started listening to Yuna's album, they almost disappeared. But lately, her music changed." he said.

"How so? I don't see a difference." Phoebe said.

"Clearly you don't know jack shit about music if you haven't noticed it. Her voice tells a different story than the lyrics. She isn't happy anymore, most likely because the songs are not what she wants to sing." he said.

"How can you even tell that?" Happy asked curiously.

"I'm a dragon slayer. My hearing allows me to discern different frequencies of sounds. I can tell when someone is happy, excited, sad or angry, just by the subtle change in their voice. They don't even have to voice out their feelings, generally the tone is enough to tell you." he said, shrugging it off as if it was nothing.

"Would everyone with a VIP pass move to the front please? VIP pass holders to the front!" one man shouted. A few people excitedly stepped out of the line, effectively cutting ahead of everyone. Aiden shook his head.

"That's typical, people with VIP passes get special treatment while the rest of us are treated like shit." he said.

"It let's us know where we rank in the scheme of things." Phoebe replied. He was about to say something when a group of familiar faces passed by them. His eyes widened a bit as Yun and his team walked by.

"Oh hey guys, sucks for you. We'll save you a spot in line!" he said, giving him a shit eating grin. Jenny chuckled darkly as they passed, holding onto her VIP pass in her hands.

"Hey Aiden, how much trouble would we get in if we jump them?" Wendy asked, catching his attention.

"Are you crazy, we would be caught." he said.

"Not if I used Vernier. It would be so fast they wouldn't even notice." she said. He pondered it for a few seconds, before shaking his head.

"Nah, it isn't worth it. Besides that only works in the hood. But this does give me an idea for a prank later on...he is not safe from me. Especially after the beat down I earned for his little joke." he said, remembering what had happened on his first day in Fairy Tail.

"Alright, front row ticket holders can step up next." another person said. Aiden looked at his ticket, a grin on his face.

"Row A motherfuckers. Come on." he said, taking Wendy's hand as he stepped out of the line. He honestly felt bad for the other people, but he was just too excited to meet Yuna. Now that he was closer to the front he had started growing nervous.

"Sweetie, you're pulse is really fast." Wendy said, a bit worried over her boyfriend's reaction.

"Sorry...It's just...being this close to my favorite idol is so surreal. Shit, I don't have anything for her to sign." he said.

"I do, don't even worry about it." Phoebe said, giving him a thumbs up.

"If you say so." he said, seemingly accepting her reply, though he didn't notice the bright grin she was trying to hide.

Aiden looked up at the rapidly darkening sky, a small smile on his face. He recalled that day, the day where he discovered Yuna's music. It had started like a normal day, and Ironically enough, it had been while he was still in Mermaid Heel.


	35. From Kitten to Fairy Arc: Silver Skies 1

**A/N: Man it's just one Arctic punch after another. First the blistering cold and now another snowstorm, guess Winter is being a cold hearted bitch before it's time for her to leave. Which makes me appreciate Spring a whole lot more, honestly.**

 **Anyway, this is the newest chapter of The Hellfire Dragon Slayer. I would like to say thanks to everyone who's reading and reviewing, for not only sticking with me, but also for deal with my petty ass. I seem to have been complaining a lot this last week, and that's mostly because my Internet is still down, and it's making my writing a lot harder. I'm halfway through Edolas, and I'm sort of forcing myself to do it, just so I can be done with it. Like I said, I have more ideas for Tenrou than I do for Edolas. I'm not even sure there's gonna be an original arc in between them, I'm just really freaking stressed, but I'm still writing, and I'm not gonna give up.**

 **As such, when you all start reading Edolas, it's most likely gonna be different than what you'll be expecting, all I can say is, no flames please. I've tried my best, but right now it's quickly becoming my most hated arc to write. Whatever the case, I'll let you be the judge of that.**

 **So, without further stalling, I shall leave you with this chapter, which will be a two parter. I hope you enjoy it.**

From Kitten to Fairy

Chapter 34

Silver Skies I

It was a beautiful day in the city of Sea Brooke. The sun was shining, and the wind was blowing softly. The seaside city was simply alluring, especially since it was early summer in Fiore. The skies were bright and not a single cloud was around to blemish it. The birds and gulls were cawing and chirping loudly, singing their beautiful songs of summer. Children were running around, water guns and water balloons in hand, while the adults were watching, enjoying the good weather. Walking through town was a young woman, making her way back toward the nearby guildhall.

Sea Brooke was the home of the wizard guild Mermaid Heel, one of the few female only guilds in Fiore. It was known for having strong mages and the hottest fashion models around. In fact most of the models the Sorcerer Magazine had were from Mermaid Heel. It was something that attracted a lot of people to the seaside resort town, though it was mostly from the male populous. The girl sighed, flicking a strand of hair over her shoulder. She passed by a shop, looking at the dresses on sale. Seeing her reflection, she scowled, snapping her head in another direction.

She of course wasn't a girl at all, but rather a guy. This was Aiden Flame, the Son of the mighty Atlas Flame, but now had been reduced to wearing a disguise. He had just come out of a small desert region in Fiore, finally having reached the easternmost city in the country. When he got to this city, he had seen a lot of promise in both himself and the guild, but being reduced to nothing more than a boy in disguise, it really annoyed him. But since Mermaid Heel was an all female guild, he had to swallow it. The cat calls from other boys really didn't make him feel any better. The mark of Mermaid Heel sat proudly on his bicep, in a light pink color. Walking around with that color on his skin made him feel even worse, but he couldn't complain, after all he needed the money.

"Hey Aiden...I mean Aiko, can you buy me some cookies?"

He turned to face his partner, a young orange exceed named Phoebe. He had found her egg a few years prior and the two of them had been traveling around since. She had grown a lot in that short period of time, and had developed a massive sweet tooth too. He sighed, giving her a frown.

"Phoebe, I told you we don't have the money to buy that sort of stuff." he replied. He still wasn't used to his new voice. He had been wearing a choker with a voice changing lacrima, so he would sound feminine. It had of course been disguised as a brooch which had been attached to his choker. It still drove him nuts.

"I know, but they aren't that expensive. Only three hundred jewels." she said. He sighed, digging his hand into his skirt. He pulled out three one hundred Jewel coins and handed them to her. She grinned and flew off, most likely back to the store she had just been at. He sighed and walked away from the dress shop, having lost interest in whatever he had been looking at.

He had just come back from a mission, though it had been a little challenging. The monsters he had faced were rather resilient, so it took a bit more magic than he had intended on wasting. He felt a lot more tired than he wanted too, but his pockets were filled with cash and he couldn't complain. He placed his hands behind his head, absently walking through town. He heard soft flaps beside him, along with the sound of a packet being opened.

"So, what are we gonna do now?" Phoebe asked, shoving a cookie in her mouth. He shrugged, his blue eyes scanning the city.

"I dunno. I don't really feel like going back to the guild hall. This whole guild mage thing is so freaking weird. Do people seriously trust mages they don't know who might possess destructive magic to do their work for them?" he asked.

"Well the only one who has destructive magic is you." she said.

"True...but it isn't my fault that 99% of everything around us is flammable." he replied.

"I know, why don't we go to the beach? You promised me you would take me." Phoebe said. He shook his head.

"You know I can't do that. If I go to the beach, I'll have to change into a swimsuit, and I can't risk blowing my cover." he said. She groaned, stuffing another cookie in her mouth.

"Alright fine...let's just go to the market and see what's on sale." she huffed. He nodded and followed her deeper into the city. The two of them reached the market not long after. They saw the usual vendors pedaling wares and other types of magic items. He greeted a few of the ones he knew, giving them a bright smile. As far he knew, all of them saw her as a girl, and that's how he wanted it. The last thing he needed was for everyone to know he was a guy. Then again, he remembered Jason of the Sorcerer Magazine had gotten a picture of him while he was changing into his outfit and had placed in an article, so it wouldn't be long until the world knew he was a Mermaid Heel mage.

As he walked, he kept his eyes peeled for something that would keep him distracted for awhile. He passed by a music store, which was having a sale. He looked at the window, seeing a cardboard cut out of a new idol, the name Yuna was written above it in bright red letters. He took a deep breath, grabbing the door handle.

"Let's go in here." he said, looking over his shoulder. Phoebe nodded, curious as to why her friend would be going into a music store.

His ears were assaulted by the sound of drums and a guitar riff. Apparently someone was playing heavy metal through the speakers. He earned a wave from the cashier as he walked deeper into the store. He looked around, not really finding anything of interest. He stopped in front of another cardboard cut out, which was of that idol Yuna. He saw several CDs stacked in a basket. It was apparently her debut album. He reached for it, looking at the bask of the case.

"Is my little Aiden interested in pop idols now?" Phoebe asked.

"Shush, and stop calling me that. My name is Aiko." he cried, earning an eye roll from her. She grabbed one of the CDs, looking it over. She read the songs, her nose scrounging up a bit.

"Faster than the speed of Love, Starbright, An Angel's Cry? Jeez these songs sound stupid." she said. Aiden of course ignored her, choosing to grab the headphones attached to the sound pod next to them. He put them on and pressed the play button.

His eyes widened a bit as the song started off. It was soft at first, but quickly speed up. He could tell this girl was young, a bit inexperienced, and even nervous. The her voice blended in with the melody perfectly, he found himself entranced. Phoebe waved her paw in front of his face a few times, but he just ignored her. Once the song was over, he just took the headset off, and set it back down. He didn't even say a word, just spun on his heel and walked toward the register.

"Um...Aiko?" Phoebe called out, floating after her friend. He stood in front of the cashier and set the CD down on the counter. He gave him a smirk.

"Man, a lot of little girls have been buying this lately. What do you even see in her?" the man asked.

"What's it to you? I'm not just another little girl, I'll burn your face off." Aiden snapped, igniting his hand. The young man stepped back, seeing the bright blue flames dancing on his fist.

"A-alright, just give me a second to run this through." he said, dialing the number. Aiden handed him his jewels and grabbed the CD, leaving the store. He pulled his sound pod from his Requip pocket and grabbed the CD from inside the case, pressing the Pod onto the disc, all of the songs were transferred to it automatically.

"Aiden...are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine...this Yuna girl...I think she's going to be a great singer in the future...I think I'm in love." he said, blushing a bit.

xxx

"Aiden, you're holding up the line." Wendy said, poking his arm. He shook his head a bit, noticing he hadn't moved at all. The path to Yuna's table was completely open. He ushered a few apologies to the people behind him and started walking forward. He swallowed hard when he finally got to the table. Yuna gave him a bright smile, which made him blush a bit.

"Hello."

"Um...hi...I'm Aiden, I've been a big fan since you released your Starbright album." he said.

"Oh you have? How sweet of you." she said.

"I...don't have anything to sign. Would you mind signing my arm? I wanna get it tattooed on." he said, holding his left arm out for her. Her eyes widened a bit.

"Seriously? Don't those hurt?"

"Eh, I've been through worse." he admitted, brushing it off as if it were nothing. Yuna was actually surprised with the young man. She shrugged, grabbing a black marker. She signed her name as neatly as she could on his arm. She capped the marker, giving him a smile.

"There you are. If you get it done, please send me a picture, I would love to see it." she said.

"Definitely." he said. She was about to say something when she focused on his guild mark. Her eyes widened a bit as she pointed to it.

"You're a Fairy Tail wizard?" she asked.

"Oh...yeah. I just joined last week...my girlfriend and I were actually part of another guild, but it disbanded. We decided to join up with our friends." he said.

"Is...is it fun?"

"Of course it is. We go on missions, beat the hell out of a lot of dark mages and most of all, we get to help people in need." he said.

"Helping people is the greatest thing about being in a guild. Some people only join for the fame or the money, honestly none of that matters to us. So long as we're together and we bring out the best in each other, we can reach new heights." Wendy added, taking a hold of his hand. For a second, Aiden saw a spark of jealousy in her eye, and a hint of sadness. She quickly replaced it with smile, as she signed another glossy picture for Wendy.

"I'm happy for you two. You get to have lot's of adventures, me...I guess this Idol gig is enough of an adventure for me." she said, handing Wendy the picture. She signed one for Phoebe and Happy.

"Are you sure you're happy? I've noticed your music changed. You aren't giving it your all anymore." he said. Her eyes widened a bit and she stood up from her seat.

"I need a break, thank you so much for your support." she said, giving them a smile. She hastily left, leaving behind a folded sheet of paper. Aiden swiped it before the security guard escorted them out of the line.

"Nice job Aiden, you upset her." Phoebe said, a hint of disappointment on her face.

"I just asked a question. I didn't do anything wrong."

"It must have been how you phrased it. She looked really sad when you talked about Fairy Tail." Wendy added. He sighed, giving her hand a small squeeze.

"Great, I've gone and upset my favorite idol. I gotta apologize to her." he said, glancing back at the stadium.

"Ha, as if that's going to happen. Come on, let's go find a tattoo parlor so you can get that shit inked." Phoebe said, taking the lead of the group. Aiden couldn't help but frown. He didn't know why, but felt something bad was going to happen, and Yuna would be right in the middle of it all.

xxx

Aiden sighed as he walked down the streets of Hargeon. He didn't know how late it was, most likely around midnight. Wendy and Phoebe had fallen asleep, leaving him and Happy as the only ones awake. Since Natsu, Gray and Erza were still out on their mission, the blue exceed had decided to hang around Aiden. Apparently he was similar to Natsu in how he acted, if a bit more mature than the older fire dragon. He also wanted to be near Phoebe who actually accepted his gifts. Aiden found it a bit odd, since the blue exceed had expressed an interest in Carla before, but now had changed to Phoebe. He found it sweet, and Phoebe actually liked his company, and he definitely liked having his face pressed in her chest.

He glanced at his arm where his new tattoo sat. Yuna's signature in bright black and red in. The artist had laughed at him when he said he wanted her autograph on his skin, but as soon as he saw his pissed off face and the mark of Fairy Tail, the man shut up and got to work. Wendy fainted as soon as she saw the needle, Aiden didn't even move. He said he had been through worse pain and he had indeed ignored it. The tattoo had been completed and sealed with magic so it wouldn't loose it's color, so now he was just content with walking down the empty streets of the port city.

"Aiden, you've been rather quiet. Is everything alright?" Happy asked curiously, floating a bit closer to the blue haired boy. He glanced over at the exceed, giving him a nod.

"I'm fine. Just thinking about Yuna, she looked so sad, and I feel awful for upsetting her. Then there's this note." he said, holding the folded paper in his hand.

"Note? Wait...did you grab that from the table?"

"I did."

"Aiden, it's not nice to take stuff from girls! What's it say?" he asked, contradicting himself. Aiden shrugged, opening the paper.

"I dunno. I didn't look at it, I wanted to give it back to her." he said, once it was fully open, he glanced at the paper, seeing it was song lyrics. He stopped in his tracks, eyes hovering over every word. His throat tightened a bit.

"No way...this can't be." he said, his shoulders shaking a bit.

"What is it?" he asked.

"It's a song...it's called Silver Sky, it was a lullaby my sister used to sing to me. Silver Sky, falls upon you and I. Another hope fades away into night. Distant melodies, a sweet lullaby, will lead me to you." he said. Happy's ears twitched, his tail standing straight.

"I remember that song too. Our friend Lisanna used to sing it to me when I was just a hatchling. It was a song from a long time ago, but most of it was lost through time." he said.

"That's what Kurumi said when I asked her about it. She only had that part and the part that comes after it. But Yuna ended up writing it into an entire song. I need to give this back to her." he said, breaking into a sprint. He ducked into an alleyway, deciding to cut across it. Happy trailed after him, struggling to keep up.

"Aiden, not so fast!" he cried, flapping his wings a bit harder.

"Sorry Happy, I just want to hurry." he said. He ran into the Rouge Plaza, one of the smaller areas of Hargeon. As he was about to leave, a thick wall of ice rose before him, making him slide to a stop.

"What the?" he asked. He spun around, only to see two more walls block the other exits. He quickly got into a stance, keeping his eyes peeled.

"Well well well, look at who I ran into, a little dragon, a little dragon that needs to get his wings clipped!" a voice said. Aiden stiffened, his eyes growing wide. He shook a bit, not just from the cold of the ice behind him, but because he recognized that voice. It had changed with age, but there was no doubt about who it belonged too. He grit his teeth, holding back his anger.

"Show yourself, Tomoki." he muttered angrily. Happy just floated there, completely confused. A swirling whirlwind of ice formed near the other side of the plaza, forming the shape of a human. They were wearing a long black and blue trench coat. With a flick of his wrist, the man lowered his hood. Aiden's eyes widened in shock.

The man's face looked different. For one, half of his face was frozen solid, the left side of his face resembled dragon scales and was white as snow, his eye was icy blue in color, his pupil being the darkest part of his eye. His hair was an icy blue, almost white color. He had a grin on his face. The most alarming thing was his arm. His trench coat was missing a sleeve, much like his own, but most of his arm was wrapped in gauze for some reason. On his bicep was a crimson mark, in the shape of a heart.

"G-Grimoire Heart." Happy studded, hiding behind Aiden.

"That's right flea bag, you're staring at one of the Eight Kin of Purgatory. I know I'm not supposed to deviate from the mission, but that doesn't mean I can't take personal time to visit family." he said, giving the teen a wide grin. Aiden noticed his fangs, which were sharp and glittered like the clearest ice in the world.

"So, you didn't have enough with killing our family, but you also became a second rate thug?" he asked.

"Second rate? I'll have you know, Grimoire Heart has done more things for me than those pathetic parents of ours. They saw our magical power, how great it was, but because they weren't mages, they didn't allow us to learn magic." he said.

"That's not true! Dad got all of us those magic books, how the hell else did Kurumi learn Ark of Space?" he snapped angrily.

"Ah right, that bitch. I'll have you know, I personally disposed of her body. It was so much fun, watching her flesh burn right off her bones. Too bad I didn't have my ice magic then. It would have been great to freeze her in time." he said, giving the teen a grin. Aiden sprung forward, his hand glowing a brilliant blue. He pulled his arm back, anger flowing through his body.

"Hellfire Dragon's Iron Fist!" he shouted, slamming his fist right into Brandon's face. The teen stood there as the fire burst around his body. He expelled a wave of cold steam, pushing Aiden back several feet. The temperature had lowered significantly. Enough for their breaths to be visible. Even though Aiden was a fire mage, and a Fire dragon at that, he was shivering.

"Do you feel it? The immense cold surrounding us. That's the cold that everyone feels during their dying hour. The realm of death is nothing but cold and empty darkness. But just you wait, the Grand Magic World will be ours, and I'll finally be able to use my power to crown myself the king of the world." he said, forming a ball of ice in his hand.

"Shut up! I don't know what drabble is pouring out of your mouth, but you aren't going to be a king! I won't let it! Fire Make: Explosion!" he shouted, throwing a giant ball of fire at the teen. It exploded, sending flaming tendrils and large chunks of rocks everywhere. The dust cleared, revealing Brandon, a smirk on his face.

"That didn't even phase him!" Happy cried.

"That was hot, but not nearly enough to melt my ice. Now I'll show you my power. Ice Dragon's Needles!" he chanted, willing the orb in his hand to explode. Aiden cried in pain as hundreds of needles stabbed through his skin. He increased his fire around him, but the ice was still cutting through. He stood up, glaring at Brandon.

"Happy, get outta here. Go get Wendy, now!" he said.

"But Aiden...I can't leave you here."

"I said go Happy!" he shouted, scaring the exceed. He shot off into the air, heading back to the hotel they were staying in. Aiden sighed, closing his eyes.

"Now that he's gone, I can go all out. Hellfire Dragon's Scales." he chanted. His body ignited, thick scales of fire forming over his skin.

"Don't you think this is ironic? The powerful older brother facing off against the weaker younger brother, both of them using the same type of magic. A battle of Ice and Fire." Brandon said, expelling a bit of cold steam.

"I'm going to burn your face off." Aiden said, racing forward. He slammed his hands together, throwing the magic to the floor.

"Fire Make: Launching Pad!" he cried, launching himself into the air. He swiped the air a few times, creating a large magic seal before him.

"Fire Make: Anchor Shot!" he shouted. A giant glittering anchor of flames burst from the circle, heading straight toward Brandon. He easily dodged it, jumping into the air. He slammed his hands together, a smirk on his face.

"Ice Make: Rosen Krone!" he shouted, throwing his spell forward. Aiden screamed, as the swirling mass of Roses slammed into him. Each sharpened spike dug deeper into his skin. He slammed into the ground, sliding around it for a few seconds.

"You like that? A friend of mine taught me it. She's been a great master, and an even better sister." He replied, giving Aiden a smirk. He stood up, slamming his fists together.

"I'm going to wipe that smirk off your face." he said, taking a deep breath.

"Oh please, do show me." Brandon replied, taking a deep breath himself.

"Hellfire Dragon's Roar!"

"Ice Dragon's Roar!"

Fire and Ice met in the middle, both attacks melded together creating a giant explosion of stream, sending shards of ice in all directions. Aiden looked around, keeping his guard up. He started jumping back when ice spikes started sprouting from the ground. He suddenly looked over his shoulder, seeing Brandon running right at him.

"Ice Dragon's Wing Scythe!" he chanted. He raced by Aiden, striking him with his arm, a large scythe of pure ice formed from his wrist. Aiden fell to his knees, blood bursting from his side. He clutched his side tightly, the crimson liquid soaking his hand. He looked at it, his hand shaking a bit.

"Oh man, this is so adorable. You ever see your own blood before? It's really fun, I personally saw my own thirteen times. It's fucking great!" he said. Aiden looked up at his brother, his hand bursting into flames. He seared his cut shut, stopping the bleeding.

"You know...you've really turned into a sadistic piece of shit. Or were you always like that?" He asked, his hair falling over his eyes.

"Oh wouldn't you like to know? You don't know what it feels like to be the ugly duckling in the family. It was always you and Kurumi who got the special treatment, Daddy's little man. Kurumi gets a book on lost magic and what do I get? A book on Earth magic. That was horse shit!"

"Seriously? You did all of this because of a stupid magic book? How fucking dare you? Don't you know how many lives you ruined?" Aiden shouted, standing back up. The man smirked, spreading his arms out, ice flowing from them.

"You mean how many lives I improved. Those guys at the Tower of Heaven came in clutch! An Ice Dragon lacrima all for the small price of killing an entire village. Why would it matter, my parents didn't love me, so it wasn't hard to kill them. Killing Kurumi was an added bonus."

"I'm going to fucking kill you!" Aiden shouted, racing at the man. He threw his hand forward, a massive plume of fire enveloping him. Brandon smirked, pulling his fist back.

"Ice Dragon's Iceberg!" he chanted, slamming his fist into Aiden's chin. He gasped in pain as he was frozen in a block of ice.

"That'll hold you for now." Brandon said. The ice suddenly cracked and the fire mage burst from it, kneeing the man in the jaw.

"Hellfire Dragon's Wing Attack!" he shouted, jumping at the man. Brandon howled in pain as the attack slammed into him. He was sent flying back into one of his own ice walls. Aiden ran at him, throwing a flaming punch at his face, though he quickly dodged it. Aiden's fist connected with the ice, shattering it into a million pieces. He grabbed his side, noticing the white lines extending from his injury.

"It's taking effect already." Brandon said.

"What?" Aiden hissed.

"That attack I threw at you, it's designed to freeze the body from the inside out. The attack was responsible for freezing hundreds of dragons in the past. It's also my favorite one to use when I freeze my victims." he said.

"You're sick, you know that." Aiden said firmly. Brandon chuckled, shaking his head.

"It doesn't matter, at least I'll have a statue to take back home. What an amazing addition to my collection, you'll be the first of many Fairies frozen in time. After I'm through with you, I'll go to your pathetic guild and freeze it over! That'll send you all a message, not to fuck with us." Aiden chuckled, increasing his magic power a bit. Brandon's eyes widened a bit, taking a step back. The heat was intense, so much so that he was actually starting to sweat, something he never did.

"So...all I have to do is kill you before I freeze over, that sounds like fun." he said.

"What...what is this power? Is this because of your blue fire?" Brandon asked, clearly stunned that a boy seven years younger than him was that strong already. Aiden grinned, standing up from his spot.

"It isn't about my blue fire at all. Didn't you know? Fairy Tail and Cait Shelter took those flunkies from Oracion Seis out of the picture. I'm a Fairy Tail wizard now, I got their strength inside me. I'll be sure to send a message to your master. If you threaten my friends, then you'll have to deal with me. So take this back to your master, if Grimoire Heart fucks with Fairy Tail, they'll get turned into ash!" he shouted, slamming his hands together.

"Fire Make: Burning Ascalon!" he shouted, jumping at the man. A beautiful sword of fire burst from his hands. Aiden shouted in anger as he slashed at the man, striking him with all of the power he could muster. Brandon grit his teeth, slamming his hands together.

"Ice Make: Cold Winds of Truth!" he countered, throwing the spell forward. A powerful blizzard kicked up, sending large ice balls and cold gusts of wind at Aiden. He grit his teeth as his body was starting to freeze from the attack.

"No one escapes my ice. You'll be forever frozen in time!" he shouted.

"Metsuryu Ogi!" Aiden chanted, pulling his arms back. His body glowed a bright blue, the winds and ice started dying down a bit as his heat over powered the ice.

"No way." Brandon said. He grit his teeth, slamming his leg into the ground.

"Metsuryu Ogi!"

"You're too late! Guren Bakuenjin!" Aiden shouted, bursting forward. He grasped the strands of fire magic and slammed them into Brandon. The flames exploded outward, forming a brilliant sapphire phoenix that swallowed the ice mage whole. Aiden panted a bit, dropping to his knee in pain. Half of his chest was frozen now, his leg was starting to become numb. The fire instantly disappeared, showing a still standing Brandon, who looked like he didn't even have a scratch on his body. Aiden's eyes widened, shock written on his face.

"No...way...I hit him...with everything." he said. He felt immensely tired, his magic and life was being drained from him. He shivered a bit, the ice claiming a bit more of his body. Brandon smirked.

"This is the end for you. Glittering Frost: Ice Dragon's Glacier!" he said, slamming his hands into the ground. The ice magic shot outward, speeding toward Aiden. He could only watch as everything around him instantly froze. Even the air particles were freezing. He closed his eyes, feeling himself drift off a bit. A sudden explosion rung through the area, jolting him back awake. All he saw was black, nothing but black smoke and dust. Aiden's vision blurred a bit, but regained focus when the smoke started to clear. His eyes widened a bit.

Standing in front of him was the cloaked woman from before. The one he had seen back in Magnolia Town before his expedition to Fogbound Lake. She stood in front of him, three magic seals appearing in front of her. They were glowing a bright white, the center of them having odd markings on it. Brandon's eyes widened in shock as he took a step back.

"No...no...you're supposed to be dead!" he shouted.

"This is the first and only time I will ask you this. Leave this place right now, or I will not hesitate to end your life." the woman said firmly. Her magic seals disappeared, the area returning to normal.

"You actually think I'll do that? Hell, I'm going to do what I should have done seven years ago. You escaped me, but not this time!" Brandon shouted, flicking his arm back, giant ice scythe forming from his wrist. The woman snapped her fingers, several portals opening up around him. The sound of multiple weapons being cocked filled the area. From each portal stuck out a barrel of a gun, all of them aimed at Brandon.

"You move a single muscle, and I'll fire. You're life will end before you even take a step. Do not test me, Tomoki!" she said firmly. Aiden's eyes widened a bit. There were only two people who knew of that name.

"Kurumi?" he asked softly. The woman said nothing, her gaze firmly on the man in front of her.

"Tch...I don't have time for this. You are lucky this time." he said. Aiden groaned in pain, the ice was starting to freeze his other organs now. He fell over, loud cries coming from him. He pulled the zipper of his jacket down, eyes widening when he saw half of his chest was frozen. Brandon smirked.

"Well, I'll take my leave. Even if I didn't kill you, the ice surely will...don't you worry sister dear, I'll get you soon enough." he said. His body fractured, turning into nothing more than ice. It burst, disappearing in the wind. The woman turned around, kneeling before Aiden. Her eyes were scanning over his body. She held her hand to his chest, quickly pulling it back.

"This is bad." she muttered.

"Kurumi...is that really you?" he asked. The woman sighed, looking away from him.

"I am not your sister. She perished seven years ago." she said simply. She lowered her hood, finally revealing her face.

She had a light colored complexion, sunkissed and very well taken care of. Her right eye was a bright crimson color, while her left one was a bright green in color, with black markings in the center. She had long black hair, tied into twintails, reminiscent of how Kurumi had styled it in the past. To him, she looked just like his older sister, clearly having aged, but it was her.

"K-Kurumi...it's you. It-It really i-is you." he said, his teeth chattering a bit. She took a deep breath, shaking her head.

"I am not your sister. Like I said, the real Kurumi perished years ago, I am her clone." she said.

"C-clone?" he asked.

"Indeed, it seems in her dying moment, she was able to use an advanced technique. Arc of Self Preservation. It is an advanced Arc of Space technique. She was able to recreate herself entirely, however nothing can be created without it taking something else. This act took her life. The only mission in my memory is to guide Aiden Flame to the sacred crystals, it is the only way you'll be able to defeat the Dragon of the Apocalypse." she said.

"What...what are you talking about?" he asked. She held her hands over his chest, channeling some of her magic power into his body. However the ice held true, not even breaking or melting.

"You will understand in time. Sadly, I cannot do much else than this...I lack the power to heal people, but I can sense the presence of the Sky Dragon Slayer, she will assist you. This will be your next location, we shall meet again, Aiden Flame." she said, placing a rolled up paper in his hand. A white magic seal flashed behind her and she stepped into it, disappearing from sight.

"Kurumi! Don't Go!" he shouted, tears bursting from his eyes. He felt himself grow colder. He grit his teeth, looking up at the sky. They were swirling with clouds. He blinked again, seeing a swirling inferno around him, bright orange flames and ashes towered high into the air, the sound of crackling filling his ears. He shivered a bit, his lips twitching.

"Silver Skies...just like the ones from long ago." he said, finally passing out.

When he next awoke, he didn't know how much time it had been. All he knew was that he felt a lot better than before. He was in a hospital room, which was currently empty. He sat up, hissing a bit. His side burned a bit. He saw that he had gauze wrapped around his lower body. He felt the area where he had been sliced by Brandon. He shivered a bit, remembering what had happened. His vision focused a bit and he looked around the room. He didn't find a note this time, so it was most likely with someone.

Memories of that night drifted into his mind. He remembered his brother, his sister..the fight. It was all so vivid in his mind now. He still couldn't believe he lived through that. He grit his teeth, glaring at the wall. He was more confused then ever now.

" _Brandon is an Ice Dragon Slayer, second generation by the looks of it. That means those bastards from the Tower of Heaven gave him that implant. But what about Kurumi, is she really just a clone?"_

That question wouldn't stop bothering him. His sister was alive, or so he thought. The whole drabble about her being a clone was bullshit, at least to him. Kurumi was Kurumi, there's no doubt about it. She smelled like her, looked like her, and used her magic. There's no way some clone could copy that. He placed his hand on his forehead, feeling a throb in his head.

"Fuck, what the fuck is this shit!" he shouted in anger.

The door opened slowly, pulling his attention toward it. He saw a blue strand of hair, the person peeking in slightly. He glanced away from her, brow raised.

"You can come in Wendy, I knew you were there the whole time." he said. She walked into the room, closing the door behind her. She stepped up to the side of the bed, not saying anything. She just stood there, looking at the floor.,

"Well, are you gonna shout at me? Call me a dumb shit or ask about what happened?" he asked.

"I'm not gonna say anything. Just that I love you." she said. She grabbed his face, pulling him closer as she took his lips in a firm yet loving kiss. His eyes widened a bit in shock and surprise. All of the emotions that he had pent up burst like a damn. Tears ran down the sides of his face as he wrapped his arms around her. He pulled away from her, wrapping his arms around her.

"Oh Wendy, you have no idea how much pain I'm in. My brother tried to kill me, my sister is alive, but somehow isn't her...I don't know what to do, I feel like my life is starting to fall apart."

"I didn't think it was him. When Happy came bounding into the room, telling us that you were being attacked, I rushed there as fast as I could. When I saw the walls of ice, the cold temperature...the ice walls. I knew it was him as soon as I saw them." she said firmly.

"Huh? You...knew?" he asked. She closed her eyes, looking away from him.

"There was this girl in Shirotsume, her name was Millianna. She was part of the kidnapped children that worked building the tower of heaven. She told me that Brandon had been there, and that he had been turned into an Ice Dragon Slayer with a lacrima implant. She told me that he was part of Grimoire Heart. I didn't want to believe it, hell I thought it was a coincidence that the names were the same, until she told me that his real name was Tomoki. That's when I knew." she said.

"You...knew this and didn't tell me? Why Wendy, why would you do that? Huh?" he asked, grabbing her arms. He forced her to face him, glaring right into her brown eyes. She narrowed her eyes in anger.

"What the hell were you gonna do if I did tell you? Go after him? Like that would ever happen. You can't strong enough to kill him, none of us are! Look at how he left you, heavily injured and slowly freezing. If I had told you this weeks ago, what the fuck would you have done?" she snapped angrily, pulling herself from his grasp.

"I would have...I would have.." he remained silent, not knowing what to do. He balled his hand up, clenching his fist tightly.

"There's nothing you could have done, other than get yourself killed. And if you die, I don't know what I would do with myself. We're too involved now. Take what you can, and give nothing back remember?" she asked, reminding him of the gesture they always did. He nodded, reaching for the corner of the sheets.

"I need to see Yuna." he said, pulling the sheets off himself. He swung his legs over the edge of the bed, forcing himself to stand up.

"What? Why do you wanna see her?" Wendy asked, jealousy laced in her voice.

"Because, I have something belongs to her. Something that I need to hear." he said. He requipped his knapsack, pulling out a clean change of clothes. He jumped into his shorts, quickly buckling the belt. He put on his sleeveless shirt and grabbed his coat. It was a bit damaged from his fight with Brandon, the hole on the side had been patched up but the blood stain was still there. He placed it on his body, zipping it up half way.

"You missed the show, it's been a week already. She left for Crocus three days ago." Wendy said.

"Then I'll fucking go to Crocus. I need to bring that song back to her." he said. Her eyes widened a bit, and she dug into her shirt, pulling a folded piece of paper from her bra.

"You mean this?" she asked, holding the folded paper out to him. He took it from her hand, unfolding it. He noticed something written on the back, hastily drawn bars, along with musical notes. He looked at his girlfriend, a curious look on his face.

"You wrote a melody for it?" he asked.

"Yeah...I started reading it, and it was such a lovely song, I heard the music in my mind and I just had to write it down. I got some help from a woman in the local music store. She thought it was a beautiful song too. I don't know why Yuna hasn't sung it yet." she said.

"Well she's going too. We need to haul ass to Crocus before she leaves, fuck but we don't have tickets." he said.

"Who needs tickets? We're mages of Fairy Tail, we'll come up with something." she said. He smiled.

"Aye, that's true. Come on, call the cats while I handle the discharge stuff." he said, earning a nod from her. He was going to get this song to Yuna, even if it killed him.

xxx

Crocus stadium was packed tonight. This performance was going to be one of the last ones before it was demolished. The Domus Flau arena was already in the process of being built, and would replace this one. Ten thousand people were sitting and standing out there, facing the biggest stage in Fiore. And the star of the show was the Idol Yuna.

Said girl was sitting in her green room, looking at her reflection in the mirror.

She had heard the news of what happened to that boy from Fairy Tail, that he was attacked. The information was kept under wraps but she had heard rumors going around that it was a member of the dark guild Grimoire Heart. She had been worried, especially because she had been thinking a lot about his question. When she returned to her signing table, she noticed the paper she had left behind had gone missing, and she had only grown more depressed.

"Yuna, you're on in ten." the stage manager called out. She gave him a nod and stood up from her seat, reading herself for another three hour concert. Her manager Dennis walked into the room, holding a clipboard in his hands. He wasn't too happy with her, especially after her stunt during the last concert. She had told the masses that she was going to pursue her dreams and leave the Idol industry. The press release had been hell especially because she was told to say it had all been a joke. She gave him a glare to match his equally condescending one.

"Yuna, remember this concert has to make headlines. We need to cover up what happened last week in Hargeon." he said firmly.

"I'm not going to keep this up Dennis. My contract is up in a week and after that I am gone. So you can stop trying to kiss my ass." she said firmly.

"Listen here girlie. You don't decide when you quit, I do. I already wrote the contract for your next three years, and you are going to sign it." he said forcefully. Her eyes widened a bit.

"Is that so? Do you think intimidating me is going to make a difference. I've already made up my mind. I will follow my dream of being a wizard and you are not going to stop me." she said. He sighed, snapping his fingers. Several men flashed into the room, all of them holding magical lacrima. She looked at all of the men, who were dressed as ninja. She noticed a mark on one of their shoulders, a white S with a wolf head over it.

"You left me no choice, if you do not comply I will have to use force. These are my hired helpers. They will keep an eye on you, and if you don't do as I say, it will cost you dearly. You know what to do men." he said.

"You can't do this to me. Dennis you son of a bitch! This is extortion, an illegal act. You know the Princess is here tonight right? Along with the King and Queen?" she asked.

"Don't worry about them, they try to interfere and they will pay the price. Anyone tries to touch you and they will suffer dearly, this place is guarded by the top lieutenants of the Southern Wolves, and no one will get past them." he said.

"Two minutes Yuna." the stage manager called out, oblivious to what was going on. Yuna grit her teeth, giving the man the most hateful glare she could muster. There was nothing she could do, nothing except put on a mask and pretend everything was alright.


	36. From Kitten to Fairy Arc: Silver Skies 2

**A/N: Hello everyone and welcome to Chapter 35 of The Hellfire Dragon Slayer. Man, I can't believe this story is already 35 chapters long, it's amazing how far one can push themselves when they really want. Well, I say 35 because that's what's been posted, but I'm actually working on Chapter 40. This story has become something wonderful to me, since I'm trying out new things and a lot of stuff that I couldn't do with Advent of the Stars. It's so much more simpler to write this story, and I can get behind all of the characters and bring them all out the way I want. Writing is truly a wonderful thing isn't it?**

 **Well, in this chapter we get to see the second half of Silver Skies. You all got to see a little of Brandon last chapter, but that is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to him...hehe...ice pun.**

 **But anyway, you'll all be able to see him go all out in the upcoming Tenrou Arc. I'm actually getting closer to it, since I'm almost finished with Edolas. God what a travesty that fucking arc has been. It's been pissing me off since day one and I just want to get it out of the way. I'm pacing myself, reading and rereading the manga, watching the anime when I can and most of all trying not to waste my goddamn cellular data. It's been tough.**

 **I hope you all like this chapter, also I recommend giving the song in this chapter a listen. It's called Silver Sky by Nano. It's such a great song, and actually is part of another favorite anime of mine, Arpeggio of Blue Steel. I recommend watching that anime as well, it's freaking wonderful. All of the colors and the CGI and Computer Animation is great, if you are put off by 3D rendered anime, I recommend this, just to give it a shot. If you like Naval Warfare then it's also the anime for you, I actually wrote a story for that series, so check it out if you like, it isn't perfect but it's something.**

 **Also, please excuse any grammatical errors, I've been meaning to go back and fix those, but since I have no internet, I can't just go back and correct them as I please. I usually take care of it before I post it, but I'm only human. I'll eventually get to them.**

 **Also, wish me luck. New Hampshire is about to get butt fucked by 16-20 inches of snow tomorrow, and I'm going to be stuck for awhile. It's gonna be fucking fun, not really.**

 **Also, as a final final note, please check out the song Karate by BABYMETAL. Holy shit it's fucking awesome, I love those girls to death for their amazing music, keep it up!**

 **Enough, the rambles cease now. Read on Young Paddawan, may the Force be with you!**

From Kitten to Fairy

Chapter 35

Silver Sky II

Having arrived in the capital city of Crocus. The four Fairy Tail mages made their way toward Crocus stadium, the site of the next concert for the famous Idol Yuna. Aiden had to get into that building, he wanted nothing more than to return that song to her. He knew there was something wrong, and when something was wrong, he wouldn't stop until he corrected it.

He saw it in her eyes, the sadness. The mask she had been putting on, it wasn't the same Yuna who sung with all her heart. This was a girl who was being forced into something and he didn't like it, so he had no choice but to set her free. To some it may seem odd, that he would be concerned over someone he didn't know, but he was a Fairy Tail mage, helping people was in the job description, and if he didn't do his job, then he couldn't call himself a proud member of the Number 1 Guild in Fiore. They stood not far from the stadium, looking at the bright lights.

"Okay, so how exactly are you going to get on stage?" Phoebe asked, as they arrived at the stadium. Since they didn't have tickets and the show was sold out, it was going to be much harder to get in. Crocus Coliseum was huge, the biggest building in the entirety of the capital city, save for the clock tower in Malva town. There were people outside, hundreds of spectators and the tightest security regimen he had seen. It was made up of Rune Knights and Royal Guard, meaning the Princess was attending this event. It made everything much harder than it needed to be.

"We take the back door?" Wendy suggested. Aiden glanced at her, a smirk on his face.

"Well, that is an option. But honestly you have the cutest butt and I don't want one of those soldiers to drive a spear into it." he admitted. She blushed brightly, slapping his arm.

"I'm being serious. There has to be someway." she said.

"Aiden, do you know transformation magic?" Happy asked.

"Not really...I didn't bother learning it." he replied.

"I do, I may not be as well versed as Mirajane, but I can hold a transformation for long periods of time. What's the plan kitten?" she asked, earning a smile from Happy.

"Transform into a guard and escort him inside. Tell him the Princess asked to see him personally." he said.

"Hot damn, that's a pretty solid plan. Nice one Happy, I bet your the one who thinks for Natsu right?" Aiden asked.

"Aye!" the exceed replied happily. They walked behind a building, a brilliant glow burst from Phoebe's body as she transformed into a Royal Guard. She held her hand to her forehead.

"How do I look?" she asked in a gruff voice.

"Don't talk." Aiden said simply.

"Well, I wish you luck Aiden, we'll be waiting outside." Wendy said, he gave her a kiss on the cheek, before being lead toward the back entrance of the stadium. As they approached the two guards crossed their spears.

"Halt, state your business soldier." one man said.

"I am escorting this young man to see the princess. She asked for him personally." Phoebe said, giving them a stern look. Aiden gave them a sheepish smile.

"Wait here while we confirm this with Captain Arcadios." the second man said, taking off inside.

" _Shit, what now?"_ Aiden asked, glancing at Phoebe.

" _I dunno, man...it was a great idea to learn telepathy magic. Echooo!"_

" _Be serious!"_ Aiden shouted. Phoebe cleared her throat, reaching for her spear.

"I'm sorry about this, but I hate my job and need a new one." she said, slamming her spear into the man's head. He fell to the ground instantly. Phoebe transformed back, looking at the unconscious man.

"Wow, I would have thought these guys had stronger armor than that." she said.

"We should let the princess know about that." he said, stepping into the stadium. They looked around, finding a clear path into the building. Aiden quickly ducked into an empty room as the guard from before walked past them. Once gone, they broke into a sprint, heading deeper into the arena.

"Shit, it won't be long until the alarm is triggered." he said.

"Which means we need to find the stage ASAP before we get found!" she said. They ducked into a side hallway, going further into the bowels of the arena. They noticed an increase in security in the area, so they must have come near where Yuna was staying. They noticed to men dressed in black standing outside of a room with a red star on it. Yuna's name was written on the plackard. He grinned.

"Maybe she hasn't left yet." he said.

"Aiden check it out, those guys are from the Southern Wolves." she said, pointing to the band on their arms.

"You're right...what the hell is a mercenary guild doing here?" he asked.

" _Split up and search the premises, I want those two found now!"_

"Uh-oh...we're on borrowed time Aiden."

"I know." he said, flames crackled to light, swirling around his hand. He placed his hands together, a magic seal flashing in front of him.

"Switch Style: Fire Make: Sparrows!" he chanted, throwing the spell forward. A small flock of flaming Sparrows burst from the seal flying straight to the two mercenary mages. They cried in pain from the attack. Phoebe flashed forward using her Light Speed, quickly taking them out. Aiden moved toward the door, throwing it open.

"Empty." he said. He heard the sound of armor and looked back, hearing some soldiers going their way. He grabbed the two mercenaries and dragged them into the room, closing the door right after and locking it for good measure.

"I really wish I would have taken Freed up on those script lessons." he muttered under his breath.

"Aiden, what are we gonna do now? We're trapped in here." Phoebe said. Aiden looked at all of the clothing that had been placed around the room, a smirk on his face.

"Who said anything about being trapped? Find some cardboard and make yourself a press pass. I'll handle the rest." he said.

Princess Hisui had expected a rather smooth show. It was her twelfth birthday, and her parents had promised her concert passes to Yuna's show in Crocus. She of course had the booth directly facing the concert stage, the lights were flashing brightly. The crowd below was waving red and blue colored glow sticks, cheering the young starlet's name. She had wanted peace, but now her guard had been scrambled. Her father glanced over to Arcadios, her most loyal knight and captain of the guard.

"Any luck yet?" he asked quietly. Hisui's mother, Jadelynn had stepped out to grab some refreshments, so he was sure she wasn't even aware of what was happening.

"Nothing yet your majesty. All we know is that one of the infiltrators is a young wizard associated with the Fairy Tail guild." he said.

"Fairy Tail?" Hisui asked, eyes widening. She had heard a lot about them, mostly for being the rowdiest guild in the land. She had read her fair share of complaints and reports about the destruction they caused. Apparently the magic council had two budgets. The general budget to increase the wellfare of the citizens of Fiore, and a budget to pay for the destruction Fairy Tail could cause. She had also heard a lot about the guild and how they treated each other. If she wasn't a princess, she would have definitely joined them.

"It seems it's a young man who recently joined. We're getting confirmation that his previous affliciation was with the Cait Shelter guild." Arcadios said. The Princess gasped, standing from her seat.

"I know that boy, he handled a request for us a few months back. Tell the guard that I'll personally join the search." she said.

"Hisui, you can't risk yourself." Toma said, worrying about his daughter.

"I'll be fine father. I have my sword with me." she said, grabbing the sword she had store underneath her chair. She wasn't a slacker, especially because Arcadios had been personally training her. She doubted any harm would come to her.

"I shall accompany her your majesty. You know how she is when she gets an idea in her head." Arcadios replied. The man sighed, giving him a nod.

"Yes, just like her mother. Alright, be careful sweetheart."

"I will father, thank you." Hisui said, stepping out of the room, followed by Arcadios. It wasn't long before her mother stepped back in, holding various snacks in her hands. She looked around the empty booth, focusing on her husband.

"What did I miss?"

xxx

"Aiden are you sure about this?" Phoebe asked, looking back at her friend.

"I'm sure." he replied. He took a deep breath, stepping out of the bathroom. Phoebe's eyes widened in surprise.

Standing before her was her friend, but he was dressed as a girl. He was wearing a blue wig, which was rather lengthy. He had tied it up in twin tails with red ribbons, styling some bangs to cover his right eye. He was wearing a beautiful red and black dress, that reached down to his knees. The dress was styled after the Sweet Lolita style, so it had various bows attached to it, along with peppermint candies and other things. He had chosen it because of it's long sleeves, which were ideal to hide his scars and his guild mark.

He was wearing black thigh high stockings, along with a pair of glossy red stilettos. He had applied make up to his face, enough to cover any blemishes on his skin. Her was wearing black eyeliner and red eye shadow, along with light pink lipstick. He looked at himself in the mirror, fixing his bra, which he had to stuff with a lot of toilet paper to make it believable. He took a deep breath, pressing the lacrima around his neck.

"What do you think?" he asked, voice sounding feminine.

"I think I have a lady boner." Phoebe said.

"Oh shut up. I wouldn't have gotten anywhere if I didn't bring Aiko back. Did you finish those press passes?" he asked. She nodded, holding the two passes up.

"Indeed, we should be okay." she said.

"Right and since they didn't see what you looked like, you can pass off as my partner. Now come on, we gotta get out of here." he said, grabbing a small bag from the chair. He stuffed a notebook and a pen inside and took one of the passes from Phoebe, placing it around his neck. They looked around for a few seconds before leaving the room. They walked through the halls, noticing a lack of people or soldiers. It made reaching the stage all the more easier.

"Halt!"

Aiden and Phoebe stopped in their tracks. There was a firmness in that voice that scared the two of them. They heard heavy footsteps behind and they automatically turned around. Aiden's eyes widened a bit when he saw the Princess in front of him, along with a large knight. He swallowed hard, noticing the swords they were carrying.

"State your business here." the man said. Aiden reached a shaky hand to his press pass, holding it up to the man.

"We're here for Raving Rock Magazine. We heard this was Yuna's final tour and wanted an interview." he said. Even though he was shaking, his voice was smooth and firm. The man narrowed his eyes.

"Alright, you're free to go...before you go, have you seen a young man around here? He has spiky blue hair and bears the mark of Fairy Tail."

"Nope, haven't seen him." Phoebe replied. Aiden shook his head.

"It's been really quiet. In fact wasn't the concert supposed to start a few minutes ago?" he asked.

"Well someone attacked one of the guards and we've been searching for him, so we had to delay the show. I don't think he's around, we've looked all over the place." Hisui said.

"Hmm...well if we do find him we'll let you know. It was an honor meeting you Princess Hisui." he said, giving her a wink. Her eyes widened a bit as the two turned around. As soon as they disappeared, Arcadios turned to her.

"That was them wasn't it?" he asked.

"Oh yeah, that was them alright."

"Are we going to do something about it?"

"Nope. Let's get back to our seats, and get that knight an ice pack." she said, spinning on her heel. Arcadios sighed, sometimes his Princess was too lenient with people.

"Oh my god, I almost pissed myself." Aiden said.

"I think I did." Phoebe replied.

The two mages continued walking through the stadium, keeping their eyes peeled for the Idol. They saw a sign pointing them to the stage and grinned, quickly running in that direction.

"I'm surprised you can run with heels."

"Practice makes perfect. I had to wear crap like this for six months remember? Christ if the guys back at the guild saw this they wouldn't let it go." he said, already imagining the roast session Natsu, Gray and Elfman would give him. The worse thing was that he looked too good as a woman, so it would make it so much easier for them in the long run. He prayed to whatever god was out there that they never found this out. They suddenly came to a stop, seeing several men flashing around them. Phoebe and Aiden stood back to back, glaring at all of the ninja.

"Southern Wolves." the human exceed said, earning a nod from Aiden.

"You will go no further." one man said. Aiden smirked.

"Oh, are you going to beat up a pretty girl? That a bad man you are." he said. The man ran forward, holding a kunai at the ready. Aiden shifted his weight, throwing a flaming punch at him.

"Hellfire Dragon's Iron Fist!" he shouted. The man howled in pain, flying back several feet.

"She's a wizard, fan out!" another man said. Aiden smirked, his hands bursting into flames.

"This is going to be fun." he said.

"No way...her flames are blue, but there's only one person who has blue flames!"

"Oh, are you talking about my brother? Yeah he has blue flames too. The bastard left me behind, what a total meanie right?" he asked, throwing another punch. Another ninja was flung to the wall. They all ran at him, slicing and throwing rapid hits at him. He did his best to dodge them all, expelling a wave of flames from his body. They all stepped back, dropping their knives due to the heat they had absorbed.

"Phoebe, go for it!" he cried.

"Solar Flare!" the orange haired girl cried, unleashing a stream of glowing orange light. One man ran at Aiden, aiming for the back of his head. He grabbed his arm and jabbed it backward into his gut, causing him to stop in his tracks. He delivered an uppercut to the man, knocking him to the ground. He dug his heel into the man's junk, grinding it as hard as he could.

"It's not nice to hit girls." he said, giving the man a grin.

"Um Aiko, the Rune Knights are coming at us!" she cried. Aiden threw several men to the sides. Where the hell were all of these ninja even coming from? He took Phoebe's hand and ran forward, punching a man that was in his way.

"We need to get to the stage!" he exclaimed.

"What is going on out there?" Dennis cried, the building had been rumbling for a bit. First it was the knights running around searching for someone, and now it was the minor quakes. He grit his teeth, looking at the stage manager.

"Start the show, we're losing time." he said.

"But we haven't gotten the go ahead yet." she said.

"I don't give two shits, start the show!" he said forcefully. The woman sighed, radioing in to everyone else. She gave Yuna a nod, the girl looking back at the hallway.

"Well, you're up. Remember what we discussed." Dennis said, reminding the girl. The stage manager had already left, but hidden in the shadows were more members of the Southern Wolves. She sighed, grabbing her microphone. She would have to give her best, even if she didn't feel up for it. She stepped up onto the pad which would slowly rise into the stage, she could already hear the crowd chanting her name.

She took a deep breath, already knowing which song would be first. The pad slowly started rising, and she closed her eyes, praying that this show went by fast. The door suddenly burst open, a stream of blue flames shooting from the hallway. A young woman ran in, wearing her dress of all things.

"Yuna wait! I have your song!" she cried out. Her eyes widened, realization hitting her like a freight train. She tried to jump back down, but the pad had risen to far. Dennis looked at the young girl, snapping his clipboard in half.

"So, you're the one responsible for her attitude this last week?" he asked.

"Shut up! You must be the bastard who's forcing her to sing that drabble you call music. You haven't even heard her voice!" he shouted, punching the man across the face. The members of the Southern Wolves flashed around him, effectively surrounding him. Rune Knights stood behind him, so he couldn't go back. The only way was forward. He grinned.

"This is gonna be so much fun!" he said, flames bursting from his body. He slammed his hands together, pulling them back.

"Switch Style: Fire Make: Hell hound!" he cried, throwing the spell forward. The magic seal burst as the large hellfire wolf burst from it. It snarled loudly racing at a few of the ninja. With a snap of his fingers the dog exploded, sending them flying in all directions.

Loud explosions rung underneath the stage, and the heat had definitely increased a lot. Yuna just stood there in the dark, looking back down. The lights suddenly came on and the crowd broke into an explosive cheer, effectively drowning the fighting happening below. She just stood there as the pyrotechnics too over, shooting large plumes of flames high into the air, along with glittering white fireworks. She took a deep breath, plastering a smile on her face.

"Hello Crocus, how is everyone doing tonight?!" she cried out, earning a loud cheer from the crowd. She smiled, glancing back at the band. She gave them a nod.

"Okay, you're all excited. And so am I, so let's start with the first song of the night! Walking through the Rain!" she cried out, earning a loud cry from everyone. She walked toward the center stage, the music already starting, she waved to the princess, blowing a kiss in her direction. She took a breath about to sing the first set of lyrics for the song when a massive plume of blue fire burst from the middle of the stage. The band stopped playing, just as a man slammed into the ground, his body singed.

"I fucking said, get the hell away from me!" another voice shouted. Half of the stage burst into flames, several more ninja flying in all directions. Jumping from the fire was the girl from before. She looked winded, scratches all over her face, half of her dress was ripped, showing off most of her body, her heels were gone and her hair was disheveled, but the most striking feature was the mark of Fairy Tail on her shoulder. Several more ninjas flashed around her. Yuna grit her teeth, clenching her microphone.

"What's the meaning of this!" she asked.

"These idiots keep attacking me. I just want to give you this song back!" the girl cried, holding her hand out, the folded parchment on it. Yuna's eyes widened a bit and she reached for it, taking the paper from her hand. One of the ninjas suddenly grabbed her, making her let go of the microphone.

"Let me go!" she cried.

"No can do sweetheart, we were hired to keep you in check. Hand over that paper." the man said. The girl elbowed the man, allowing the other girl to punch him off the stage. She grit her teeth in anger.

"These are members of the Southern Wolves, a guild hired by Yuna's manager to keep her in check. Haven't you noticed her singing has been different? That's because she's being forced into singing songs she doesn't like, show her you care! Help set her free!" she cried out, the crowd had questioning looks on their faces, most likely thinking this was all part of the show.

"Aiden, that manager guy called reinforcements." Phoebe cried, floating out of the hole. Her body glowed brightly as she requipped out of her outfit, choosing to go back to her normal look, that of the Hellfire Dragon Slayer, Aiden Flame, something that shocked everyone in the crowd. The ninja all raced at him, knives at the ready. He smirked, doing a quick hand sign, he placed his hands on the ground.

"Fire Make Launching Pads!" he cried. Magic seals appeared under their feet, launching them through the air. He ran forward, punching another man across the face, driving his knee into another one.

"Solar Pulse!" Phoebe cried, swinging her arm forward, thick blades of sunlight flew from her arms, slamming into the ninjas. Most of them recovered, racing back at Aiden who was busy taking care of a few of them. One slammed his leg into his side, eliciting a cry of pain from him, he dropped to the ground, clutching his side in pain.

"Aiden no!" Phoebe cried.

"Leave him alone you bastards!" Yuna cried out. Phoebe glanced back at the Idol, who's body seemed to be glowing a vibrant gold color. Her hair seemed to be moving on it's own. She could sense just how much magical power this girl had.

"Secure the girl, someone cancel this performance and refund the tickets!" Dennis shouted. He was trying to salvage the last of his dignity. Aiden got up to his knee, glaring at the manager.

"I'm not letting you take her." he said firmly. He stood up, racing at the man, only to be slammed into the ground by another ninja.

"You can't do anything boy! That girl is my property, she signed a contract so her life belongs to me." he said.

"My life belongs to me Dennis, I'm sick of your shit. I want to sing my own music, not the crap you have someone write for me. Requip: Sweet Lolita!"

The golden magic around her seemed to explode as her outfit was replaced with a new one. Aiden watched entranced as she donned a Sweet Lolita outfit, similar to the one he had been wearing, except this one was more designed for battles. The long sleeves were covered in a glittering golden armor, with peppermints drawn on them. She was wearing a light blue chest plate which molded over her chest, leaving a bit of her cleavage visible. The skirt of the dress also seemed to be made of a thick but manageable metal allow. Her hair had also been tied up into a single ponytail with a bright pink ribbon, she was wearing a tiara on her head which looked like it was made from candy. She flicked her hand outward, materializing a Scythe. She spun it around her hand, resting it on her shoulder.

"You know how to use magic?" Dennis cried in surprise. Yuna walked forward, the man growing scared as she rose her scythe into the air.

"I've been practicing in secret for three years, buying all of the armors I could, expanding my knowledge and grasp of spacial magic. Training how to use various weapons, all to develop me own style of Requip: The Idol. I've grown sick of your games, call these men off or so help me I will destroy all of them right here." she said.

"Fine...you win this round." he said, snapping his fingers, all of the ninjas disappeared, just as the Rune Knights burst through. Aiden jumped back, but the men grabbed a hold of him, placing a pair of magic seal stone cuffs on him.

"You are under arrest for attacking a member of the royal guard. You damn Fairy Tail mages never learn your lesson do you?" he asked.

"Hey fuck you asshole." Aiden spat angrily. He noticed one of them had grabbed Phoebe as well, placing a pair of cuffs around her wrists.

"Let him go. He was my hired helper, my manager hired the mercenary guild Southern Wolves to extort me into doing his bidding. When I found out, I hired this Fairy Tail mage to help me out. I apologize if he caused you any trouble." Yuna said, giving the soldiers a polite bow.

"Are you sure Miss Yuna?" one of them said.

"Indeed, I assure you he was just doing what he was hired to do." she said. The man nodded, telling his friends to let the teenager go.

"You got lucky this time Blue Flare, but next time you won't be so lucky." the man said. Aiden massaged his wrists, glaring at the knights as they left. Yuna sighed, allowing her armor to disappear from her body, returning to her normal idol get up. She grabbed the microphone and turned to the crowd.

"I would like to apologize to everyone for what just happened. For a long time I was unhappy with how everything in my career was turning out. But now I can safely say that a new chapter is about to begin for me. I hate to do this, but this will be my final concert, after this I am going to pursue my dream of being a wizard. I want to help people who need help, and I want to share my other talents with the world. Being an Idol was a dream of mine, but for so long it made me unhappy. I turned to magic during those times and it changed my life. But don't be sad, I can still make this the best concert all of you have been to. And now, I'll finally be able to sing something I've been keeping secret for years."

"Well, I'm just gonna go then." Aiden said, giving the girl a wave.

"Wait Aiden, I want you to stay here on stage with me. I want this song to be special, mostly because you finally made me realize what I truly wanted. So this one is dedicated to you, your partner Phoebe and all of the mages of Fairy Tail." she said, unfolding the paper. She scanned the melody written on it, looking back at him.

"Did you write this?" she asked.

"Um...actually no, my girlfriend wrote that. She said she couldn't stop herself and wrote it with some help." he said. She smiled, handing the sheet music to one of her stage hands. The band looked it over, giving the girl a nod.

"Well, I think I'm going to sing it. She wrote the melody for it, so this one is also dedicated to her. You are a lucky guy Aiden." she said, giving him a wink. He blushed a bit, looking at the ground. He really didn't need this, especially in front of a crowd of ten thousand.

He started hearing the soft intro to the song, a blend of piano and violin. He still couldn't believe Wendy had wrote that. Even now that he was hearing the intro to it, he couldn't help but just loose himself in the melody. Yuna closed her eyes as well, finally happy to be singing the song she had wanted to be heard for so long.

" _So long, light of dawn, darkness take me in_

 _Soundlessly, holding on_

 _In the depths, silent world, long ago_

 _All that will remain, broken heart_

 _Farewell, memories of betters days_

 _Locked Within hopes that we will remember,_

 _Someday we may wake to find sunrise_

 _Silver Sky Falls upon, you and I_

 _Another Hope fades away into night_

 _Distant Melodies, a sweet lullaby_

 _Will lead me to your_

 _Firefly, grows upon you and I_

 _Another hope fades away_

 _Into the lonely night_

 _When morning comes, my gentle voice_

 _Will lead you, to the light~"_

Memories of his family started drifting into his mind. He didn't know why, but they had just poured in as if a dam had burst. He remembered his mother's smiling face, how happy his father had been the last time he saw him. His sister Kurumi always playing with him and showing him how to use magic. Even his brother, when he wasn't the deranged man he was now.

But then he remembered the night it all came to an end. How hot it was, the death, the screaming. The pain, the fire..everything. But the thing he remembered the most was the silver sky. The beautiful stars had been tainted that night by the smoking blaze. He couldn't see the stars that night, the only thing he was silver. He remembered running through the forest and seeing nothing but silver. Hell, he was convinced everything was silver. Until he finally burst through the woods into that path, and saw the sky again. The stars seemed to bright that night...he remembered the shooting star, and what his sister had told him. He tried not to cry, but it had already been too late.

" _Close your eyes as the stars grow dim_

 _She whispers now, an everlasting vow_

 _Have faith in your heart when hope_

 _Is forgotten, follow the twilight_

 _Silver Sky, Falls upon_

 _You and I_

 _Another hope fades away, into night_

 _Distant Melodies, a sweet lullaby_

 _Will lead me to you_

 _Firefly, grows upon you and I_

 _Another hope fades away into night_

 _When morning comes, my gentle voice will lead you_

 _To the light~"_

The song started winding down, as the last few notes were played. Aiden opened his eyes, only to see Yuna had also been crying. She was shaking, most likely from nervousness. He smiled, wiping his tears away. He looked up at the sky, seeing a shooting star whiz by.

" _A shooting star...alright then...this time, I promise I will get better. I need to, not just for myself but for my friends. No more revenge, no more crying. Kurumi is gone, and I can't bring her back. I have to let her go. I promise to let you go Kurumi...even if it hurts. But not without a proper burial first."_

The crowd broke into applause, pulling him out of his own thoughts.

"W-well, that was a song I called Silver Sky. I hope you all liked it, I couldn't have sung it without Aiden, he was the one who brought it back, and it was Wendy who wrote the melody for me. Now, how about we get things started and start singing some of the classics. Here's Starbright coming right at ya." she said, giving the crowd a wink.

xxx

With the concert finally over, Yuna, Aiden and Phoebe retreated to the green room. The teenager dropped onto the couch. Half way through one of the band members had gotten sick, so he had to take up back up guitar for the band. It had been an awesome experience, and thankfully he had been able to play everything. But man was it tiring. Yuna sat down in front of her vanity mirror, loosening her collar a bit.

"I've called for your girlfriend to be brought here. I have to thank her for everything." She said, taking off her hair ribbons. She unzipped her boots, taking them off right after. She was happy to finally be free of them.

"Thanks, and honestly I'm sorry about ruining the beginning of your show." he said.

"I'm not...because of you, Dennis is being investigated for extortion and Southern Wolves is also going to get some flak, maybe even a dissolution order. I'm finally free, and it's thanks to Fairy Tail." she said.

"Eh, it was nothing. I'm sure anyone else would have done the same thing." Phoebe said, earning an eye roll from her partner.

"Yes, but did you seriously have to dress like a girl?" Yuna asked, looking at the blushing teenager.

"It was the only option I had. I was being chased by Royal Guards and I needed to get out of here fast." he said.

"Well, whatever the case...I have to thank you. I owe the two of you so much already, I don't even know how to repay you." she said.

"I know, you could join our team! We could always you strong mages." Phoebe said.

"Phoebe, you can't just ask her that. Yuna is a pop star, she has things to do and that doesn't include running around with guild mages." Aiden scolded, crossing his arms. The girl giggled, giving the orange haired girl a bright smile.

"Okay, if you want me to join your team I will. Besides, I want to get stronger. I'm sick of people taking advantage of me. Right now I can only use Requip for five minutes before tiring out. I have a lot of space and plenty of armors, but not enough stamina for me to work with them. Joining your team might give me strength and knowledge on magic." she said.

"Are...you serious?" Aiden asked.

"I am...so please, accept me into your team." she said, bowing her head. Aiden almost wanted to scream.

"No way, the famous Idol Yuna wants to be a part of our team? This can't be happening." he said.

"He's having a fangasm, he'll pretty much accept. Of course you'll need the approval of our second in command." Phoebe said, earning a nod from the girl.

"Oh, that reminds me. If you do join our guild, there's someone who can help you with Requip. You said you came up with your own style right?" Aiden said, glancing at the girl.

"I call it the Idol. I had specific armors centered around my musical abilities. Sweet Lolita is more of a combat outfit. I also have my Pon Pon armor, which will increase the power of my voice and give it elemental properties. My Baby Metal armor will allow me to turn music into an attack, my weapon for that one is a guitar, which I can use for both melee combat and elemental combat. Oh and I have one called Geisha, I can't really do anything in that outfit, other than enhance people with my voice." she said, pressing her fingers together.

"Hey, that's not bad. You could use some work of course, to raise your stamina, but I'm sure Erza would gladly help you. Maybe she's bad from that mission." he said, pondering the thought.

"Well...I'm just glad. Thank you Aiden...for setting me free." she said. He looked at her, giving her a bright grin.

"Anytime, Songbird!" he said, giving her a wink.

xxx

"Man, can you believe this?" Aiden asked, entering the guild hall. It had only been a day since returning from Crocus and he hadn't checked into the guild yet. He had been busy settling into the mansion with the rest of the girls. Yuna had gathered up all of her things and moved in with them, but had been busy with press conferences all day. She hadn't even officially joined the guild yet due to being so busy.

On top of everything that happened, the original reason for him going to Hargeon, I.E. searching for Yukino had completely slipped his mind, and now he didn't know where she was. On top of everything he was still thinking about what happened between him and Brandon. He had promised himself he would grow stronger, but he also wanted answers, answers that he didn't know he truly wanted to have.

"Ah, welcome back Aiden and Phoebe. So good to see you." Mirajane greeted, her usual peppy tone was enough to lift his spirits.

"So, what's with the gaping hole in the side of the wall?" Phoebe asked, pointing a finger to the hole on the other side of the guildhall.

"Oh, one of our powerful mages returned from a Hundred year mission. He tends to forget his own strength so he will often walk through buildings." she said, as if it was a normal occurrence.

"Jesus, who is this guy? The Incredible Hulk?" he asked.

"Something like that, he's called Gildarts and he's Fairy Tail strongest mage, even stronger than the guild master!" she said cheerfully. Aiden's eyes widened.

"I thought Gramps was the strongest one here, you mean to tell me there's someone above him?" he asked.

"That's some next level magic. I would hate to face that monster in battle." Phoebe said, being scared for her life.

"Don't worry about it, he's actually really nice when you get to know him. So, talk to me about that concert, I heard you played back up for Yuna." she said.

"Oh yeah, one of the band members got sick to I stepped in. No big deal."

"No big deal!" someone exclaimed. Aiden glanced over to Team Shadow Gear's table, seeing Jet leaning against one of the posts.

"You just played for a world famous idol and you come back and say it was no big deal?" he asked.

"Because it wasn't. She was finally able to sing what she wanted, the first song was rather emotional for me. But after that it was nothing but the classics. Honestly it was a privilege even being next to her on the same stage." he said.

"I also heard you got grilled by the Magic Council for causing havoc in the capitol. Come on Aiden, we don't need you to turn into Natsu 2.0." Droy added. He rolled his eyes.

"As a matter of fact, I would like to discuss something with you Aiden, regarding your recent trip to Hargeon." Makarov said, catching his attention. He nodded and excused himself, walking over to the other end of the bar where the old man was sitting.

"What's up Master?" he asked.

"I heard what happened to you son...is it true that you ran into a Kin of Purgatory?" he asked. A few gasps rung throughout the guild, all eyes on Aiden. Even Erza seemed taken aback at the mention of that title. Natsu of course was confused while Gray tried to explain it to him.

"I did...my older brother, the Ice Dragon Slayer." he said firmly.

"Ice Dragon Slayer?"

"They exist?"

"I was afraid of that. I had heard Grimoire Heart had gotten another member a few years back, but I wasn't aware it was a Dragon Slayer. Aiden I understand how much this means to you, but I want you to promise me you will not go after Grimoire Heart. That guild is too dangerous for you to take on your own." he said.

"The thought never crossed my mind. I fought him, thinking I could beat him, but my flames weren't enough to melt his ice. He's stronger than me, so much stronger. He didn't care about hurting his family, he didn't care about anyone. All he wanted was too see me suffer...I can't call him family anymore. He'll get his soon enough." he said firmly.

"Oi, did he say anything about a dragon?" Natsu asked curiously. This also seemed to attract the attention of Gajeel who had been munching on some bolts.

"Nah, he was one of those fake Dragon slayer...the ones who have lacrima implants." he said, pointing to his chest.

"Tch...so he's like Laxus then?" Natsu asked.

"And that Oracion Seis guy." Gray added, earning a nod from Aiden.

"I wanted nothing more than to kick his ass so hard that implant shattered in his body. But he's too strong, and he knows Ice Make magic too. He hit me with some weird attack, Rosen Krone...it was all rose blooms and thorns." he said. Gray stood stock still, not saying anything after he had mentioned that attack. Aiden shook his head, glancing at Erza.

"I actually wanted to talk to you Erza, you see there's this girl who wants to join the guild. She specializes in Requip Magic. I was hoping you could take her under your wing, help her get used to fighting with that type of magic." he said.

"I would be honored. Any friend of yours is a friend of mine." she said.

"You'll be compensated too, how's about fifty strawberry cheese cakes? I hear there's a bakery in town that has the best pastries." he said. Her eyes lit up, the thought of all that cake had gotten her rather excited.

"So, who exactly is this person?" Jet asked curiously.

"Must be someone uber powerful if Aiden is bringing them in." Macao added.

"A person stronger than you and that frilly fire magic of yours." Wakaba added.

"Well this frilly fire magic can kick your ass any time any place." the blue haired man countered.

"Maybe he can be my drinking buddy." Cana added.

"You just want someone to pay your tabs you drunk." Gray added.

"Put some pants on bro." Aiden said, causing the ice mage to frantically search for his missing garments.

"I gotta say, I am rather curious about this person myself. Are you going to give us a hint son?" Makarov asked. Aiden shook his head.

"Nope, you'll have to wait and see. As a matter of fact here she comes now." he said, glancing to the doors. Everyone watched with baited breath, waiting to see who it was that would enter the guild. A big buff man, a powerful mage? The Pizza Delivery guy?

"Um...hi everyone...I've come to join the guild. I hope you all take care of me."

In that split second, everyone turned to look at Aiden, who was smirking, holding a mug of root beer to his lips. He held his fist out to Phoebe, who had mimicked his action.

"Take what you can."

"Give nothing back."


	37. Edolas Arc: Prelude

**A/N: I have survived the torrential snowfall and I have come to deliver a brand new chapter. Gaze upon the glory that is Chapter 36 of The Hellfire Dragon Slayer!**

 **So, this chapter will mark the beginning of the Edolas arc. I can honestly say I am on the last chapter for this arc and I cannot be fucking happier. Jesus this arc has been a pain in my ass. But I muscled through it and wrote eight chapters for it, nine with the one I'm about to start, so I'm happy about that. And to think, I was going to skip it.**

 **Now I must say, the Edolas arc isn't going to be close at all to the manga. It will share similarities at certain points, but it won't start following the actual plot until the final four chapters or so. That of course stems from my fucking lack of internet. God what a pain...but I shall complain no longer!**

 **I hope you are all doing fantastic where ever you are and I hope you love this chapter, as it will touch a bit on Yamato's past and Aiden's past as well.**

 **Also, I don't know if you've heard of LadyBaby, but please check them out. I stumbled onto their music while listening to BABYMETAL a few days ago, and I have fallen in love with it. Of course I recommend it if you like Metal and are willing to listen to J-Metal...is it J-Metal? I'm not sure, Metal has so many goddamn genres nowadays it isn't even funny.**

Edolas Prelude

Chapter 36

Return to Shamo Village

She didn't know how far she had run, but she didn't dare look back. Doing so would result in something worse than death. Everyone in her village had been murdered and she didn't know why. All she could remember was the thick seen of death that emanated from every single dwelling. Those murders, an extermination. She remembered, hearing the name Zentopia being thrown around, so she figured it must have been the people from the church, but for what reason would they attack an entire village?

She stepped on a sharp rock, letting out a scream of pain. She felt her ankle snap under her as she took a tumble down a hill. She struck a tree trunk, her head hitting the hard bark. Her vision was swimming and her head throbbed, but she couldn't give up. She stood up, dragging her injured leg, clutching her bleeding skull as she kept trying to get away.

"Over here, the demon went this way!"

She quickened her pace, the pain shot into her body and ingrained itself in her mind. She had to keep running, if she didn't run they would capture her. They would do unspeakable horrors to her, like the other girls of her village. She could still remember, the public execution held in the square, watching as every single man, teenager and little boy had their throats sliced open while the women were forced to watch. Her father had been along them. She felt so powerless, watching as he slowly bled to death all while having that warm smile on his face. He didn't blame himself or anyone, he just wanted to smile so his only daughter didn't feel sad.

Then came the execution of the women, all for witchcraft something so ridiculous for a world that had magic in it. Though the magic in this world was limited, it was still a reliable source of power. That was until the king started hording it to himself.

She ran faster, ignoring the fact that her leg was broken, ignoring the fact that she was leaving a blood trail for them to follow. Ignoring the fact that she was running out of forest. Indeed she was on a floating island, and it could only last so much. She didn't even hesitate when she reached the edge. Taking a deep breath, she jumped right off. It was at that instant that she faded into unconsciousness. She remembered a light feeling in her chest, warmth and welcoming, as she was swallowed up by the abyss of the world above.

"Hey, Yamato are you alright?"

The purple haired woman blinked a few times, turning to face her friend and team leader Aiden. She didn't know how long the boy had been standing there, minutes most likely. She took a deep breath, mustering up a smile.

"I'm fine Aiden, what seems to be the issue?" she asked. She took notice of his new attire. It had been a few weeks since they had joined Fairy Tail. They had quickly grown accustomed to the guild work. He had been dressing a bit differently as of late. Thanks to the battle with his brother his previous coat had been tarnished, so he had instead bought another one.

This one was a sapphire blue in color, with bright golden hemlines. It had a high collar, which he had folded down. He was wearing the scarf Wendy had made for him. It was bright green in color, with a scaled design like her dress, it also had many little colors sown into it. She had actually made it out of one of her old dresses. Saying that she wanted him to have something that had her scent on it so he wouldn't forget her. It was honestly the sweetest gesture anyone could have thought of, even though they were young, they had fallen for each other hard.

His hair had also grown out a bit, being less spiky and more straightened in certain areas. He looked closer to Gray than anyone in the guild, if Gray's hair was sapphire in color.

"The issue is I've been trying to get your attention for the past ten minutes. Are you sure you're alright? You haven't been acting like yourself lately." he said. She nodded, turning back to the request board.

"I'm fine. Just some bad memories is all." she said, shaking it off.

"If you say so. Wendy decided to stay at the guild today since she wanted to help Mirajane with some chores. Phoebe and I are heading on a mission with Yuna and wanted to know if you wanted to tag along." he said.

"Oh...I was planning on heading on a mission myself. I suppose we can go together, it has been awhile."

"Alright, your pick then." he said, walking away from her. He figured a few minutes alone would suffice. She sighed, shaking her head.

"I've got to stop thinking about that time." she muttered to herself. She returned her gaze to the board, once again searching for a good quest.

"What's wrong with Yamato?" Wendy asked, as Aiden returned to their table.

"I'm not sure, she's been rather distant for awhile, more than normal anyway." he said, leaning against the table. Wendy tugged on the thread she had been pulling, looking the dress in her hands over.

"What do you think?" she asked, holding it up. It was still unfinished but looked like a replica of her favorite dress, though this one was in blue instead of green.

"It's coming along fine. You know I never got the hang of sowing." he said, looking at the needles she had laid out in front of her.

"That's because your a piece of shit who only does nothing but burn stuff to a crisp." Phoebe snapped back.

"Look who's talking Cookie Monster, all you do is sit on your ass all day forking that shit into your mouth. We don't have oatmeal left because of you." he cried back, an angry look on his face.

"Aiden, Aiden look!" Yuna cried, catching his attention. She raced into the guild, bringing everyones attention to her. It seemed everyone was still not over the fact that an Idol had joined the guild. She took a deep breath, closing her eyes.

"Erza and I spent all morning training and I can requip into a new armor. Requip: Songstress!" she cried out. Her body glowed a bright gold as her new armor appeared on her body.

The armor infact consisted of a sleeveless black shirt, with a keyhole opening in the center of the chest. It had golden buttons and a folded down collar. She was wearing an extremely short pair of shorts, along with a feathery half pelt on the left side of her waist. On her right sat a brown pouch. She was also wearing a pair of laced navy blue boots.

Her hair was tied into twin tails. She held her hands out, summoning a pair of handguns. On her left arm in the middle of her bicep sat her Fairy Tail mark, which was white in color. Apparently she got it in honor of Mirajane, who had been her favorite model for the last two years.

"Holy crap, are those twin .45's?" he asked.

"Yup! Thanks to my practicing, I was able to equip three more armor sets into my palette of sorts. She's been such a big help!" she said cheerfully.

"You've been improving all on your own Yuna. This is because of your hard work, I was only there to supervise." Erza said, standing next to her. The girl smiled, giving her a hug, ignoring the fact she was still wearing her Heart Kreuz armor. Apparently she wasn't affected by it.

"Still, I can't thank you enough! You've all been so kind to me." she said.

"Don't sweat it Songbird, we're all family in Fairy Tail." Aiden said, giving her a grin. She blushed a bit, still not used to his pet name for her. Wendy frowned, crossing her arms.

"How come I don't get a petname?" she asked.

"Because I love your name so much I want don't want to give you one." he said, kissing her cheek. She blushed, holding back a giggle.

"Aiden, I've chosen our mission. I hope it's satisfactory." Yamato said, holding the paper out to him.

"Whoa...that's different. You're usually laid back, are you sure you're fine?" he asked.

"Yeah...sorry. That type of speech was ingrained in my mind." she admitted. He furrowed his brows looking the paper over.

"Search the ruins of Shamo Village for a lost jewel?" he asked, looking at the violet haired girl.

"I'm sorry. I know you were actually born in Shamo Village, and I thought you might want to head back there." she said.

"Well actually I was born in Crocus, Shamo didn't have hospital that dealt with that stuff. But that's beside the point, I'm honestly not sure if I'm ready to go back. It's been seven years, and all of that stuff is still fresh. I..don't know if I can handle it." he said.

"Of course you can. You're a Fairy Tail mage, we can handle anything!" Natsu cried, wrapping his arm around the younger Fire dragon. Erza gave him a nod, crossing her arms.

"I agree with Natsu. You've changed and grown in those last seven years, I believe you are ready to face your past. It might be better for you to do it now, to ease your conscience."

"Face my past huh?" he asked, though it was mostly to himself. He felt Wendy take his hand. He didn't know why it was, but whenever he held her hand, he instantly calmed down. It was as if he could feel a connection of some sort, but he didn't know what it was. He gave her hand a small squeeze. His face split into a grin.

"Alright, time to bury my demons. Then I can let go of the past and move forward. How can I ride that tail wind if I got this anchor weighing me down all the time?" he asked.

"That's the spirit. I would accompany you, but I've been asked to stay back by the master. I wish you both the best of luck." Erza said. Yuna's body glowed a bright gold as she returned to her normal outfit, standing next to her friends.

"Me too, it'll be my first mission for Fairy Tail." she said.

"Ah right, my apologies. All four of you will do great, I know it." she said.

"Well, I guess we can go. Take care Wendy, try not to miss me too much!" he said, giving her a wink. She smiled, giving him a wave as he and his team left the guild.

"Why didn't you go with them again?" Natsu asked.

"Mirajane needed a little extra help, since Alana is handling some of the grocery shopping. I thought I could make myself useful. Besides, I didn't feel like leaving town today." she said, returning to the dress she had been making.

"Is something wrong Carla?" Happy asked, looking at the white haired girl. She had been acting a little strange as well, mostly being more rude to people, even her own friends. Aiden had theorized that she was probably having cramps, but that joke didn't fly with her and he ended up getting slapped across the face. He hadn't spoken to her since. He was still convinced she was attracted to him for some reason, but never really thought about it much. She looked away from Happy, crossing her arms.

"I'm alright." she said simply.

"Oh...well I got you this fish. I put a bow around it to make it presentable." he added.

"I told you I didn't like fish...why don't you give it to Phoebe, she seems to like you back." she snapped back.

"Alright...I'll just wait until she comes back. I just wanted to be friends." he said, floating away.

"That was rude Carla." Wendy said, glaring at her friend. She just looked away, nose held high.

"I've told him countless times that I don't want his fish." she said.

"But that isn't the point. The point is he's trying to be friendly, and you keep acting mean. We joined this guild to make friends not enemies, Carla...talk to me. What's wrong?" she asked.

"You wouldn't understand, just leave me alone!" she snapped, grabbing her magic tome. She walked out of the guild, brushing past one of the members that was walking.

"Oh Carla, why won't you tell me what's wrong?" she asked.

"Maybe she is jealous that you and Aiden are dating." Lucy said.

"No that's not it. She doesn't care if we date or not as long as he doesn't do anything to hurt me. It's something else, she's been so distant these few weeks. I just want to know why." the blue haired Sky Dragon said, frowning a bit.

xxx

"So, what are the parameters for this mission?" Yuna asked curiously. Aiden unfolded the paper, looking it over. He was glad to have taken his motion sickness pills. The last thing he needed was to make an ass out of himself in front of his favorite idol. He scanned it over, humming to himself.

"Apparently this mission comes from Oak Town. The person who sent it needed it retrieved since the railroad tracks leading in and out of Shamo were ripped out. Only guild mages are allowed in the village nowadays." he said.

"The item we're retrieving is a necklace valued at nearly one billion jewels. It was an AA class mission, I doubt it will be challenging." Yamato said.

"I dunno...this looks fishy to me. I don't remember seeing anyone with a gemstone this big before. Then again I was four years old, I doubt I would remember an insignificant little rock." he said.

"Insignificant? Ugh...leave it to men not to appreciate the value of jewelry." Yuna said, crossing her legs. She looked away, nose held high.

"Oh, that's just Aiden being Aiden. He's lucky he values friendship or else his life would be drier than the Northern Desert." Phoebe said.

"You know, I'm getting really close to leaving my hand printed on your ass for all eternity." he said, igniting his hand. She screeched, jumping over the seat.

"No...my butt is to cute to be blemished!" she cried.

"Well, you two haven't changed at all." Yamato noted, a small smile on her friend. Aiden grinned, happy that his friend was acting like her old self again. He glanced at Yuna, a look of curiosity on his face.

"Say, is Yuna a stage name or is it your real name?" he asked.

"That's a good question, Idols usually make a stage name out of their real one." Phoebe said.

"That would be true in this case, but my manager was the one who came up with that name. He said my real name didn't sound like Idol material. I guess I've grown so used to it, it became a name for me." Yuna replied.

"So, what's your real name? Is it something pretty?" Aiden asked. She shrugged.

"It might not be. My real name is Peyton Lilith Heartfilia." she said. Aiden suddenly choked, hitting his chest as he started coughing loudly. He took a few deep breaths, looking at the girl.

"Heartfilia?" he choked out.

"Yeah, something wrong with that name?" she asked curiously. He shook his head.

"No...it just sounds familiar that's all." he said, shaking it off. He looked away from the girl, glancing across the train car.

" _She and Lucy share the same last name. Then again, she did tell me that her mom and dad both shared that name and weren't related at all by blood. Could that mean she is from a clan with that name?"_

"Heartfilia is an old name. It hails from old Ishgar, the nation before the dragon war. The name itself means Heart of Light. In history, the name was associated with very powerful wizards capable of wielding light magic, as well as Celestial Spirit magic. One such case is the name of a Celestial Spirit wizard by the name of Anna Heartfilia. She was the only one who had all twelve zodiac keys at the same time. A feat that hasn't been seen in four hundred years. Wear it proudly Yuna, that name is stronger than you think." Yamato said.

"Hmm...I wonder if Lucy knows the meaning behind that name." Aiden muttered to himself quietly. Yuna didn't hear it, but he was sure Yamato did. She didn't say anything, most likely not wanting to reveal anymore information. But she did have a lot to talk about with the blonde Stellar mage.

After a few hours, the Fairy Tail mages reached the city of Crocus, the final stop for the train line. From there they would have to follow the train tracks until reaching the village. Thankfully it was still early in the day, so camping out wouldn't be necessary. The path had become old and worn, some of the tracks were missing while others were rusted beyond repair. The once lush green forest had slowly transformed into a charred wasteland, though there were green trees peeking here and there. Aiden knelt down, grabbing a few forgotten rivets and shoving them in his pack.

"What are those for?" Phoebe asked, floating next to him. He found it a bit weird to see her like that, but since she hadn't been able to return to her exceed form, she had been doing this a lot.

"I owe Gajeel for that information on Yukino. I wasn't able to follow up on it, but I did get some information from that shop keep. It's a shame, but at least I'll be able to give Angel some good news." he said, placing his pack back on his shoulder.

"I find it noble that you are helping her. But is it a wise choice? She is of the Oracion Seis after all." Yamato said.

"I understand your apprehension Yamato, but I think it's alright. She's just a woman who wants to be reunited with her family. She's lucky...luckier than me anyway." he said, a frown on his face.

"Hey guys check it out!" Yuna cried, pointing to the tracks ahead. There was an abandoned cart, most likely the one used to rip out the tracks to carry them back to the scrap yard. It had a large lacrima orb in the center, though it was cracked, it looked to be functional. Yamato climbed on top of it, looking it over.

"It looks operational. If the tracks ahead of us are still in place, then we can use this to ride to Shamo Village." she said.

"I got this, I've been working on a new spell." he said, placing his hands together. Fire swirled between his palms, glowing a brilliant blue.

"Switch Style: Fire Make: Butterfly." he chanted. He pulled his hand away, revealing a beautiful blue butterfly. It had thick black lines running across the wings, each small section glowed brightly like a million sapphires. It flapped its wings and took off, floating over the rail railroad.

"It's so pretty." Yuna said, watching the small creature fly into the distance.

"I designed that spell as a surveillance mechanism. It it comes back and it stays solid, then there's nothing wrong up ahead, if it bursts into wisps, then it's a sign of danger. It's a delicate spell, as delicate as a butterfly." he said. After a few seconds the butterfly returned, landing on his finger. It stayed solid, signifying a clear path ahead.

"That's amazing. Molding magic truly is a versatile craft." Yamato said. The butterfly disappeared, turning into blue specks of fire. Aiden climbed onto the cart, helping Yuna onto it. Yamato held her hand over the lacrima, lurching the vehicle forward. Aiden was glad the pills were still in effect.

"So, what do you think you'll find at the village?" Yuna asked, taking a seat next to Aiden, who was dangling his feet over the edge of the cart.

"I'm not sure. My past isn't something easy, there's a lot of pain and heartache. There were silver skies all around. This forest, it used to be lush, our hunting grounds, and now...just a burned wasteland." he said, eyeing all of the charred trees, and the soil. Even then, there was a lot of lush greenery and bright trees. Yuna smiled, placing a strand of hair behind her ear.

"I don't think so. Even in this lush wasteland, there is a chance of new life. Look at the grass, the flowers, the trees that grew in the aftermath of that tragedy. Just like you had a second chance at life, so did nature. Nothing lasts forever, in time this land will be green again. You just have to keep hole alive!" she said cheerfully. Aiden chuckled shaking his head, he lay down, glancing at the sky above him.

"You are right. I was right about something too." he said.

"Hmm...what was that?" she asked, her crimson eyes meeting his azure ones.

"That you belong in Fairy Tail." he replied.

"And thus, the harem grows stronger." Phoebe whispered, making Yamato giggle.

xxx

Shamo Village, once a beautiful oasis in the westernmost part of Fiore, now was nothing more than a desolate wasteland. In the seven years post the Tower of Heaven invasion, the town had been abandoned. Most of the houses were burned down, while others remained standing, shells of their former selves. The walls that once held these dwellings together not stuck up into the sky, reaching for the heavens like horrid ugly creatures. The cobblestone paths had been over taken by the desert sand, wearing them down until most of the blocks were gone. The large oasis had grown in size, swamping most of the downtown area with water. It was truly an abandoned desert village.

Which also made it easy to pilfer from. That's what Doku, Koffman and Zuke thought. The three Treasure Hunters were walking through the abandoned building, looking for a special gemstone.

"Those idiots, sending requests to mage guilds, don't they know we can easily get access to those?" Koffman asked, kicking a discarded trunk aside. Zuke shook his head.

"Watch it buddy. Remember we aren't even supposed to be here, so it's best if we keep quiet." he said.

"We're in the middle of the desert Zuke, let Fat Ass have his fun." Doku said, sitting down on a worn wooden chair. He was surprised the thing hadn't broken apart on him.

"Man, the Royal Heart of Anubis. A crown jewel from the first king, I can't believe it was lost in this dump." Koffman said, looking at the request paper he had stolen.

Following the failed trip to Fogbound Lake, the three treasure hunters had been excommunicated from Sylph Labyrinth. They had joined another guild in a place called Veronica, a small Principality within Fiore's borders. Doku looked at the back of his hand, seeing the mark of Carbuncle emblazoned on it. They may not have access to magic power, but they did have magic weapons, and that made them a deadly threat.

"You think if I give Coordinator this necklace she'd have sex with me?" Koffman asked, looking at his friend and leader. He too had the mark of their new guild on his skin, on his neck to be precise. Zuke chuckled dryly, throwing a rock at his family jewels. He cried in pain, falling to the ground.

"As if a babe that hot would let herself be soiled by that pencil dick between your legs. Well, she might just fuck your ass with her sword instead." he said with a grin.

"Gentlemen, we haven't the time to be messing around. We must locate that gem, it is worth more than your lives. Remember, we'll be swimming in riches if we do locate it." Doku said firmly.

"Yeah, and then we'll be able to exact our revenge against Cait Shelter for messing with us." Zuke said, remembering what happened in Fogbound Lake.

"Idiot, Cait Shelter broke up. Our target is Fairy Tail now, that's where that stupid kid went." Koffman said, his pain subsiding a bit.

"As if we can attack Fairy Tail and survive. We need to lure them out, maybe a fake request or something...we're done here. Clearly this place doesn't have it. Come on, let's check the bank next, it might have been stored there." Doku said, standing up from his seat. As he walked out of the shadows, the light danced on his skin, revealing the sear mark he had gotten from Iona's acidic water. He would never forgive those mages for what they had done.

xxx

Aiden didn't know what to feel. The cart they had used had become useless after awhile, so they had to walk the rest of the way into the village. Standing at the top of it, it looked nothing like he remembered. It was so vibrant and alive before, now it was a shell. An empty husk devoid of life. Sand dunes had gathered all around the streets, most of the buildings near the oasis had been swallowed hole by the growing lake. Even city hall hadn't been spared. He felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up, seeing Yamato's warm smile.

"We'll be together. Come on." she said, taking the lead. He nodded, slowly following after her.

"Do you remember where the important places were?" Phoebe asked curiously.

"Um...this part of the town was more of the workers area. My father's woodworking store was around here, but it looks like the building was claimed by the fire. There was a bank too, the gem might have been stored there due to it's value. I remember there was a pawn shop around here too." Aiden said.

"You think it might have been pawned for money?" Yuna asked curiously.

"It might have, it's a possibility after all. I say we check the big buildings first. Let's start with city hall, the owner used to work there so she might have dropped it during the scramble to leave." he said. He lead them deeper into the village, swallowing hard.

He stopped as they passed by a familiar looking store. Aiden walked over to it, seeing the large glass window had cracked. He was surprised the building had actually survived. He saw the worn letters spelling Toy Store had peeled away during the years. He placed his hand on the glass, seeing the abandoned toys beyond the glass.

"I used to come to this place all the time as a kid. Seeing all of the new toys the Toy maker made was something I loved to do. I remember, when Kurumi bought me my first toy from here, a lacrima powered plane, based on the ones the Bosco Air force uses. And the Yo-yo too." he said.

"It looks like this was a fun place." Phoebe said cheerfully.

"It was. Come on, we're not that far now." he said, leading them toward city hall. As they got closer, they heard something crash next to them. They looked toward the bank, the building had been burned, but most of it was still in place. Aiden could hear sounds from inside. He put his guard up, walking toward the building.

"Stay here, someone's inside." he said firmly.

"No way, you'll get hurt!" Yuna said.

"Trust him, he'll be fine." Yamato replied. He suddenly stopped, taking a few steps back. From within the bank came out three individuals, all of them grinning brightly. Aiden's eyes widened, recognizing who they were.

"I can't believe it, it was here all along. We're so rich."

"Let's just get back to Veronica, the Prince is going to pay us handsomely for this." the leader said. They all stopped, eyes widening when they saw Aiden.  
"It's you!" they cried in unison.

"What the fuck are you doing here?" Aiden shouted angrily.

"I could be asking you the same thing Kitten, or should I say Fairy? Heard your guild was turned to dust by the Seis. Kinda funny if you ask me." Zuke said, a grin on his face. Aiden balled his hand up, flames bursting to light.

"You think you can come to this village and steal shit that doesn't belong to you?" he asked angrily.

"What's it to you? This village is abandoned, gone...returned to the dust from whence it came." Doku said. In the blink of an eye, Aiden burst forward, slamming his fist into the man, sending him flying back into the building. He swept his leg up, slamming his flaming foot into Koffman's face. He drove his fist into Zuke's chest, knocking him over. He grabbed the necklace from Koffman's hand, holding it tightly in his grasp.

"You got lucky last time, Iona sent your asses packing before I got the chance to, but she isn't here. I'll send you all to the depths of hell." he said. He heard the sound of a gun being cocked and looked up, eyes widening.

"Guns Magic: Water Shot!" Doku shouted, pulling the trigger of his gun. A torrent of water slammed into Aiden, sending him flying through the air and into another building. The gem stone fell to the ground next to them.

"Heh, magic is fun. I should have learned this shit years ago." Doku said.

"Who the hell are these fools?" Yuna asked, anger coursing through her body.

"These idiots are the ones we hired for our expedition. They planned to steal Fogbound Lake's treasure from us and attacked us when we weren't paying attention." Phoebe said. Yamato glared at the men, her violet eyes glowing a bit.

"Oh, so these are the fools who dared lay a finger on my friends?" she asked. Her magic power flared up a bit, and poison started to flow from the ground, swirling above her. Yuna took a step back, fear written on her face.

"Such power." she said.

"You don't scare me Viper Princess, I've got just the thing for you. Guns Magic, Paralyzing Shot!" Doku cried, pulling the trigger of his shotgun. Yamato swung her hand, a stream of poison flying from it. The shotgun slug broke through the poison, slamming into her shoulder. She cried in pain, falling to the ground.

"It..broke...through my...poison?" she asked, sparks flowing from her body.

"My Shotgun isn't just another piece of equipment. This was given to me by one of my friends at Carbuncle. It's a magic gun that pierces through any magic, even defensive spells. Face it, even the scales of a mighty dragon slayer pale in comparison to it's might!" he said.

"Well, looks like I'll have to prove you wrong." Aiden said, slamming his flaming fists together. A magic seal flashed in front of him as he took a deep breath, he barely used this technique anymore, since he wanted his attack to be as effective, but this one allowed him to control and channel it into a single spot.

"Hellfire Dragon's Roar!" he shouted, placing his hands together, blowing through them. The blue plumes of flame shot toward Doku, a concentrated blast of fire with the shape of a dragon's head at the end. He smirked, stepping back as Koffman stood up. He pulled a large pan of sorts from behind his back, using it to absorb the attack.

"This was a gift from a friend in Sylph Labyrinth. A magical pan that can send spells back. So have fun digesting this!" He cried, launching the blue flames back at Aiden. He howled in pain as he was sent flying back. The attack had grown twice as strong and since it was made of his own fire he couldn't eat it. He would be in a bind.

"Stop hurting my friends!" Yuna cried out, catching their attention.

"No way, the rumors are true. The famous pop star did join the Fairies!" Zuke said, grasping onto a staff. It had a large lacrima orb at the top, most likely for concentrated magic blasts.

"Yuna...I can't move. My body is able to absorb all kinds of poison, including paralyzing poison, but it will take awhile. Hold them off." Yamato said, glancing at the girl. Yuna nodded, taking a step forward.

"I'll cover you Yuna, just remember what Erza taught you." Phoebe said, flying forward, fists glowing bright orange.

" _I know...I haven't been taught properly in magic, I've only had a few days of training, along with everything else I learned. But...that doesn't mean I won't give it my all. I have to prove to my friends that I belong in Fairy Tail."_

"So I'll give it everything I've got! Requip: Songstress!"

"Whoa, she's a mage?" Koffman asked. Phoebe slammed her glowing fist into his face, sending him flying into a wall.

"Hell yeah she's a mage. She's going to help me kick your asses!" she cried, dodging a blast of magic from Zuke. Yuna finished her transformation, flicking her wrists out to summon her guns. She held them up, taking aim at Doku.

"Guns Magic: Infinite Shot!" she cried, pulling the triggers. A rainstorm of glowing golden bullets shot outward, all aimed at Doku. He smirked, holding his hand out, a magic seal appearing before him.

"Reflect!" he cried. A light blue shield appeared before him, absorbing all of the bullets. The shield exploded, sending the rounds back at Yuna. She dodged to the side, trying to avoid every shot she could. She howled in pain as one pierced right through her leg. She took aim again, her gun swirling with green magic.

"I learned this one from Alzack, Guns Magic: Tornado Shot!" she cried, pulling the trigger. A swirling gale shot out of the pistol, flying straight at the mages. Doku clicked his tongue, forming another Reflective barrier. Aiden appeared behind him, a smirk on his face.

"Deflect this! Hellfire Dragon's Iron Fist!" he shouted, driving his fist right into the back of his head. The barrier broke, allowing Yuna's attack to hit him dead on. The girl stood up, ignoring the pain in her leg.

"Chief! I'll show you, Lightning Shot!" Zuke cried, holding his staff in the air. A giant bolt of lightning shot from it, aimed directly at Aiden. He jumped back, flipping out of the way to avoid the bolt. Koffman took his chance and swung his frying pan at him, sending him flying through the air and into a wall.

"Aiden!" Yuna cried.

"Man, I can't believe these fools thought they could take us out!" Koffman said, placing his pan on his shoulder. Zuke smirked standing next to his friend, as Doku stood up. Aiden stood up, wiping his lip. He glanced at the large crater his body had left behind from the impact, a smirk on his face.

"You see this crater behind me? That's gonna be the size of each of your assholes after I'm done driving my foot up your asses." he said, jumping forward.

"Guns Magic: Fire Spin!" Yuna cried, shooting right at Aiden. The flames swirled around him, orange blending in with blue.

"Hellfire Dragon's Sword Horn!" he cried.

"Koffman, block the attack. Zuke hit him with whatever you can!" Doku said. The portly man jumped forward, absorbing the spell with his frying pan, only it started to crack, until it finally broke. He howled in pain as Aiden slammed into him, knocking him into the wall. He grabbed the man by his shirt and punched him repeatedly across the face.

"Koffman! Let him go your bastard!"

"Poison God's Bellow!" Yamato shouted, unleashing her breath attack at the man. Her watched in fear and shock as a swirling storm of black and purple poison gas came at him. He tried jumping out of the way, but the attack hit dead on, sending him to the ground in pain. He coughed loudly, his body stinging from the poison. Yamato jumped into the air, pulling her arm back.

"Those who attack my friends get no mercy from me! Poison God Advanced Technique. Venomous Halberd!" She chanted. A large spear of flowing poison formed from her hand, and she threw it with all her might. The attack slammed right next to Zuke's face, but the explosion was enough to damage him. The man landed in a heap next to his passed out comrade, leaving only Doku behind. The Fairy Tail mages stood in front of the man, who still held his gun up.

"You bastards, you think I'll hand this over just like that?" he asked, holding the gem out. Phoebe zoomed past him, a grin on her face.

"Yoink!" she cried, stopping next to her friends.

"Don't you know bragging and monologues are what makes villains so easy to take down?" she asked, spinning the gem around her finger.

"Guns Magic: Explosive Round!" he shouted, pulling the trigger. Aiden stepped forward, taking the attack head on. A violent explosion rung through the area, making Doku grin, only for him to see the flames being sucked up by the young teenager. He smirked, wiping his lip.

"I'm all fired up!" he said. Yuna stepped forward, her body glowing a bright gold.

"I'll take care of him. Requip: Baby Metal Armor!" she chanted. Her body once again glowed a vibrant golden color as she changed into a new set of armor.

This set consisted of a sleeveless Gothic Lolita dress, with red frills around the arms. It was black in color, with an onyx colored chest plate that molded over her still growing breasts. It had a knee length metal skirt, which was black and crimson in color. She wore dark thigh high stockings, along with metallic greaves in the form of platform shoes. Her hair was tied up into twin tails, and half her face was covered in a white mask, that looked like a beautiful wolf. She held her arm out, summoning an electric guitar, a Gibson Flying V.

"Now then, I'm about to hit you with my new single. I call it, Bleeding Eardrums!" she said. She started plucking on the guitar strings, increasing the volume of her sound. It wasn't long before she started playing a heavy guitar riff, the sound literally making everything vibrate, and yet somehow the only ones affected were Team Skull.

"Gah, make it stop!"

"It hurts!"

"Mommy, make the evil sounds go away!"

"Now, a joint attack." Yuna cried. Aiden and Yamato nodded, both taking a deep breath.

"Hellfire Dragon."

"Poison God."

"Roar/Bellow!" they cried in unison. Yuna rose her hand above her head, slamming her pick across the guitar strings, creating a powerful blast of sound. All three magical attacks blended into one slamming into the three thugs. They howled in pain, as they were sent flying through the air.

"Not again!" they shouted, disappearing into the distance. Aiden breathed a sigh of relief, glancing at his friends.

"Hell yeah, that shit was so fucking cool!" he said.

"Thanks, I was saving this armor for when I got better. It just seemed to hit me." Yuna said, giving him a smile.

"What a unique armor set. A set that makes use of sound waves?" Yamato asked.

"Mhmm. This is called Baby Metal, it was based off a band from a while ago, who blended Goth Loli fashion with heavy metal. I fell in love with the idea and got to designing this right away. Money was no object, and I had the creative freedom on how it would work. This armor gives me the ability to use Sound Magic too, as well as Amplifying Magic."

"Which is why the music sounded so loud. That's way cool." Phoebe said, bumping fists with the girl. Aiden took the stone from Phoebe's hand, holding it high above them.

"Well, mission accomplished." he said.

"I'm sorry...I was so useless in that fight." Yamato said, looking at the ground.

"No you weren't. Being hit with paralyzing rounds could have happened to anyone. Chin up, we got our item and I was able to ease my conscience a bit." he said.

"I know...but I just...I haven't been myself lately...I'm." she didn't say anything, choosing to remain silent. He looked back at his friends, shrugging in confusion.

"Let's just head back to Magnolia Town. Master will be able to contact our client so they can arrange a pick up time." he said, leading them toward the abandoned railroad tracks. Yuna requipped into her normal attire, frowning a bit. She hissed in pain, still recovering from the gunshot she had gotten. Phoebe decided to heal her up a bit, even though it wouldn't seal it completely she could at least stop the pain for a bit. Yamato bit her lip, looking up at the sky.

" _It must be near Magnolia now. Why didn't I tell him?"_

xxx

"Man, what's up with all this rain?" Chelia asked, pouting a bit. She had just returned from a mission with Iona and had wanted to play at the park. But the rain storm had gotten so bad that they all just chose to remain inside.

"It must be a monsoon, very common for this time of year." Iona said, being attuned with water, she could sense the levels of precipitation in the area.

"Are you sure it isn't just Juvia again?" Chelia asked, causing the girl to huff.

"It isn't my fault." she said. A loud snore rattled the area, and they looked toward Natsu who had fallen asleep. Happy shook his head.

"Leave it to Natsu to fall asleep in the middle of the day." he said. Gray grit his teeth, standing up from the table.

"Someone hand me a pen, I think I know what I'm going to do to pass the time!" he said firmly.

Wendy stood up from the table. She had been taking a bit of a break from her chores, but had grown very worried. Carla hadn't returned, and she had a nagging feeling in her chest.

"Is something wrong Wendy?" Lucy asked.

"No...I'm gonna go look for Carla. I'm worried something happened to her." she said, walking toward the doors.

"I'll go too. I want to apologize to her for upsetting her." Happy said, floating after the Sky Dragon. The two of them raced into the city, ignoring the falling rain.

"Split up, search from the air." Wendy suggested.

"Aye sir!" he cried, zooming past her. She huffed.

"I'm a girl!" she cried out.

She looked around, trying to avoid all of the large puddles in the area. A bolt of lightning struck the church's steeple, causing her to stop. She looked up into the sky, seeing a massive gathering of clouds. It was swirling, forming an eye in the center of it, but she couldn't see anything. The air was thick and the breeze felt wrong. She took a deep shaky breath, feeling her heart quicken.

"What is this feeling? Am I scared?" she asked herself. She looked ahead of her, hearing soft footsteps. A person came to a stop in front of her, causing her to put her guard up. She hadn't seen this man before. His face was covered with a blue scarf, and he was wearing an odd outfit, along with a torn cloak. The man just stood in front of her.

"Wendy."

"Huh...how do you know my name?" she asked. The man took his scarf off, pulling the hat he was wearing off his head. Her eyes widened in shock. Lightning tore across the sky, making her jump a bit.

"Jellal? But I saw you get arrested." she said. He shook his head.

"The Jellal you met wasn't the one you met seven years ago. I was the one who found you, and took you to the Cait Shelter guild." he said. Her eyes widened a bit. She felt her legs weaken a bit.

"You're...the Jellal I know?" she asked.

"I am. We must hurry, we haven't got much time." he said.

"Hurry, why? What's going on?" she asked.

"It won't be long, before this town is swallowed up."


	38. Edolas Arc: The World On The Other Side

**A/N: Hello and welcome to a brand new chapter of The Hellfire Dragon Slayer. Last chapter, we got to see a bit of Yamato's past, and learn about her origins. I honestly didn't think of making her from Edolas until I started writing it, it sort of fit into the overall plot. From here on, we won't learn more about her until a little later in the arc. I hope you'll forgive me for that.**

 **So, Aiden's adventures through Edolas are going to begin. He will bare witness to the world on the other side and also learn of all the problems said world faces. His overall mission will be to save his friends, and he will stop at nothing to achieve that. So I hope you all like this new entree into the story.**

 **We're almost approaching 40 chapters. It's so crazy, I never thought this story would become this long, but I am immensely happy with it. I'm not sure how long I'll aim this to be, but if I include the arcs after Tenrou, this story will reach well into the sixties or seventies. I might just keep it as a whole story rather than splitting it in half. I guess the second part can end with Tenrou and the beginning of the x791 arc will begin. I have big plans for the Grand Magic Games and am replacing some guilds and adding others. I also have plenty of ideas for the Eclipse Arc, which is by far my most fucked up arc in the story. I have so many ideas that I filled a notebook from cover to cover. Stay tuned for that..**

 **Anyway, I'll leave you all with this chapter, hope you like it.**

 **Happy St. Patrick's Day to all my Irish Readers, and if you aren't Irish, well go find one and give them a big kiss, I hear it's good luck!**

Edolas Arc

Chapter 37

The World Next To Ours

Due to the sudden rain storm, Aiden and the rest of his team had been forced to walk from Onibus Town all the way to Magnolia. Thankfully, it was only a two hour walk so it wasn't so bad. The wind was blowing rather hard, shaking the trees around them. Aiden took a firm hold of Yuna's hand, since she was injured he didn't want her to get hurt. The Idol had fiercely opposed to this, but he reassured that he didn't mind. Phoebe hadn't stopped teasing the two of them, with promises of telling Wendy all about it, much to his chargin. Yamato had remained silent all throughout the trip, not saying a single word. She just kept looking up at the sky, giving it a blank look.

"How far are we from Magnolia Town now?" Phoebe asked, holding the edges of her hood.

"Not that far, we should be seeing it any minute now." Aiden replied. He wasn't bothered at all by the rain, so he had chosen to give his jacket to Yuna. His sleeveless shirt had been soaked all the way through, but his body heat was enough to keep him warm. Yamato had her own poncho, which she had requipped onto herself as soon as they left Onibus.

"I find it weird that this storm suddenly kicked up. Didn't the weather man say it was going to be clear all week?" Yuna asked.

"Eh, I don't trust weathermen. Last time this happened, Phoebe ended up getting sick and I almost died. Come to think of it, that's when we found Cait Shelter." Aiden said.

"Good times."

"No not good times, I broke my fucking arm!" he snapped angrily, causing the orange haired girl to giggle.

Yamato suddenly stopped, feeling an intense magical power in the air. It was like the one she remembered from six years before. They were near the edge of the forest, facing Magnolia Town. Her friends were about to race into the town when she grabbed Aiden's arm, pulling him to a stop.

"Don't, we have to get out of here!" she cried.

"Huh...why?" he asked.

"We just do. It isn't safe!" she said.

"Yamato, are you okay? Would you like a cookie?" Phoebe asked, offering one of the sweets to the girl.

"No, we have to go right now. I'll explain later!"

"Alright that's enough!" Aiden snapped angrily, pulling his hand from her grasp. She took a step back, shocked at his action.

"You have been acting strange all day. Now you are saying it isn't safe here? Why isn't it safe? What the fuck is going on?"

"We're all in danger...that thing, up in the sky is going to suck the town into it. I've seen it before...all of us will die!" she said. The swirling mass of clouds was starting to spark with pent up electrical magic. It wouldn't be long now and she knew it.

"She isn't making any sense. What is she talking about?" Yuna asked, fear written on her face. He shook his head.

"I don't know...she's probably hallucinating or something. Let's just go to the guildhall. I wanna get out of this rain." he said.

"And jump right into Wendy's arms?" Phoebe asked, wiggling her brows. He flicked her nose really hard, causing her to cry out.

"Aiden please, listen to me. We have to go, do you want to die?" Yamato screamed, causing him to stop. He looked back at her, eyes widened. He had never seen the woman cry before, but seeing her in that state...perhaps she was right about what was going on. He sighed, placing his hands on his hips.

"Alright, explain to me why we have to leave? The town is fine, see? Nothing is going too..."

A sudden rumbling filled their ears as they all looked at the city behind them. It had started breaking apart, being sucked right into the clouds. He didn't know how to describe the feeling. He raced toward the city, his eyes focusing on everything that was being torn apart. The sky was glowing brightly with electrical energy, large bolts of lightning flying in all directions. He felt the magical energy around him, tearing everything apart. A large funnel had formed, sucking everything into the clouds. Everything around him was just being pulled apart, molecule by molecule. He could only stand there and watch as it started heading toward them.

"Aiden!"

He snapped his head to the right, seeing Yuna glowing a bright gold. He reached his arm toward her, trying to grab her hand. He held tightly onto her wrist, only for her to disappear from his grasp. Everything went white after that.

xxx _(Earlier)_ xxx

"This town is going to disappear." Jellal said firmly, stunning Wendy into silence.

She didn't know what to think. She had spent a long time searching for this man, her friend. She had wanted to see him again and thank him for taking her to Cait Shelter. But now he comes out of nowhere, speaking nonsense to her? She didn't buy it.

"What are you talking about? Jellal do you know how long I searched for you? You just dumped me at Cait Shelter and took off. You had me worried, for seven years I thought you were a criminal. How can I even trust a man who left me behind?" she snapped.

"I understand your distrust for me. But we haven't got much time...the anima will soon absorb this entire city and it's population into it. They will be sent to Edolas." he said.

"Edo...what?" Wendy asked.

"Edolas, a world on the other side of our own." a familiar voice said. Wendy looked over her shoulder, seeing Carla standing there, soaked to the bone. Her hair was stuck to her face, her clothes practically see through due to the water.

"What are you talking about Carla? Where were you? You had me worried." she said. She shook it off, glancing at the blue haired man.

"You and I hail from the same place correct? Does that mean the anima will absorb Magnolia?" she asked.

"Yes, we have a bit of time to flee before it does." Jellal said.

"The anima? What is going on, please just let me know!" Wendy cried, still confused over everything. Carla sighed, glancing at her friend.

"Edolas is a world parallel to out own. There magic isn't as abundant as it is here in Earthland. The anima searches for strong sources of magic and sucks them into Edolas so the people there can use them as magic power." she said.

"You mean to tell me...everyone at the guild is in danger?" she asked.

"There is nothing we can do. They will be absorbed alongside the rest of this town. We must leave now." Jellal said. Wendy spun on her heel, turning back toward the guildhall. She broke into a sprint, tears running down her face.

"What are you doing? Are you insane?" Carla asked.

"We're members of Fairy Tail, we have to warn our friends!" she cried.

"You'll die if we don't leave right now!" Jellal called out. She stopped mid stride, looking back at the man.

"I just got my home back, if it's going to disappear I'm going with it. I'm sick of loosing people!" She cried back. Carla grit her teeth, racing after her friend. Jellal reached out to her, but decided to let her go. He frowned, glancing up at the sky.

"To think you would join this guild." he said.

Wendy felt an immense strain on her legs. She toughed it out, seeing the guild hall not far from where she was. She still couldn't believe what was going on, but if she could save them, it would be alright. She screamed as she slipped on a puddle, slamming hard into the ground. She felt the skin on her knees get shredded off as she skid along the wet stone. She groaned, clutching her head. She stood up, reaching for the guildhall which was just in front of her.

"Guys! We need to go, there's no time!" she cried, her voice echoing through the building. She stopped suddenly, seeing the guildhall being stretched and pulled, until it started breaking apart.

All around the the buildings begun glowing a bright white as the entire city was ripped right from underneath her. She looked up into the sky, watching all of the glowing light drift into the clouds above her. The remains of the guild hall seemed to explode outward, sending her flying back. She saw nothing but white. When she opened her eyes, she looked around, seeing nothing at all. The ground was just a pale white color, there were no buildings anywhere, and the air felt heavy. All of the ethernano in the air was just gone. Small glowing bubbles were slowly drifting into the sky, which had remained gray and still.

"What...no..what happened to the guild?" she asked softly. She looked in front of her, where the guild had once stood, only to see nothing. There wasn't anything for miles, just emptiness. Her breath hitched and she felt herself tearing up. She was alone...all alone.

"Please...I don't want to be alone!" she cried. She stood up, walking a few paces in front of her. She didn't see anything, no trace of the guild not it's members.

"Hello, is there anyone alive out there? Can you hear me?" She cried out. Her voice echoed in the vast wasteland, but she didn't hear anything. Her knees grew weak, and she fell to the ground. Her shoulders shook a bit as she felt tears run down the sides of her face. They were gone...all of Fairy Tail was gone, and she was alone. She felt the ground move next to her, seeing a huge lump forming. She watched it intently, only for a familiar head of spiky salmon colored hair to pop right out of it.

"Huh...what the hell...where is everyone?"

"Natsu." Wendy cried, holding her hands to her face. She wiped her tears away, knowing that she at least wasn't alone.

Xxx

Aiden's eyes snapped open and he immediately sat up. His eyes widened when he saw the area around him. It was all white. The dirt was gone, the trees and grass her gone. Hell, everything including the town was gone. He was all alone. He rapidly stood up, breaking into a sprint. He tumbled down a small hill, rolling for a few feet before coming to a stop. He looked at the skies above, seeing nothing but silver. He saw two specks shooting into the distance, disappearing shortly after. The sky lit up, several bright rings of light pulsed across the cloud cover, spreading all throughout the area.

"What...happened to the guild...my friends?" he asked softly. He was confused, angry...scared...but most of all. He was alone. His heart beat increased and he could feel the organ pounding in his chest. He couldn't hear anything, his breathing had quickened too. He was alone, and he couldn't be alone...he didn't want to be alone. He let out a scream, which echoed through the area. He stood up, breaking into another dead sprint, heading toward the center of town.

"You can't be gone! Master, Mira, Erza, Lucy, Natsu, Gray, Wendy! Someone Please!" he shouted, tears running down his cheeks. He slid to a stop, looking around. He saw nothing...just some floating bubbles which were slowly heading into the sky. He dropped to his knees, slamming his fists into the ground.

"I...couldn't save them...Yamato was right...we were in danger." he said. Soft padded footsteps filled his ears, and he looked up, locking eyes with a man he never thought he would see again.

It was Jellal. He had seen his face printed in news papers and magazines, describing how Cait Shelter along with the other guilds, had captured him. He rapidly stood up, grabbing the man by his coat.

"It was you wasn't it. You did this to Magnolia, right? Answer me!" he shouted.

"Aiden Flame, I do not mean you any harm. The man you know as Jellal is different than myself. My name is Mystogan, and I am a member of Fairy Tail." he said firmly. Aiden stepped away from him, glaring right into his eyes.

"Yeah right, Master would never let a criminal like you into the guild. Tell me what you did to our friends right now, or so help me I will kill you." he said. The man pulled on one of the bandages on his hand, slowly pulling them away. Once he had taken them all off, he showed the teenager the back of his hand. A crimson emblem was on it, the emblem of Fairy Tail.

"I would never harm a comrade. I came to get Wendy out of the guild, but it was too late...she left, for the world on the other side." he said.

"The...world on the other side...what are you talking about?" Aiden asked.

"He's talking about Edolas."

Aiden quickly turned around, calming down a bit when he saw that it was Yamato, along side Phoebe who was looking around the town. She had a scared look on her face.

"So everything truly is gone." she said softly.

"I see you've been keeping well Yamato." Mystogan said, shaking the woman's hand.

"Likewise, I see you adapted well into this world." She said.

"Whoa wait a minute, hold up. You two know each other?" Phoebe asked, clearly confused.

"Someone please tell me where the fucking guildhall is, I want to see my friends and my girlfriend!" Aiden shouted in anger.

"Alright, here's the truth. Me and Mystogan...me and Jellal, we're not from this world. We come from the world right next to this one." Yamato said.

"Edolas...the kingdom where magic is scarce." Jellal replied.

"Edo...what?" Phoebe asked, clearly confused.

"It's a world completely different from ours. While here on Earthland, magic flows naturally from the land into mages. Edolas uses magic stored in lacrima crystals." Yamato said.

"This storm, is brought upon by anima. A device designed by the King to absorb magic from this world. He took everyone in Magnolia Town, and turned them into a lacrima, I'm not sure what he will do with it then." Jellal said, a frown on his face.

"So wait...you mean to tell me that everyone in the guild was kidnapped by this king? And he's going to use them to power up his fucking country?" Aiden asked.

"That's why Yuna disappeared, this thing must have turned her into pure magic power...but why weren't we sucked up with them?" Phoebe asked.

"There are two reasons for that. The first being Aiden's particular magic." Yamato said.

"My...magic...you mean the magic of dragons?" He asked.

"Indeed, Dragon Slayer magic is among the most sacred in Edolas. Due to that, the anima could not absorb you into that world. As for Phoebe, she is an exceed. In other words, a being who possesses internal magic power. She too is from Edolas, and will serve as your wings." Jellal said.

"My wings...I'm confused." Aiden said.

"Everything will make sense in time. But you have to hurry, if you don't then everyone in Fairy Tail will die at the hands of the King." Yamato said, placing her hands on his shoulders. Jellal took out a small bottle from his pocket, handing it to Aiden.

"These pills will allow the two of you to use magic in Edolas. While the mages there use weapons, your magic flows from inside you. You'll need it to turn everyone back to normal. I wish you the best of luck." he said. Aiden looked the pills over, swallowing hard.

"Okay...but isn't Yamato coming with us? I can't go there alone." He said.

"I'm sorry, I can't go into that world. The reason why I wasn't absorbed into it is due to the lacrima in my body. People in Edolas are born without magic, sadly I don't have my own exceed. You'll have to go there without me." she said. She sighed, crossing his arms.

"Fine, but you owe me an explanation. So do you Jellal, and I want to know why you abandoned Wendy at Cait Shelter all those years ago." he said.

"I will answer all of your questions in time. Now hurry, before it becomes too late." he said. Aiden nodded, breaking into a sprint. He jumped into the air, being caught by Phoebe. Her wings glowed a bright gold as she sped up, going much faster than she ever had before.

"I'm scared Aiden...what is something goes wrong?" she asked.

"We'll be fine. We're mages of Fairy Tail, and you...are my closest friend. I know you would never do anything to hurt me or anyone else. So come on, let's save our friends!" he said.

"Right...although I wonder how Wendy will react when I tell her you and Yuna were holding hands." she said.

"Watch it Cat, if it wasn't because our new mission I would clip your wings off." he snapped. Phoebe picked up speed, shooting into the hole in the sky. The air around them became heavy as they were eventually pulled in. Phoebe gave a fierce shout as she pierced through the dimensional wall. For a few seconds, it was nothing but white, but when their vision cleared, they were greeted by a new world.

Everything around them was different. Large islands covered in lush greenery were visible everywhere. There were large flowing rivers cutting between the islands. Large moons floated high in the sky, all of them different in color and sizes. They were in Edolas, no doubt about it.

"What is this place?" Aiden asked, looking all over.

"I dunno, this is definitely weird though. Do you feel it? The difference in the air, there's no ethernano at all." she said.

She was right, there was no ethernano in the air, unlike in Earthland. Edolas lacked that type of flowing magic. Jellal and Yamato had been right, the world was vastly different from their own. Phoebe groaned, feeling her wings disappear, she glowed brightly transforming back into her exceed form.

"Uh oh." she said simply as the two of them started falling. Aiden crossed his arms, bracing for impact. He slammed into a tree, the branches breaking under his weight. He tumbled down several feet, finally slamming into the ground. He groaned in pain.

"Ow, my ass knuckle." he said, rubbing his back.

"What happened? I'm in my cute kitty form." Phoebe said, standing up. She rubbed her head, feeling a bit weird. It had been a long time since she had been in this form, it almost felt foreign to her. She walked to the edge of the island they were at, eyes widening.

"Aiden, you might wanna see this." she said. Aiden crawled over to the edge of the island, eyes widening a bit.

Below them sat several large islands, all of them being hundreds of feet away from them. He could see settlements on them, towns and cities, each of them being several miles in size. But the one that was the biggest sat the furthest. Even with his acute sense of sight, he had a hard time seeing it. He sat on his knees, licking his lips.

"Phoebe, we're gonna have a hard time finding everyone aren't we?" he asked.

"Well not really. Jellal and Yamato said the King was responsible right? So all we have to do is find the royal capital and storm the castle." she said.

"Easier said than done. Do you know what they have in castles, Royal guards, with pointy swords, and we have no magic." he said.

"What about the pills?" Phoebe said. He snapped his fingers, pulling the small bottle from his pocket.

"X-balls...heh...the name could use some work." he said, popping one into his hand. He handed it to Phoebe, taking one for himself. The two of them swallowed them, feeling an immense surge of power. Aiden held his hand out, flames bursting from it.

"Haha, magic power. Alright, let's head to the capital." he said.

"Um...how exactly would we get there? It just occurred to me that we just can't fly there. What if we get seen? We might get attacked, remember magic is scarce in this place." Phoebe said, shifting back into her human form.

"Fuck that's right...but where would we go to get some help?" he asked. He felt the ground rumbling behind him, and quickly turned around. Not far from where they had landed as a desert like area. From the center of it sprouted a large building, which seemed to be made out of plants. The building stopped moving, showing a rather familiar emblem on its flag. He grinned.

"How about we ask Fairy Tail for some help?" he asked. He started walking toward the building, only for Phoebe to tug his hand.

"Wait...they might not be our Fairy Tail. This is a different world, what if there's another Fairy Tail out there?" she asked.

"I doubt that's possible." Aiden said.

"Jellal went to prison, and yet he was in front of us, telling us all about this place. Clearly he wasn't lying because this place exists. That means this isn't our Fairy Tail, for all we know they could be our enemies." she said.

"Well I'm out of options! What do you want me to do? I'm going to ask them for help!" he said.

"Well I'm not risking it. They aren't our friends, they could be murders, vagrants, thieves! We'd have better luck searching for Edolas Cait Shelter and asking them for help."

"As if, Cait Shelter is gone in our world, what makes you think it exists here?" he snapped back, anger flowing through him. She sighed, summoning her wings.

"Fine, do whatever you want, I'm going to find help somewhere else." she said.

"Phoebe, don't you trust me? Don't you trust Fairy Tail? So what if they aren't our friends, Fairy Tail is Fairy Tail. We can trust them...so please..come with me." he said, holding his hand out. She was about to reach for it, but she felt a nagging feeling in her heart. She took a deep breath, flapping her wings.

"I can't...I'm sorry." she said, flying over the edge of the island. Aiden just stood there, disbelief written on his face. He huffed, anger flowing through him.

"Be that way...I don't need your help anyway, flea bag." he said. Even though his mind felt that way, his heart felt differently. He could feel it, the pain of loosing his friend. Maybe he should have gone with her, Phoebe could be stubborn if she chose to be...but he couldn't give up. He knew Fairy Tail had his back, so he had to ask them for help.

xxx

"Could you please stop messing around?" Carla snapped, glaring at Natsu. The young fire mage had been hopping around after a weird pink frog. He slammed into the sand, a few feet away from the creature.

"Sorry, I just wanna catch this weird frog! Don't you think it would make a cool souvenir for Lucy?" he asked.

"I doubt it, Lucy doesn't like weird things." Wendy added. She looked around the vast desert, a frown on her face. There was nothing around for miles, just sand and weird hand shaped cactus. If Aiden were there, he would have most likely said something about them already.

"What's wrong Wendy? Does your tummy hurt?" Happy asked, glancing up at her. She shook her head, forcing a smile.

"I'm fine...I just really miss Aiden. He would probably know what to do." she said.

"You can't rely on him forever child. Honestly being away from him is the best thing for you right now." Carla said, crossing her arms. She was a bit annoyed, seeing as she was once again in her exceed form. The prospect of being powerless hadn't settled with her yet.

"I've just grown really used to him being there. I'll be fine...we should probably get going." she said, turning around. Her eyes widened when she saw the giant pink frog standing behind them.

"It's huge!" Happy cried.

"I think I pissed it off." Natsu added, stumbling back.

"We have to fight it." Wendy said firmly.

"With what magic?" Carla snapped. The two dragon slayers sighed angrily, instead choosing to run. The giant frog bounded for them, making them quicken their pace. Running on sand really wasn't the most ideal thing.

"This thing is going to kill us!"

"Well it wouldn't be after us if you didn't chase it you moron!" Carla cried back. They all heard a loud shout, along with a snap. They looked back, seeing the creature was sent flying with a glowing white whip. They followed it back to the wielder, a smile on their face.

"Yay, it's Scary Lucy!" Natsu cried.

"Thanks for saving us Scary Lucy."

"Don't add Scary to my name!" the blonde snapped, causing Natsu to yelp. She grabbed a hold of Natsu, putting him into an arm lock.

"You know, I still have a hard time believing this is Lucy...she's so different from the one we know." Wendy said, watching as Natsu was turned into a pretzel by the blonde. Lucy Ashley was her name, and she was part of the Edolas Fairy Tail.

"Alright, you idiots need to stop messing with the wild life. Magic isn't a resource you can depend on, so you'll have to be careful." Lucy said, in a scolding tone.

"Okay, but can we please just get to the town? We're wasting time!" Carla said.

"Follow me, the town isn't that far from here." she said, taking the lead.

"So, why did you come after us?" Wendy asked curiously. The blonde crossed her arms, glancing down at the girl. She was still not used to looking down at Wendy, since the one she was used to seeing was taller than her.

"You needed a guide and I couldn't let you die. We're not that far from the village, once we get there we'll need to get you some weapons." she said firmly.

"Thanks Lucy, you are so much more dependable then our Lucy." Natsu said, causing her to get a tick mark on her forehead.

"I'm sure she would be mad if she heard you Natsu. Try not to say this if we happen to talk about this place in the future." Wendy added.

That comment reminded them of their situation. It was such a grim thought, especially knowing that their friends were turned into a lacrima. They had to hurry, before all of their friends ended up being killed.

"Well, here we are. This is the town of Luen, it wasn't long ago that magic was bought and sold here." Lucy said, looking down at the town.

"It's really round." Wendy added.

"The buildings look like little bears...which reminds me of Gummy bears..I'm hungry." Happy said, his stomach rumbling loudly. Carla sighed in anger. The small group decided to move down into the town. All of the people looked at them oddly, but were happy to see Lucy around. Most of them greeted the blonde while others just gave her a polite nod.

"Alright, we're going underground. Since magic isn't a thing you can use naturally here, you'll need to arm yourselves. I know this one guy who happens to be reliable. He used to be a member of our guild, but he quit when his sister died." she said.

"Was she one of the members killed by Erza?" Wendy asked curiously. Lucy sighed, giving her a nod.

"Yes, she was a bright little girl, only thirteen years old when she died. That bitch...she's lucky we can't waste magic power here." she said. She looked around, entering an empty alleyway. Tapping the wall, she found a small button hidden in the bricks and pushed it. A door opened next to them and they stepped inside.

"I never once thought we would have to come to a black market to get magic." Natsu added.

"Well, this is most likely because of the scarcity of magic here. It is stored in lacrima crystals, which are then combined with weapons. I believe that's the magic of this world." Carla added.

"So they use tools instead of spells. Lame." the fire dragon said. Wendy rolled her eyes. She knew how much Natsu loved to fight, but she had to wonder how his opposite acted.

They finally made it to the bottom floor, seeing shelves upon shelves of magical items. They saw a lot of swords, shields, whips and a bunch of other weaponry, along with several firearms and lacrima orbs. Lucy walked toward the counter in the very back of the room, slamming her fist onto it.

"Spitfire, get your fucking ass up, you got customers."

"Eh? I'm up, I'm up!" the man cried. He hastily stood up, shaking his head a bit. He rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand, looking into the room. He saw Lucy Ashley in front of him, something that made him smile. He also noticed two unknown individuals with her. He tugged on his cloaks hood, pulling it over his face.

"Who are they?" he asked, his voice was deep and smooth, most likely belonging to a young man in his late teens.

"Friends of mine. They're in a tight situation and need some of your toys. Feel free to look around." she said.

"Do you have any fire magic?" Natsu asked. The man nodded, stepping from around the counter. His cloak fluttered in the wind as he walked. He was wearing a pair of worn jeans, along with a pair of bright colored cowboy boots. Attached to his waist were two revolvers, which had white grips on the handles.

"I have plenty of fire magic. It's my personal preference you know...let's see...I think this might suit you." he said, pulling out a large sword from inside a barrel. Well, it was only the hilt, which was orange in color, with a bright red handle on the bottom.

"Hmm...how does it work?" Natsu asked.

"It's real easy. You just take this lacrima and place it here, then you just press the pump, and voila." He said, forming a large blade of fire. Natsu's eyes brightened up, seeing the delicious looking flame.

"I'll take it." he said.

"Excellent choice. Now I have to warn you, this can only be used a few times in a row. If you manage the size of the flame, you'll be able to use it a hundred times without needing to recharge the magic. It was developed by a friend." he said.

"I think I'll take this one." Wendy said, grabbing a small blue canister from the bottom shelf.

"Why would you pick that?" Carla asked.

"I dunno, it looks small and cute!" she said.

"You should know better than to pick something for being small and cute." she huffed. The man knelt down in front of her, taking the canister from her.

"This is a highly compressed air cannon. It stores a very powerful whirlwind inside. All you have to do is twist it like so." he said, popping the device open, a small breeze started blowing around them, making her smile.

"It's wind magic. I'll definitely take it." she said.

"Alright...you know you remind me of someone...you look almost like her little sister." he said, standing back up. Wendy's brows furrowed as he walked toward the counter.

"So, what exactly do you need these for? They join the guild?" he asked.

"Nothing like that Spitfire, they are Fairy Tail but not from here." he said. He tilted his head.

"Not..from here?" he asked.

"They claim to be from another world, a world where magic is limitless and people can use it from their bodies." she said. The man chuckled, shaking his head.

"Pfft, yeah right. A world like that doesn't exist...if it did...then people wouldn't be suffering." he said. He shook it off, forcing a smile onto his face.

"Anyway, these two items are both ten thousand. Normally I would charge you, but since I owe Ashley a favor, they're on the house." he said.

"Wow really?" Natsu asked.

"Mhmm...she saved my ass when the royal army tore down my guildhall. Everyone there died, the master...even my siblings. She guided me to Fairy Tail...but I couldn't stay there. Not after what happened to everyone I knew." he said.

"I'm...sorry to hear that." Wendy said.

"It's alright...I am a fighter though. I work most of my days as a gun for hire. I've killed countless soldiers for the Resistance. But my target is Erza Knightwalker...she was the one who killed my sister Kurumi. She'll pay for what she did." he said firmly. The two dragon slayers looked at each other, eyes wide in shock.

"Wait...is your name Aiden?" Carla asked. The man took his hood off, revealing his face. He looked almost like the Aiden they knew, but much older than him, probably by seven years. His hair was spiky and long, almost to the nape of his neck, and he had a thick scar running around his face. He was also wearing a black patch over his eye, another scar extending from the bottom.

"Aiden Spitfire, at your service."

"Oh my gosh...this is Edolas's version of Aiden!" Happy cried.

"He looks so freaking cool." Natsu said, noticing the scars.

"He looks hot." Wendy added. Carla cleared her throat, causing the girl to blush brightly.

"Hmm...you guys act like you know me...wait...what's your name?" Aiden asked, looking at the blue haired girl.

"My name is Wendy Marvel." she said simply. His eye widened.

"Wendy...you guys really are from another world. The Wendy I know is taller...hell, she probably hates me for leaving her." he said.

"You left Wendy!" Natsu cried out, earning a nod from him.

"I didn't want to loose her. I mean, she and I had just gotten married when Cait Shelter was torn apart from under us. We were the only ones to get away, I was scared...I couldn't face her after all of our friends died. So I went on a suicide mission to kill Knightwalker. She took my eye, but I took her arm, so it all evened out in the end. When Ashley ran into me, I begged her to keep it a secret, I didn't want her to find me. Please, don't tell her where I am." he said.

"We won't but...I could tell she was hurting. Maybe you should go see her, she is your wife after all. And if she's like me, she'll forgive you." Wendy said, giving him a reassuring smile. He smiled back, giving her a nod.

"Aye, I'll go see her. But you guys should go, it's almost time for the patrols to start. I wouldn't want you to get captured." he said.

"We owe ya one Spitfire, take care of yourself. And give Monet my regards." Lucy said, guiding the Earthland mages to the doors.

"Will do." he said, giving her a wave. He placed his hood back on and turned around, eyeing the picture on the wall. It was of him and Wendy when they had gotten married, the flag of Cait Shelter was being them, and their master was cheering loudly, along with all their friends. He reached for one of his guns, twirling it around his finger.

"I'll avenge you guys. Don't worry, Spitfire to Big Momma, do you read?" he said, activating a radio lacrima.

" _Big Momma loud and clear over."_

"I think I just found a way we can defeat the King once and for all. You ever hear of Earthland?"

The woman on the other line chuckled, smirking to herself.

She was a young woman, with smooth orange hair that cascaded down her shoulders. She had bright glowing green eyes and a rather sizable bust. She was of average height, but even with her stature she could easily take on a hundred men and still have enough energy for more. She was wore a bright green shirt over her slender body, along with a long flowing skirt. Over it she was wearing a flowing cape with furry hemlines. She wore a pair of armored boots and had two swords attached to her sides, Tulwars capable of slicing through anything in their path. The crest of the Royal Family was emblazoned on her cape, showing her loyalty to the kingdom. She smirked, taking a sip of her team.

"I have detailed information my friend. What exactly are you getting at?"

" _A couple of Earthland Mages somehow were able to get into Edolas. Dragon Slayers by the looks of it. I don't know how I could tell, but I just knew from looking at them. They're looking for their friends, the giant lacrima that appeared in the capital."_

"Ah yes, the one recovered from that city in Earthland. So it seems they're here for their friends...that makes it easier for us. The Resistance is one step ahead of the army." she replied.

 _"I'm about to head to the capital. I need to speak to some informants on the whereabouts of Knightwalker...it's time for me to end this."_

"She's back in the Palace. She got close to Fairy Tail again."

" _I know...but I'm not going to let them her hurt my friends or my wife. That is a promise. Over and out."_

"Talk to you soon Spitfire." she said softly.

"Astrea!" a firm voice called out. The woman sighed and turned around, glaring at the woman who dared call her name. Erza Knightwalker, commander of the Second Magical Warfare Platoon. She narrowed her eyes, glaring at her. She smirked seeing the metallic arm that the woman sported, something that she had created as to not raise suspicions.

"What can I do for you Knightwalker? Would you mind knocking next time? I was in the middle of my tea." she said.

"Don't play coy with me. Those little weasels got away again, I thought you said you could disable their transporter." she said.

"I'm sorry, did you misunderstand my information? I said it was possible to do it, if I had access to it. Do you actually think I, captain of the Fifth Magical Warfare Platoon could find and join Fairy Tail? You must be out of your mind." she said.

"Monet, don't play games with me. Ever since you joined our kingdom I've grown weary of you." she said, aiming her spear at her neck. Monet easily bat it away, her expression not changing.

"I don't understand the reason why, and I don't pretend to know. But remember it was me who made that arm of yours. I still find it hilarious that a thirteen year old boy was able to slice it clean off." she said, holding back a laugh. Erza grit her teeth, spinning on her heel.

"Just locate and disable that teleporter. I will not be made a fool of."

"You mean, I won't be made a fool by Fairy Tail again. Learn to speak dear, it's unbecoming for a woman like you." she said, brushing her off. Erza grit her teeth, leaving the room. Monet sighed.

"It's wonderful to be this powerful. Now, to get the Resistance ready for war...wonder how hard this will be." she muttered to herself.

xxx

Aiden honestly didn't know what to think. He had walked through those doors hoping to see his friends again, but was instead greeted with something else.

Gray was overdressed and after Juvia...Cana wasn't drinking, Wakaba wasn't smoking and Macao wasn't hitting on Mira. Elfman was crying, Jet and Droy were yelling at him for being useless, and Levy was swearing up a storm. Alzack and Bisca were all over each other, the woman being far less dressed than anyone else. It really made him nervous and embarrassed. Mira was the same at least, but that didn't really ease his mind. He had just stood there for the longest time, and no one had seen him or even noticed him. He took a deep breath, spinning on his heel.

"Okay, Phoebe was right. Not my Fairy Tail, so I'll take my leave." he said, reaching for the door handle.

"Hey you! Where do you think you're going?" a voice cried out. Aiden stopped in his tracks, shaking a bit.

" _Wait a minute, why am I scared? I got magic, these fools don't have shit. Man, that was a fucked up thought."_ he thought to himself.

"Well, you gonna answer the question fuckhead?" Edo-Levy cried. Aiden turned around, giving her a sheepish smile. Her eyes widened a bit as she took a step back.

"I'm lost and need directions. Could you point me to the Royal Capital please?" he asked.

"Is this some sort of joke?" Edo-Jet cried, Edo-Droy stood by him, face contorted into anger.

"I'm not joking...really I am lost." he said.

"Guys, this isn't Spitfire...he's clearly younger then he was. He's probably one of those other Fairy Tail mages." Edo-Mira called out.

"Other mages? Wait...were Natsu and Wendy here? Please you have to tell me where they are, they might be in danger without their magic." he said.

"Kid, we're all in danger without magic. It's not like someone can just cast a spell whenever they want." Edo-Jet cried.

"Guys please, he's just a kid. He's probably confused." Edo-Elfman cried. Edo-Droy stood over him, making him shiver in fear.

"What was that pipsqueak? Care to say that again?" he asked.

"Fuck this, I'm out of here." Aiden said, grabbing the door handle and pulling the door open.

"Wait...don't go."

Aiden stopped in his tracks, recognizing the voice. He glanced over his shoulder, eyes focusing on a lone young woman who had been standing behind him. Smooth blue hair, toned curvaceous body, bright brown eyes. He swallowed hard, breath hitching a bit.

"Wendy?" he said softly. The girl wrapped her arms around him, driving his face into her chest. He held his arms out, not knowing what to do as she hugged him tightly.

"Aiden, I missed you so much." she said softly. He grabbed her arms, pulling himself away from her grasp, finally taking a breath.

"Jeez, those things were going to kill me." he said. Some of the members started laughing, muttering things and making jokes. The girl frowned, wiping her tears away.

"You aren't him...but please just let me hug you." she said.

"No...I'm sorry but that isn't going to make anything better. I'm not from this world, and I don't know what happened to the me here. But I'm not here to take his place, I'm here to find my friends." he said firmly.

"The you of this place, or rather...Aiden Spitfire, was killed by the Fairy Hunter. Erza Knightwalker." Edo-Mira said firmly, standing behind Wendy.

"Huh...Erza Knightwalker...the Erza here is evil? There's no way that's possible." he said.

"It is...she killed half of our members, including our master. The last person reported dead was Aiden Spitfire, but he was able to take her arm and injure her for life...she's been trying to kill us ever since." Edo-Levy said, rather angrily at that.

Everyone had calmed down a bit, enough to explain everything to the young man. He just stood there, listening to it all. How the magic guilds had been disbanded by force. How Edolas Cait Shelter was torn apart and everyone killed, save for Aiden and Wendy. How his other self got married with her and then left and never came back. It all just pissed him off. He remained silent after everything, just staring at the ground.

"You mean to tell me that bastard left you?" Aiden said, glancing at Wendy.

"It wasn't his intention. He just didn't want me to get hurt." she said.

"That's bullshit! I would never leave the woman I love...I mean fuck, I came all the way here to get her back. My Wendy is most likely wondering around this shit hole world in more danger than anyone." he said.

"She was the one who decided to go after the King. All of your friends are dead and gone, turned into a lacrima crystal. You're Wendy and Natsu are bound to get killed by the army." Edo-Jet snapped angrily. Aiden clenched his hand, his blue flames bursting to life. They all screamed, jumping away from him.

"Don't you fucking tell me that they are all dead. Because they aren't, not until I see a goddamn body. I'm going to set them free, I'll get all my friends back. So tell me where the fucking Royal city is!" he snapped angrily.

"It's a five day walk from here, east." Edo-Droy replied, still startled by the blue flames. Aiden allowed his fire to die down and grabbed the door handle.

"The Fairy Tail I know wouldn't just sit back and watch as the world falls apart in front them. If someone kills our own, we kill some of theirs. We don't fight to get even, we fight to win. I'm going to get my friends back, and if I have to kill the King, I fucking will." he said, slamming the door after himself.

"He's done for."

"Did you see that blue fire from his hand?"

"Earthland Wizards have internal magic?"

Wendy shook her head, grabbing a couple cloaks from the small storage room next to the bar. She grabbed her weapons and put the cloak on, running toward the door.

"What are you doing, are you insane?" Edo-Jet cried out.

"I'm going to help him. I can't just sit here and watch him die...he might not be my Aiden, but goddamn it I'm not letting him die." she said, racing out of the guild.

Aiden sighed as he walked away from the plant like guildhall. He was pissed off that they didn't help him, but was even more disappointed in how they acted. They were scared, unlike his Fairy Tail who stared fear in the eye and didn't even blink. He frowned stuffing his hands in his pockets. He started humming a tune, looking up at the sky.

"Hello~

Is it me you're looking for?

I can see it in you're eyes

I can see it in you're smile

You're all I've ever wanted

And my arms are open wide~!"

He tripped over a rock, slamming hard onto the sand, getting some in his mouth. He hacked and coughed loudly, spitting on the ground to get all of the sand out of his orifices. He grit his teeth, feeling the gains of sand embedding themselves into each gap.

"Stupid Edolas Fairy Tail, stupid Edolas Kingdom. **_Stupid Fucking Edolas_**!" he shouted in anger. The sky was slowly turning black as night was starting to set. Five days to reach the capital, no trains, no air ships...nothing. He should have listened to Phoebe, but she was most likely miles away now, doing who knows what.

"Aiden wait up!"

He stopped in his tracks, glancing over his shoulder. Edo-Wendy had followed him. He sighed, looking away from her. She wasn't his girlfriend, but he had to admit she had spunk, just like her. She stopped next to him, panting a bit from the long run. He crossed his arms, looking at the woman.

"Well, why did you follow me?" he asked.

"You actually think I would let my husband walk off into certain death?" she asked, standing up straight. He chuckled, looking at the sky.

"I ain't your husband. If my Wendy saw me talking to you, she would probably kill me. You have the body she wants you know." he said, giving her a wink. She blushed a bit.

"Here, you can't be seen, and cover that mark. The royal army will stop at nothing until they see you dead on the ground." she said, holding out a cloak. He took it from her hand, quickly putting it on. He smiled a bit.

"Cool...I'm like some sort of otherworldly traveler about to make a revolution in a tyrannical kingdom!" he said.

"Um...if you want to free your friends, then you are precisely that. Anyway, we need to get going. I'll guide you to the Royal city." she said. He noticed the pair of Tonfas she was holding in her hand, probably her weapons of choice. He still had a hard time getting used to the fact.

"Hey Edo-Wendy, what do those do?" he asked, pointing to the weapons.

"Oh...these are use to deflect magic. I mostly use them to beat the shit out of people." she said.

"Ow...well at least you are more versed with hand to hand." he added.

"You sort of have to learn how to fight. This world used to be so peaceful, until The King started hoarding magic for himself. He sent out the executive order to disband all the guilds by force. Cait Shelter wasn't spared, we were the last guild standing in a coalition with Lamia Scale and Blue Pegasus, but as it turned out they had been wiped out too. Me and Aiden ran away, and came across Lucy, who took us to Fairy Tail. I've been there ever since." she said.

"I'm sorry to hear that...it sounds like what you went through was horrible." he said.

"It was, but we lived through it. I just wish Aiden hadn't run off...he didn't even get to meet his daughter."

"Whoa what? You mean you and Edo-Me sealed the deal?" he asked, taken aback by this declaration. She giggled, giving him a smile.

"Mhmm...I was waiting for the right opportunity to tell him. Sadly I never got the chance...he left three years ago, I was only fifteen when I got pregnant. You should see little Carla, too bad she was asleep." she said.

"Well then, that just...I don't even know what to say to that. I mean...was he good?" he asked.

"Worried about how you'll perform in bed?" she asked, making him blush.

"I well...you know it's just a question." he said, brushing it off. She rolled her eyes.

"He was amazing...I don't know what you want with that information, but you best not be thinking about doing that with little me. She's too young for that."

"I'm not..it was just a question." he said, crossing his arms with a huff. They finally arrived at the edge of a cliff, which over looked a small settlement. Aiden was about to jump down when Wendy took a hold of his hand, yanking him to the ground. She looked around, eyes narrowed.

"Shit...I knew it. The Royal army is here, we won't be able to get out of here."

"But don't we have to cross this town to get to the capital?" he asked.

"Yeah...which is gonna make this even harder. We'll have to round the edge of the city and walk that way. Westbound orientation will extend this trip by three days. I don't know how to say it but...we won't make it in time." she said.

"What do you mean?" Aiden said. She sighed, looking into his eyes.

"Humans turned into lacrima turn into pure energy after four days. If we round this city, we'll make it to the capital in a week, thus being too late to save them."

"I can't afford to waste time then. Let's just go, fuck the Royal army...I'll handle any fuck up that comes my way." he said.

"Don't get cocky. The Royal army is trained to kill anyone on sight, they aren't like your typical soldiers, they are trained to fight with and without magic weapons. You don't want to face them alone." she said. He slammed his fist onto the ground. He was out of options...but he needed to find a way to get to the capital. He looked around, spotting an abandoned Magic Cycle. He smirked, reaching into his pocket. He grabbed two motion sickness pills, popping them into his mouth.

"What are those?" Edo-Wendy asked.

"Anti-Motion Sickness pills. My Wendy made them specifically for me. Dragon Slayers get sick on vehicles, so I can't afford to get sick on a mission." he said.

"Motion Sickness, vehicles? Wait...what are you planning?" she asked.

"How about we go on a tandem bike ride through the desert. Call it a date of sorts." he said, giving her a wink. She just looked at him confused. He chuckled, taking her hand. He lead her down the side of the cliff, slowly making their way to the town. She didn't know what it was, but she felt absolutely giddy. She grasped his hand a bit tighter, relishing in his warmth. Even though it wasn't her Aiden, she felt reassurance in her heart, and that was something she couldn't let herself get comfortable with. It would make it harder when he went back home, and she would be all alone again.

 **A/N: If you couldn't tell by Aiden's disdain in this chapter, I fucking hate Edolas, such a pain in the ass arc to fucking write...Christ all mighty.**


	39. Edolas Arc: Storming the Capital

**A/N: Howdy everyone! Here we go again, I bring you all the latest installment of The Hellfire Dragon Slayer! Last chapter we got to see a bit of Edolas and the people living there. In this chapter you'll get to see a bit more of how Earthland Fairy Tail is handling being in Edolas, along with a few other shenanigans thrown in there for fun. It's a rather long chapter, but I think it turned out okay, as far as I can tell.**

 **Well, as of now I'm writing the arc after Edolas and right now I don't have many ideas on what it can be about. I have a few of course, but not ones that would make some solid chapters. I want to at least have eight chapters between major story arcs so that I can split each one up and develop certain characters. I'm amazed it took me this long to develop Yamato as much as I have in this arc, though her development comes near the end of it. I have also developed Aiden and Wendy's relationship a lot, they've only been together for around a month and a half now, so I'll be showing a lot of development for them, though I'll make sure not to over do it, the last thing I need is people telling me there's too much romance and not enough action.**

 **You'll also get to learn the fate of Edolas Cait Shelter along with the fates of the other guilds in Edolas. It's a rather sad thought, but I'm working with information from the anime itself and from my own imagination. And trust me, my imagination is a fucked up place. So, I hope you all like this chapter, tell me how it is...I went back and fixed several mistakes so it shouldn't be so bad, I think.**

 **Well...here it is, hope you all like it.**

 **The Song of the Day is Nippon Manju by LadyBaby...seriously check them out, that song will get drilled in your fucking skull like it has done for me. They're a rather interesting group...**

Edolas Arc

Chapter 38

Storming the Capital

Aiden didn't know how long he had been driving for. It must have been hours, but he knew he couldn't stop. It hadn't been an issue to take the magic cycle from the authorities, in fact it was rather easy. He did have to fight a few soldiers, but that was something he had prepared for. He tightened his grip on the handle bar, speeding up a bit. Since this cycle wasn't like the ones in Earthland, it meant he would have to conserve the magic energy he had left, three spent fuel rods, with the ones he was currently using. It should be enough for him to get to the capital, at least he hoped.

He felt Wendy tightening her grip on him, as she leaned forward against his back. It had been a little odd, especially since she was four years older than him, but he sympathized with her. She had lost her husband, and if he could comfort her in any way he could, then he would. He just wished she would stop pressing her breasts against his back. It was making it a lot harder for him to focus on driving. The cycle suddenly started sputtering, the speed starting to slow down. He grit his teeth, looking at the fuel rods.

"Shit...outta fuel." he muttered. He slowed to a stop, shutting the engine off. Wendy frowned, letting go of his waist. She looked up at the sky, seeing the small starts glowing brightly, alongside the many moons surrounding the planet.

"It's still a long time before morning, but by the position of the stars and moons, I say were near Sycca. We wouldn't have made it to the capital anyway, we would need to cross the ocean." she said. He got off the bike, stretching his arms. His back popped, making him groan. He looked around the desolate wasteland, shivering a bit from the cold.

"We should find somewhere to rest, before something or someone comes for us." Wendy suggested, raising her hood over her head.

"Well, let's try to make it to that town. It would be better to sleep on a bed rather than on the cold hard ground." he said. She nodded, taking the lead. The wind started blowing a bit, making the two of them shiver.

"We're entering the badlands. This place is really cold and windy, not a lot of people come to these parts."

"I can tell...I'm a fire mage and even I'm cold. Maybe this world makes my magic behave differently. I'm never cold." he said.

"Your flames are blue, any reason why?" she asked curiously. He shrugged.

"My father, Atlas Flame said that I have some sort of innate power within me. Apparently that turns my hellfire blue. He was right about something, and that's the fact that our magic is really special." he said.

"Atlas Flame, your father?" she asked.

"Mhmm, the Hellfire Dragon."

"So wait...you're a Dragon Slayer? Do you know how amazing that is? You people are legends in Edolas. There are hundreds of myths about dragons in this place, all of them were killed though. They say those who wield the magic of dragons would be the heroes of this land. People who have magic within their bodies, comparable to the Angels." she said.

"Well, you and my Wendy have something else in common...you are really romantic when it comes to stories." he said. She giggled, smiling brightly.

"What else do we have in common?"

"Hmm...well you're both sweet, and your voice sounds exactly the same. She would probably kill me if I told her she sounds a bit whiny..but I honestly find that cute. You're hair is the same, and so are your eyes and your scent...that's as far as you go for similarities. As for everything else...well you're way more developed. Gives me something to look forward to." he said.

"You know...my Aiden is was a lot similar to you as well. Headstrong, confident, good looking. He had a voice that could melt your heart, no matter how frozen it was. The only difference is he didn't swear like a sailor."

"What? What a fucking wimp." he cried, looking away from her. She rolled her eyes.

"So...what about your other friends, are they like us?"

"Heh, no. You are all so different, my Macao is always drinking and hitting on Mira, Wakaba always has a cigar in his mouth and keeps reminding Macao about his wife leaving him. Juvia is the one that's always after Gray, and he walks around naked all the time. Elfman is the tough guy, telling Jet and Droy to grow stronger and finish their jobs. Levy is a bookworm and never swears at all. Alzack and Bisca like each other but don't spend all day kissing...and the coup de gras, my Cana is a drunkard. She drinks so much booze that we set aside 30% of our guilds earnings for her tab." he said.

"That can't be possible. The thought of that is alarming, Cana drinking alcohol, no way!" Wendy cried.

"Yeah, but to me, sober Cana is scarier than drunk Cana. So, I didn't see any familiar faces there...my teammates I mean. Where did Iona go? And Chelia? What about Yuna?" he asked. Wendy stopped in her tracks, adopting a sad look on her face. Aiden looked at her curiously, his eyes widening in realization.

"Oh...I'm so sorry...I..didn't.."

"No it's alright. You didn't know...they were all members of Cait Shelter alongside me and my Aiden. Chelia was my best friend, my maid of honor, and since you didn't have any male friends at the guild, Iona had volunteered to be your best man. Yuna had just recently joined too, she had dreams of being an Idol in the capital. But when King Faust ordered our guilds to be disbanded...we didn't listen to him." she said.

"Is that when Knightwalker destroyed them all?" he asked.

"No...she only destroyed our guildhall. Blue Pegasus disbanded peacefully, half of Lamia Scale was destroyed. Their master Jura ended up getting executed before everyone. Mermaid Heel and Fairy Tail were the ones that got away the longest, but last year the last remaining members of Mermaid Heel were hung in the capital city. We're the only mages left in Edolas."

"Jesus Christ...what kind of monster does that?" he snapped angrily.

"I don't know...but this world wasn't always like this. At one point in time, we did have limitless magic. But apparently, something happened that made almost half of our magic disappear in an instant. When that happened, King Faust started hording that magic. Simply carrying it is illegal. You get caught with it, and it's grounds for execution, on the spot." she said.

"How many members were murdered by this man?" he asked firmly. She took a deep breath, closing her eyes.

"25, among them were our strongest mages. Laxus, Evergreen, Freed, Bixlow, our first master Mavis, and our second master Gildarts. All of them laid down their lives for our guild, trying to buy us time to get away. Every single time we just lost another member..we hadn't lost anyone in two months, but then Aiden decided to leave and he...he just never came back. We all gave up hope after that, and started to live for tomorrow." she said, trying to hold back her tears. Aiden wrapped her arms around her. It was a bit hard for him since she was taller than him, but she seemed to settle into his arms alright.

"I'll promise you this Wendy, I'm going to find this king, and I'm going to end his reign. No one takes the lives of innocents and gets away with it. And if his Royal guards get in the way, they're as good as dead too...we have the power to create a new future, a future free of this oppressive rule. A future where your little girl can grow up safe and sound." he said.

"Thank you, I know you'll get it done. I know this may be wrong of me...but do you think I could get a kiss? Please?" she asked, giving him a puppy look. He grit his teeth, looking away from her.

"Goddamn it Chelia, even in this place you know how to piss me off." he muttered dryly, earning a giggle from the girl. He wrapped his arms around her neck, standing on his tip toes.

"Just this once okay, I don't want to cheat on my girlfriend with...my girlfriend...okay enough of that." he said. He pressed his lips against hers, feeling her freeze up. She melted into it, kissing him back with vigor. He pulled away from her, burying his face in her chest, hugging her tightly.

"I like your boobs." he said, though it came out a bit muffled. Wendy sighed, shaking her head.

"Yes, my Aiden liked them too."

xxx

She didn't know how long it had been, a day at most. But Phoebe had never felt so alone. Abandoning Aiden when he needed her help wasn't the greatest choice in the world. Ever since she left, she had been dodging the authorities and keeping tabs on the kingdom, to see if she heard something interesting. She had flown through the night, finally making it to the capital city. She was currently in a night club, or rather a bar since most of the people danced at night. She had been sitting in a booth, calmly drinking from her glass.

"Did you hear, the King is going to unveil parts of that Earthland Lacrima at the plaza today. Rumors say we'll have enough magic power for the next decade!" one of the patrons said. His friend nodded, taking a drink from his mug.

"Yup, we'll be swimming in magic. Earthland is pretty lucky to have a natural spring of magic...too bad the citizens can't use it freely. I sort of miss the guilds."

"Do you wanna die? Remember what happened to all of those poor saps who refused to comply, they got axed."

"Tch, heard Captain Knightwalker lost an arm to a Fairy, must have been a sweet revenge." he said with a smirk.

"Yup, but it doesn't matter. Earthland can suck it for all I care, the people there don't struggle like we do, so they won't miss a measly lacrima."

" _Those assholes! If only they knew my guild mates were part of that crystal, I doubt they would be saying that!"_ Phoebe growled. She was snarling, her fangs clearly visible.

"Oi kid, you okay? Maybe the alcohol is too strong for you." a waiter said, catching her attention.

"Why don't you fuck off already!" she shouted.

"Hey I'm here to serve you, you little brat. If you don't like it then you can get the hell out!" he replied. Phoebe was about to reply when the doors slammed open, attracting everyones attention to the entrance. A lone figure stalked into the bar, walking straight to the counter. Phoebe just watched him in silence, noticing the two guns at his side. She didn't know why, but she could feel immense power coming from him, and it wasn't the magical kind. She glare at the waiter, tossing a bag of coins at him.

"My apologies, I'm just a little shook up from my travels here." she said. The man nodded and walked off, most likely to attend to the new arrival. She leaned back in her seat, her eyes on the mystery man.

" _Aiden, I wish you were here. I shouldn't have left you...I wonder, is Fairy Tail helping us...or are they vastly different from our friends?"_

She finished her drink, closing her eyes. She didn't know what was going to happen, but it would be best to keep an eye on the citizens of the city. Knowing the King, he would get cocky and show of the lacrima and when he did, she could set her plan into motion.

xxx

"There isn't much time...we have to get to the Royal city before it's too late!" Lucy cried.

"Well how exactly are we gonna do that!?" Carla snapped, looking at the blonde stellar mage.

Wendy shook her head, leaning up against the wall. Their small group had made it to the city of Sycca, where they had found their Lucy. Apparently, she had been tasked by Mystogan to help their friends. She was also the only one capable of using magic in Edolas, something that she had yet to understand.

"Hmm...maybe we could hitch a ride somewhere." Natsu added.

"Get real Natsu, if we could hail a cab we would have done it already." Happy said, tossing his two cents. The blue haired girl clutched her stomach, feeling some hunger pains. Thanks to the army they hadn't been able to get any food. She sighed, looking up at the sky.

"I could use some fucking fruit loops."

"Wendy Marvel! I thought I told you never to repeat those words!" Carla snapped, looking at her friend.

"I'm sorry, it slipped out! I promise never to use those words again." she cried, holding her hands together above her head.

"Ugh...honestly that boy is such a bad influence on you." she said.

"What's the big fucking deal? It's just a fucking word right?" Natsu asked.

"Aye sir. Fuck fuck fuckity fuck fuck!" Happy added.

"Will you two cut the shit already, fuck!" Lucy snapped angrily.

"Okay, all of you need to wash your mouths with soap when we get back home...but more importantly, we need to find a means to cross the ocean!"

"Why don't we steal the airship? We can fly our way to the capital!" Natsu said.

"Did you forget, you get motion sick?" Lucy asked.

"Don't worry, with Wendy's Troia spell I will be alright!"

"Um Natsu, I can't use magic remember?" she asked.

"Crap...alright screw that plan then." he said, looking at the ground with disdain.

"It doesn't matter, we'll need to catch a ride. Let's just climb aboard, a little motion sickness is a fair trade for saving the guild." Carla added.

"Okay then, I'll use my magic to take them out in one fell swoop! Then we can climb aboard!" Lucy said, grabbing one of her gate keys.

"Hey wait, don't just run out there!" Wendy said, trying to grab the girl, but she had already ran into the plaza, holding her key high in the air.

"Open, gate of the lion! Loke!" she cried. The celestial gate opened, but instead of the lion spirit, the spirit of the maiden came out instead, confusing the blonde.

"Hello Princess."

"What are you doing here Virgo?"

"Big brother is on a date and asked me to take the call for him." she said.

"Big brother?" Lucy asked, clearly confused.

"Yes, Master Leo asked that I call him that instead."

"Has he lost his damn mind?" she shouted.

"Quick get her! She looks like the fugitive Lucy Ashley!" a soldier called out.

"Apprehend her immediately!" another cried, all of them aimed their spears at the blonde.

"Princess if you wish I could distract them with interpretive dance!" Virgo said, launching herself into a dance routine. Lucy grit her teeth in anger.

"Stop dancing! That isn't going to help us!"

"This is bad, what are we going to do now?" Happy asked.

"How should I know, we should have thought this more." Carla replied.

"Don't worry Lucy, we got this!" Natsu said, holding his fire sword over his shoulder.

"We'll handle it. I finally know how to use this thing!" Wendy added, holding her air cannon at the ready. The army quickly blazed through them, sending them flying through the air.

"So much for that plan." Lucy muttered dryly.

"Magic sucks in this world." Natsu said. He felt one of the soldiers grab his arm, before he could even react his face was pressed into the ground.

"We have to do something, the ship is getting away!" Wendy cried, trying to pull herself free from the soldiers grasp. They heard the airship's engines turn on, and watched helplessly as it slowly took off into the sky. Natsu growled in anger, trying to break free.

The sound of a car engine filled the area, startling all of the soldiers. They all screamed as a Magic Vehicle slammed into them, sending them flying in all direction. The dust slowly cleared away, revealing the emblem of Fairy Tail on the door. Their faces lit up, recognizing the mark.

"It's a car, with Fairy Tail's emblem." Happy said.

"So it's a friend?" Lucy said. The window rolled down, revealing the face of a young man, though it was mostly hidden in the shadow of the interior.

"Earthland Fairy Tail?" he asked.

"That's us." Wendy replied, earning a nod from the man.

"Hop in, I've been told to assist you. Hurry, before they get up." He said. They didn't waste a second, as they all climbed into the vehicle. The man quickly shifted gears, speeding out of the city.

xxx

Aiden groaned as he woke up. It was morning, but he didn't know what time it was. He looked around the room, remembering that he had rented it for the night along with Edo-Wendy. The woman was sleeping soundly in the bed next to him. She looked really peaceful, which made him smile warmly. He remembered the night before, he had heard her crying. It had been a bit difficult for him to get to sleep, and he didn't know what to do, so he just pretended to be asleep. Sometime in the middle of the night she must have finally passed out.

Watching her now, she didn't look much older than his Wendy. She was still the woman he fell in love with, or rather the woman his counterpart fell in love with. He frowned, remembering what she had told him.

" _I can't believe Spitfire left her for something as petty as revenge. Then again I'm not one to talk, seeing as I left Flare for the same reason. If he knew about his baby, I doubt he would have left. Sucks that he's dead."_ he thought to himself. He had been thinking about meeting his other self, mostly so he could punch him in the face, but also because it would be cool to meet himself. He heard a soft groan and looked back to the blue haired girl, watching as she slowly woke up. She sat up, looking around the room.

"Oh..morning Aiden." she said softly. His eyes were wide, a light blush on his cheeks. She just stared at him, looking down at her chest. She gasped, quickly grabbing the bed sheets.

"You fucking perv! Don't just stare at them."

"Oh, it's my fault that I'm staring at them? You're the one who just slept without a bra. You didn't mind me motor boating them last night!" he cried back. She stood up, grabbing the bed sheets and wrapping them around herself.

"Don't do anything weird, I can see the tent your pitching!" she said, slamming the bathroom door shut. He grabbed a pillow, placing it over his lap.

" _Damn it, why does this Wendy have to be so big? I like little Wendy better...Oh my god that sounded so weird. Wendy would kick my teeth in if she heard that."_ he thought to himself.

He of course had to wonder, what was it about boobs that made men just drop to the ground. He was a man of course so he was attracted to such wonders. But he preferred them in between flat as a board and big as a whale. His Wendy had the perfect chest, even though she kept wishing for bigger ones. This Wendy however had the chest of an adult, something that fantasized many, including himself. He rubbed his chin in thought.

" _It was probably the pregnancy...that makes boobs grow...right?"_ he asked himself.

He had to curse Atlas Flame's name. The old lizard never taught him about anatomy. All he knew was that boobs were used to feed babies. Hell he didn't even know how sex worked and he was too scared to ask someone. Setting those thoughts aside for now, he stood up, grabbing his jeans. He quickly got dressed, wishing to have a clean pair of clothes. He donned his cloak once more, sitting down at the edge of the bed.

He frowned, looking at his bed. Phoebe normally slept with him, claiming the left pillow for herself. She was barely in her exceed form these days, but at night she couldn't hold the transformation, so she usually slept next to him. He patted the pillow, looking at it longingly.

"Is something wrong Aiden?" Edo-Wendy asked, looking at the young man. He glanced at her, glad to see she was dressed.

"It's my partner Phoebe. Last night was the first night that I slept without her. She took off before I went to your Fairy Tail, and I haven't seen her since." he said.

"I didn't know you had a partner, what's she like?"

"Well...for one she's a cat, kind of annoying, greedy as all hell...eats more than a Vorephiliac Slaaneshi Cultist and can get on your nerves with her voice. But she's my best friend, and I wouldn't trade her for anything in the world. That moment when I found her egg was one full of wonder for me, holding her in my hands after she hatched...I just couldn't breathe."

"Wait...you're partner is an exceed?" She asked, earning a nod from him.

"Yes, my old master told me that's what she was. But I never really thought about it, to me she was just Phoebe. It was just us for the longest time, then we joined Mermaid Heel and learned more about Wizards. We joined a bunch of other guilds for small jobs, finally finding our way to our home. Cait Shelter...we were there for less than four months before it was destroyed by a Dark guild, or rather our master passed on, and he disbanded the guild. We joined Fairy Tail a few weeks ago." he said.

"Do you know where she might be?" she asked, showing some concern for the missing girl. He looked out the window, giving her a nod.

"The Royal city. She said she was going to find a way to bring our friends back. She didn't trust this world's Fairy Tail...I hate myself for letting her go alone. I've been so focused on finding my way there that I forgot about her. Does that make me a bad person?" he asked, glancing at the older girl.

"Good or bad, I dunno. But what I do know is that you two share a special bond. Maybe she thought we were bad, maybe she didn't, but what I do believe is that she'll find what she's searching for, just like you will. Come on, there's an airship for people to cross the ocean. We can barter passage on it and get there unseen."

"No...I'll go alone. I don't want you to get hurt, as soon as I make it to the capital, I'm storming the castle." he said.

"Are you insane? You don't stand a chance against the Royal Army." Edo-Wendy snapped.

"I may not stand a chance against them, but one of those fucks has to know where my friends are. And who knows, maybe I can run into my buddies there. Honestly Wendy, I can't thank you enough for getting me this far." he said. He gave her a hug, loosing himself in her warmth.

"I honestly can't condone this. At least let me go to the capital city, I'm not going to stop you from doing what you must. I just can't let you go." she said.

"You're gonna have too. I'm not your Aiden, and I'm not going to replace him. Do you want your little girl growing up without a mother too? Think before you act. Maybe when this is all over, I'll bring my friends to meet you guys. See ya." he said, brushing past her. She just stood there, shocked at what she had heard. She sighed, feeling some tears well in her eyes.

"He's right...I can't risk my life for someone who isn't him. What was I thinking? I have to go back to my little girl." she said firmly.

Aiden raced through the city, ducking and weaving through the towns people. He noticed there were guards everywhere, most of them saying things about some car that blazed through the town. He came to a stop, looking around for the airship Edo-Wendy had mentioned. His eyes landed on a large ship, with the Military's Emblem painted on the side. Somehow he doubted that would be the ship, but it was the only one he saw. He looked around for a few seconds, making sure the area was clear before racing toward it, he was surprised with the lack of soldiers around the ship. Making it inside, he felt a sudden pang of pain and fished out his pills.

"Ugh...damn motion sickness. I need to hide." he muttered. He looked around for something to hide in. He spotted a large tarp not far from where he was and quickly raced toward it, hiding underneath it just in time. He was surprised when he saw that it was a Magic Cycle. He held his breath as the soldiers walked by.

"I can't believe that damn Fireball got away from us, with those Earthland mages. The King isn't going to be happy about this."

"That Lucy bitch got away from us again. That's the second time this week...but man did you see that magic? I can't believe people just pop outta nowhere like that."

" _Lucy has magic here? Wait...she was able to survive the anima?"_ Aiden thought to himself. He felt the ship start to move, and gripped the bike tightly, bumping the side compartment. He heard a small jingle as something hit the ground. He looked down, eyes widening when he noticed it was a key.

"Did you hear that?" the soldier asked.

"I didn't hear nothing man. Maybe you're just paranoid." the second soldier said.

"Whatever, so I heard a rumor from the higher ups, apparently those kids we let go are Dragon Slayers...if that's true then our fate is sealed. We'll have eternal magic!"

"Right, if they can extract it from them. You know they haven't successfully done it on humans."

"It doesn't matter...say, what do you think would happen if you turn Dragon Slayer magic into lacrima crystals, do you think you could use those elements?"

"Hell if I know."

"That's true...limitless magic. I remember seeing that huge lacrima appearing in the Royal city. The King is going to show off a piece of it in the central plaza today." he said, their voices died down as they walked further into the ship. Aiden smirked, shaking his head.

" _These soldiers are so goddamn stupid. They just gave me all of the information I needed...but now what to do this this?"_

He looked down at the gate key in his hand, a smile breaking across his a face. He remembered what Mystogan had told him before he and Phoebe came to Edolas.

" _Dragon Slayer magic is among the most sacred. I'm willing to bet I can use it to turn my friends back to normal. Well then, I guess I'll just have to pay a visit to that lacrima today."_

xxx

"Come on guy, are you gonna do something or what?" Phoebe muttered under her breath. She had been watching the hooded man intently for the last hour. The bar had gotten a bit empty, as the patrons were all going to see the lacrima. Her instinct told her to go with them, as it was her friends lives at stake, but she just couldn't shake off the feeling that this man was about to do something. He glanced over his shoulder, catching her gaze. She instantly looked away, focusing on the wall next to her. She swallowed hard.

" _I need to get out of here. I need to see what I can do about that lacrima...if only Aiden was here. Why did I have to leave him?"_

"Excuse me miss..you've been staring at me for awhile now. Is something wrong?" the hooded man asked. Her eyes widened a bit.

"No no..I was just curious...not a lot of folks come around here dressed like you." she said, shaking her hands.

"You're not from here, are you?" he asked.

"Um...not from the capital no." she said.

"No...I mean from this world. You're from Earthland, I can sense your magic...that and I can see your ears and tail." he said. Phoebe gasped a bit, shrinking into her cloak. She thought she had hidden her features well enough.

"Are you a fallen one?" he asked, sitting in front of her.

"Fallen one? What does that mean?"

"An exceed banished from Extalia. There are a few living around these parts, you are all held in high regard. Of course if you are from Earthland then you wouldn't know about that...what are you doing here?" he asked. She looked around, uncovering her arm. His eye widened a bit, glancing at the golden mark on her bicep.

"My friends got turned into those lacrima being unveiled today. I need to save them." she said. He looked around, moving a bit closer to her.

"I'm looking for a way to infiltrate the castle. There's a woman there I want to put down. If you want, I can get you near the lacrima." he said.

"Where is it?" she asked softly.

"Above the city, a friend of mine told me you need Dragon Slayer magic to turn the people back to normal. I have concentrated dragon magic in some bullets, maybe you can turn a couple people back. You won't be able to save them all." he said.

"Fuck that...I'm here to save my guild in its entirety. I know dragon slayer magic...it's just...I could die using it." she said, looking at the wall.

"Are you willing to risk your life for your friends?" he asked.

"That's a stupid question. Fairy Tail means the world to me, I can't live a single day without my friends. If I have to give up my life for them then I will." she said. He nodded, standing up from his seat.

"Fine, then let me get you to your destination. I'm meeting with a friend soon, and she'll want to meet you." he said. He placed a bag of coins on the table. Phoebe stood up from her seat, following the man.

"What's your name?" She asked.

"Me, they call me Spitfire. But you may call me by my real name, Aiden." he said, giving her a smile.

"Aiden?" she asked, her eyes widening a bit. He gave her a nod. She swallowed hard, holding back her tears.

" _It's not him...just someone else."_

"Nice to meet you Aiden, my name is Phoebe...let's work together to get this done." she said.

"Aye, ladies first." he said, gesturing to the doors.

xxx

Wendy was in awe of her surroundings. She and her friends had finally arrived at the at the capital city. All around her she could see the city was a hub for magic. The kids were running around with magic toys, even magical rocking horses. The whole place looked like a carnival.

"Look at this place...do you feel all the magic here?" Lucy asked.

"Indeed, this place looks like an amusement park." Wendy added.

"The world is loosing it's magic and yet the king makes everyone here live like royals." Carla said, clearly disgusted with everything around her.

"Then we'll just have to share it with everyone." Happy added. He noticed Natsu had snagged a magic rocking horse, and was floating next to them, his face in a serious expression.

"Did you notice the lack of guards? Compared to the other cities we've been in, this place seems more at ease." Wendy said.

"Probably due to the leisurely attitude. Having guards all over the place wouldn't make this place seem magical." Carla said. Natsu fell from his rocking horse, his cheeks puffed out. She sighed, shaking her head.

"That's the castle...it's gonna take forever to break in." Happy added, looking at the giant structure at the center of town. They passed by an open street, seeing a large gathering of people.

"Hey look, a bunch of people." Natsu said.

"Maybe it's a parade!" Happy added.

"Ooh, you mean like Fantasia? Let's check it out!" He cried, grabbing Lucy's arm.

"Ugh...don't pull me!"

"Hey, wait up!" Wendy cried, trying to keep up with her friends. They all finally got into the crowd, trying to push they're way to the front. Lucy took notice of how happy everyone was. There was confetti flying around in all directions.

"Hmm...I wonder why everyone is so happy?" she said. She bumped into Natsu, who had stopped in his tracks, eyes widened in shock. She followed his gaze, seeing the large lacrima crystal in front of them.

It was huge, towering taller than most of the buildings in the city. It was glowing a light blue color, pulsing with magical energy. Several guards had been posted in front of it, all holding long spears. There was a large podium in front of the crystal, with the Royal crest on it.

"What is this?" Natsu asked.

"Those are our friends...they're just...celebrating." Happy said, unable to finish his thought.

Everyone started cheering louder, as a tall elderly man stepped up to the podium. He was wearing a dark brown cloak over his body, with a matching hat on his head. He had long gray hair and an equally long beard. He had a spear in his hand, which he rose high above them.

"Citizens of Edolas, today is a momentous day! Thanks to the Anima project, we were able to collect enough magic from Earthland for the next decade!" he said. The crowd broke into cheers, clapping and whooping for joy.

"You didn't collect shit! Those are people you asshole!" Natsu muttered in anger. He knew if he said it aloud, he would get caught.

"This is but a small fragment of what we collected. The real prize sits above the capital city. We will begin extracting magic power from it tomorrow. I promised you more magic and I delivered! Our nation has struggled with this for far too long, it won't be much longer until we have infinite magic! This lacrima is but proof of my word, and I shall give you more!" he shouted. He slammed his spear into the lacrima crystal, breaking off a small piece of it.

Natsu, Lucy, Happy, Carla and Wendy all just watched the small crystals falling from the lacrima. Time seemed to stop for them as it hit the ground, breaking into smaller pieces. Wendy didn't know what to do, everything around her became white noise. She wanted to fight, she wanted to attack this man for hurting her friends, but there was nothing she could do, not in her current state. Natsu took a step forward, hand clenched in anger.

"Bare with it Natsu. I know it hurts but we can't do anything right now!" Lucy said.

"My friends, those are my friends!" he cried back, tears in his eyes.

"Natsu please, you have to keep calm. We'll figure out something." Wendy said, taking a hold of his hand.

"Everyone get the fuck outta my way!" a voice shouted, followed by the sound of an engine. The crowd looked back, instantly breaking apart, running in all directions.

"What is the meaning of this?!" the King shouted, looking at the crowd. All of the soldiers stood at the ready, waiting for whatever was about to attack them. A magic cycle slid to a stop before the crystal, a lone hooded figure sat on it.

"Get him you fools!" the king shouted. All of the soldiers ran at him, spears at the ready. The figure smirked, shifting gears on his bike. He spun in a circle, slamming the back of his cycle into the men, sending them flying in all directions.

"What's going on?" Lucy asked, watching intently.

"Someone's causing a ruckus." Carla said, clearly understanding what was happening.

"Do you think someone from Fairy Tail is doing that?" Wendy asked.

"Who would do that? Anyone I know has been turned into crystal...except...no, maybe it is him." Lucy said.

"Who is it? Come on Lucy tell us!" Natsu said, tugging her skirt.

"Don't tug so hard, do you want me go loose my dignity?!" she shouted.

"You fools! What have you been trained to do?" The king shouted in anger. The teenager put the kickstand of his bike on, leaving the engine running. He noticed hundreds more soldiers running at him. He stuck his hand in his pocket, pulling out the key he had found.

"I am connected to the Celestial Spirit world with this key, now pass through the gate! Open, Gate of the Unicorn, Monoceros!" the boy shouted. The tip of the key glowed a brilliant gold, a loud whinny filling the area. From the gate bounded a beautiful white unicorn, with glittering blue spots on its body. It pawed the ground, his hoof clacking loudly against the cobblestone.

"Monoceros, I know I'm not contracted to you yet, but please take care of those soldiers for me." he said, racing toward the lacrima. The unicorn whinnied loudly, his horn glowing a bright blue as he started sending magic blasts at the soldiers.

"You fool, what do you think you're doing?" The King shouted, glaring at the hooded boy. He smirked, tearing his cloak off his body. The man looked at him in shock, eyeing the emblem on his bicep.

"I'm setting my friends free, that's what. Hellfire Dragon's Iron Fist!" he shouted. Fire burst from his hand, making contact with the crystal.

"No! Get him you idiots!"

Aiden jumped out of the way, dodging several lances thrown at him. He spun on his heel, sending fire in all directions. He threw some fire blasts at the soldiers, sending them back a few feet. He took a deep breath, his cheeks puffing out a bit.

"Hellfire Dragon's Roar!" he cried out. A blazing plume of blue flames shot out of his mouth, striking the center of the crystal. It started breaking apart, glowing brighter than before. Aiden smirked, looking over his shoulder. Monoceros whinnied loudly, having taken a spear right through the chest.

"Monoceros!" Aiden cried, reaching out to the spirit, which disappeared from in front of him. He grit his teeth, jumping away from the spears.

"That idiot, he just had to go in there guns blazing!" Carla snapped angrily.

"We have to help him!" Wendy cried, about to run into the plaza. Lucy took a hold of her arm, pulling her back.

"You can't, you have no magic right now. It's a miracle that he can use his, but if you go there you'll only be risking your life!" she said.

"I can't just sit here and do nothing. Let me go Lucy!" she cried.

"Natsu, grab her!" the blonde cried. Natsu sighed, wrapping his arms around the small girl. She kicked and screamed, trying to break out of his grasp as he lifted her up.

"It sucks, but we can't do anything. He'll be fine, he's a Fairy Tail mage remember?!"

"No, let me go! Aiden!"

The young boy's head snapped to the right, focusing on a spot near the edge of the plaza. He swore he heard Wendy's voice. He shook it off, placing his hands together.

"Alright you fucks, I'll show you who you are messing with. Fire Make: Explosion!" he shouted, throwing a blazing orb into the crowd, the explosion was enough send the men back. He turned back, racing at the lacrima, holding his arms behind his back.

"Metsuryu Ogi: Guren Bakuenjin!" he shouted, a blazing phoenix burst from his hands, and he threw it forward. The flames connected with the crystal, making it burst into flames. Light burst from the crystal, as it started turning back to normal. He stood back, watching the plumes of fire slowly melt away. His eyes widened in shock.

"What the fuck...just you?" he cried out, shock written in his voice.

"Huh...what's going on, Aiden?"

Letting his shock subside, Aiden took the girl's hand and pulled her along. He got onto the Cycle, making sure she was holding on tightly. He revved the engine, shooting off into the city.

It had taken him an hour to finally loose the soldiers in the woods. He had lost all power to the cycle and he had been forced to run. Finally, he found a good spot to rest, allowing his friend to sit down.

"Mind explaining what's going on?" she asked.

"Sorry Yuna, I didn't think I could explain everything on the run. Still the fact that you were that large lacrima surprises me. You have a lot more magical energy than I thought." he said.

"Huh? I was turned into a what?" she asked.

He started explaining everything, from them reaching Magnolia, to her disappearing from his hand. He also told her how the King of Edolas had absorbed everyone and turned them into a lacrima, including herself. To say she was confused was an understatement. She was shocked and scared about everything that happened, especially being turned into a crystal. He finished his explanation, leaning back against the tree he was under.

"That's everything. The lacrima was being held in the central plaza, but I was able to get you before they extracted magic, that's going to make everything much worse for our friends. Now that the king knows we can turn you guys back, he's going to be weary." he said.

"You should have waited Aiden. At least met up with Natsu and the rest of them before making that choice.

"I was pissed, on top of that I didn't know what to do. I passed by another lacrima in town, there are several of them everywhere, all of them being put on display."

"We we have to get them. We can't just sit around here twiddling our thumbs." she said, standing up from her seat. He stood up as well, catching her hand.

"We can't just go. The army is looking for us, we need to head back in the cover of night. Oh, and eat one of these...they will allow you to use magic." he said, handing her a Magic X-ball. She looked at it weird, before placing it in her mouth. She instantly felt better, and was able to connect to her magic container.

"Wow, that pressure in my chest is gone." she said.

"You can thank these pills, Mystogan handed them to me in case I ran into anyone else. Which reminds me, I need to find Wendy and Natsu...I can't let them run through the city alone like this." he said, placing the pills back in his pocket. He heard a branch snap behind him and instantly launched a fireball through the trees. He heard a loud scream, seeing one of the trees fall over.

"Don't shoot! It's me!" a familiar voice cried. From the tree line jumped out a familiar looking girl, covered from head to toe in soot. Aiden's breath hitched, his heart beating hard. He ran forward, pulling the girl into a hug.

"Oh Phoebe, you're safe! I'm sorry, I should have listened to you!" he cried.

"No, I should have listened to you Aiden. I wouldn't have come all the way here...I'm a lousy partner." she said.

"No you aren't. We just misunderstood each other...still I shouldn't have left you. I was nervous, especially being in this new place." he replied.

"I know...but I shouldn't have left you. Yuna, you're alright!" she cried, giving the girl a smile.

"Yeah, confused as all hell but I'm okay." she said.

"What are you doing here? Actually when did you get to the capital?" Phoebe asked, looking at her partner.

"I got here this morning. I stole a magic cycle from the army...actually, Edolas Wendy was my guide here...she stayed back at Sycca." he said.

"Interesting...the person I brought with me is actually familiar with her. Hey, come out so you can meet my friends." Phoebe called out, looking over her shoulder. Aiden and Yuna looked at her curiously. It wasn't long before a hooded person made they're way out from some trees not far from them. He stood next to Phoebe, looking over the two Earthland mages.

"I see...I wasn't aware you were friends with this young man." he said firmly, glancing at Phoebe, who leaned against him a smirk on her face.

"Yeah, this is the kid who hatched me. You should know he's a great fighter, and a lover. He met your wife." she said. Aiden's eyes widened when he heard that.

"His wife...wait a minute...take your hood off." he said. The man nodded, reaching for the edges of his hood. Aiden's eyes widened when the man lowered it. He was staring at an older version of himself. Yuna gasped in shock.

Standing before them was the Edolas version of Aiden, Aiden Spitfire. And the young Hellfire Dragon was not amused by it, not a single bit.


	40. Edolas Arc: Starting a Revolution

**A/N: Lemme Smash!**

 **Welcome to Chapter 39 of the Hellfire Dragon Slayer. Boy, things are getting a little heated now in Edolas, and everything is becoming much more complex. Let me just say, It's about to go down...**

 **Yes that's right, this chapter is going to be intense. Arguments, betrayals...sort of...Knightwalker making her first official appearance, and of course a pretty cool fight. I'll say this, the entire fight sequence is a reference to another anime. Guess the one and you'll get a shoutout next chapter. It isn't a hard one, I mean if you watch anime as soon as you see it you'll understand it.**

 **But we're nearing the climax of this arc. Just yesterday it felt like Aiden showed up in Edolas, but now we're nearing the exciting, or less exciting middle part. So I hope you enjoy this.**

 **Shout outs to RedBurningDragon, Chance Green G King and WarMachine375 for being awesome people and loyal readers. You're reviews serve to motivate me, and I hope you guys like this chapter.**

 **Also to answer your question from last Chapter, RedburningDragon, Aiden found Monoceros's key next to the magic cycle he was hiding next to. When he was checking it, the key fell from inside. I don't know why I made it that way, I was gonna have him buy from someone, but I was like...eh, that requires more writing on my part so let me just do this...**

 **Well, I guess this is it for this Authors Note, I don't have much to say. On with the chapter I suppose.**

 **Song of the Day: Becoming Insane by Infected Mushroom. I heard this song originally in a Soul Eater amv and I got totally addicted to it. I just love the guitar riff near the middle of the song, really serves to set the mood. Also, I'm not sure if I'll keep doing this Song of the Day thing, I feel like sharing my preferences with you guys, maybe get you to listen to something new, I dunno...Have a good afternoon/evening/morning, whatever.**

Edolas Arc

Chapter 39

Starting a Revolution

They all remained silent, staring at each other for the longest time. Yuna didn't even know what to say. There were two Aiden's standing beside her, one was the one that had rescued her, and one that had lived in this place his whole life. She was still trying to swallow the bitter pill that was Edolas and its existence, having to see someone like that only solidified everything in her mind. The Aiden that stood before her looked so lost, broken. He was missing an eye, and had an ugly scar across his face. The fire in his remaining eye seemed to be burning out, as if he had lost all hope of everything. He looked stronger, more defined than Aiden Flame. He had a bit of stubble on his chin, and his face was more chiseled. He had the look of a young man, who would have been handsome if he hadn't lost his eye.

"My...this is an odd sight. I would never have thought about meeting my other self. It is a pleasure to meet you Aiden Flame. It is also a pleasure to meet you too Peyton, you look so adorable in this form." he said.

"In this form...wait what? How do you know my name?" Yuna asked.

"He's the Edolas version of Aiden. He and Edo-Yuna used to be in Cait Shelter, so they were partners and teammates. You were actually the flower girl for his and Edo-Wendy's wedding." Phoebe said.

"This is so surreal...I can't...wrapping my mind around this world is so hard." she said. Aiden took a deep breath, eyes focusing on the man in front of him. He walked forward, pulling his fist back, without a second thought he slammed his fist right into Spitfire's face. He grabbed him by his cloak, uppercutting his chin.

"Aiden what the fuck are you doing?" Phoebe shouted.

"Teaching this fucker a lesson. How dare you make her cry? How dare you make her suffer? Do you know how long she's been suffering, thinking that you are dead?" he shouted, glaring at the man that was on the floor. He wiped his lip with his gloved hand, glaring at his younger self.

"I didn't have a choice!"

"Bullshit! You did have a choice, everyone in Cait Shelter fucking died, Chelia, Iona, Alana, Eterna, Yun, Flare, Master Roubaul, Yuna...all of them are fucking dead, you survived by the hair on your ass. You were married, you have a kid! You didn't have to leave!" Aiden shouted.

"I...have a kid?" Spitfire asked, eye wide in shock.

"Yes! A beautiful little girl, one that had to grow up for three years without her father. Fairy Tail lives every day in fear, remembering constantly the deaths of their masters, of their comrades. And here you are alive and well, not even thinking about them in the slightest!"

"Shut up! You don't know me! You don't know the pain I've been through. You weren't there when Erza Knightwalker killed my friends!" He shouted back. Aiden remained silent, glaring at the young man before him. He broke into tears, clutching his missing eye with his hand.

"She killed them...she killed all of them in cold blood. My sister Kurumi, my brother Tomoki...all of my friends...she didn't stop until every single last drop of blood in their bodies was on her lance, decorating her face. Me and Wendy ran for our lives, constantly in fear of her. Fairy Tail was our escape, but I couldn't let her kill them too." he said.

"So you thought going on a solo mission to kill the Fairy Hunter would be enough retribution? At what cost? At the cost of making your friends suffer? At the cost of making Wendy cry at night? I met her, she guided me to Sycca, I watched her for hours as she cried herself to sleep. All because of you!" he shouted.

"I know...I don't deserve to be her husband, I don't deserve to be a father. But you don't understand, I'm not going to stop until Knightwalker is dead, she's hurt too many people, killed too many of my friends. I won't rest until I create a world where no one has to die." Spitfire replied.

"You're a coward...a selfish coward! People are born, they live and they die. There's no stopping it, so you have to live for today and make each day count! Revenge isn't going to bring happiness to anyone, killing Knightwalker isn't going to bring your friends back, and loosing your life isn't worth it if it makes her cry. So don't sit there and tell me that you'll make a better world in the wake of her death, because if the price to pay is your life, then that's not a world worth living in. Yuna, Phoebe let's go!" he said, turning on his heel. Yuna glanced down at Edo-Aiden, watching as he was still crying, sitting there in shock.

"Aiden wait...Spitfire told me a way to get into the castle. He knows how to set our friends free."

"Yeah I know too. Hit the crystal with Dragon Slayer magic until they turn back. It isn't that hard." he said.

"No, that's not it. Thanks to that commotion you caused in town, the King is on high alert, he's going to start extracting magic from that lacrima tomorrow morning. Yeah, you'll be able to save your friends but not all of them." Spitfire said.

"And I should believe what you say because?" Aiden asked, glaring at his counterpart.

"That's enough! Aiden Flame listen to what he has to say. He's deep in the workings of the castle, he has an inside man." Phoebe said.

"Aiden...maybe we should listen to him. The three of us alone won't be able to stop the King before he turns our guild into magic power." Yuna said. Aiden sighed, turning around to face the older him.

"Spit it out, I want details, I want an entrance to that castle and I want a surefire way to take down the King." he said.

"Alright, I'm not sure if it's a surefire way, but there's a way in. My girl is in deep." he said, a small smirk on his face.

Xxx _(Earlier)_ xxx

"Um, where are we heading Aiden?" Phoebe asked, following the older version of her partner. She was still getting used to this whole Edolas version thing. The man looked over his shoulder, pressing his finger to his lips.

"Don't call me that while we're outside, I'm a wanted felon remember. Just call me Spitfire." he said, earning a nod from her.

"Alright, where are we going?" she asked. She had been following him for awhile, heading deeper into the capital city. All around her were a bunch of magical items, carnival rides, rocking horses even magical vehicles. It really made her sick, especially since people in smaller towns were suffering without magic.

"We're meeting with an informant. Now that you Earthland mages have made your way into this place, we stand a chance." he said. He looked around, before making his way into a night club.

The music was pumping loudly, filling the entire area with a weird type of music. Phoebe was honestly impressed with this type of music, she had never heard it before. The people were dancing and drinking and just having a good time. She tugged on Spitfire's cloak, catching his attention.

"What type of music is this?" she asked.

"Dubstep, it's a type of electronic music made by computers." he said.

"What the fuck is a computer?" She asked.

"You don't have those in Earthland?" He asked, eye widened in shock.

"No I don't think so."

"Interesting, you are missing out. Listen, this might get a little hairy, the guy who owns this place is known around these parts as a good informant, but he can be a real meanie when he wants to be." he said.

"Meanie? Who talks like that?"

"I do...swearing is unbecoming of a young man such as myself." he said simply. Phoebe's jaw dropped in shock.

"Jesus, if my Aiden could hear him now. He would be so pissed." she said. She noticed he had walked further into the bar. Not wanting to get hurt, she decided to hide in the corner, watching everything go down. Spitfire kept on walking heading toward the bar. He glanced to the left, spotting the two security guards the owner had.

The first was a beautiful young woman, who was wearing a sleeveless strapless dress, which was an icy blue color. She was wearing a pair of long boots, with very sharp looking heels. She had long black hair that reached down to her lower back, and piercing blue eyes, with green eye shadow around them.

Standing before her was her sister, wearing an identical dress as her, save for it being crimson. It had a newsprint theme to it, and was ruffled at the edges. She was wearing matching heeled boots like her sister, but were crimson in color. She was wearing a sharp pair of magic claws over her hands. Her hair was cut at the nape of her neck, and she had a fluffy feather boa around her neck. The man next to them, gave a nod and the two girls walked off. Since this was a clandestine nightclub, it also had illegal magic, but since it was in the capital, the King didn't really mind it. He tapped the bar, earning the attention from the bar tender.

"Strawberry Sunrise, no ice. Oh, and a little umbrella." he said cheerfully. The man nodded and started preparing his drink.

"Oi, aren't you a little too young to be drinking that?" the man asked. He was wearing a suit vest, with a white shirt underneath and a red tie. He wore matching black slacks and shoes. He had a neatly trimmed goatee, making him a bit older than the truly was. Spitfire smirked, shrugging his shoulders.

"I dunno, am I? I seem to have forgotten." he said.

"Listen kid, this club is for adults only. So why don't you get the hell out of here?" he asked. Spitfire smirked, grabbing the man by the balls, giving him a hard squeeze.

"Listen, you and I got on the wrong foot my friend. I'm not here for drinks, I'm here for information. So spit it out, I know Fulcrum is here so tell me where she is!" he snapped angrily.

"Ugh...if you wanna make it out of this club alive, you'll let me go." the man said, voice coming out in a high pitch squeak.

"Answer my question and I'll make sure you have kids by the age of thirty." he said.

"She's not here." he said. Spitfire let him go, causing the man to sigh in relief. He noticed all of the black suited men holding magical weapons at him. A smirk worked its way onto his face.

"Well, this is embarrassing...having your nuts squeezed by a kid younger than you, awkward." he said. The man took out a pair of sunglasses, glaring at the young man.

"I'm giving you one last chance to get out of here. If you don't then you aren't going to make it out alive." he said, placing his glasses on. Spitfire sighed, shaking his head.

"Alright, you got me. I'll leave peacefully...after you tell me where Fulcrum is." he said, snapping his wrist forward. He punched the man in the chest as hard as he could, sending him flying across the nightclub. The patrons screamed loudly, all of them evacuating the dance floor. Spitfire took his cloak off, tossing it aside. He flicked his wrists downward, activating his magic shotgun gauntlets. They started glowing a bright orange as his fire magic activated.

One of the men ran at him, swinging his glowing axe. Spitfire jumped into the air, dodging the attack entirely. He grinned channeling his magic into his gauntlet. He stuck his arm out, punching the ground with all of his strength. The ground literally shuddered, sending the man flying back onto the floor. He smirked as he straightened up, his gauntlets bursting into flames. He ran at one man, jumping into the air, barreling his leg into him, knocking him out instantly.

He punched the air in front of him, sending out a concentrated fire blast at another man, using the momentum from the shot to elbow the guy behind him. He held his arm up, blocking a sword swipe throwing an uppercut at the man who tried to slash him. He punched him in the chest, sending him flying into another group. He let out another shot, using the momentum to spin around, punching a man square in the face, sending him flying through a glass pillar. He blocked another sword swipe, grabbing the sword from the man's hand.

He bashed him with the blunt edge and threw the sword at another man, driving it through his leg. Spitfire jumped at him, punching him in the face. Time seemed to slow for him as he grabbed the hilt of the sword, slowly pulling it out of the man's leg. He fired his gauntlet in front of him, quickly turning around to slice an axe in half. He threw the sword at the man, grabbing the handle of the axe and use it to bash the man over the head. He jumped back, dodging the gunfire from the mezzanine.

He saw a man standing there with a magic machine gun and instantly ran in that direction, firing a couple more rounds to speed himself up. He fired at the ground, grabbing the edge of the mezzanine, using the momentum to kick the man into the wall. He fired another round, driving his elbow into the man, quickly grabbing him, he used his last two rounds to send him flying through the air. All of the henchmen had been taken care off, all except the body guards.

"Melanie, it's him again." the red dressed girl said, standing next to her sister.

"I know, Junior is going to be pissed off." the blue dressed girl replied.

"Not if we teach him a lesson." the first asked. Spitfire flicked his arms outward, his gauntlets opened up, ejecting all of the spent shells. He tossed two strips of shotgun shells into the air, flicking his arms outward. They snapped into place and he jumped into the air, firing several rounds at the girls, who easily dodged the attacks. He landed on the dance floor, throwing more slugs at them.

The blue dressed girl swung her leg, slicing the bullet in half with her heel, sending the two fragments flying in different directions, one impacting the wall above Phoebe, who had been watching the whole thing intently. The red dressed girl ran forward, swiping at him. He blocked all of her hits, managing to throw a couple of his own.

The elder girl threw a kick at him, which he blocked only for the younger girl to punch him in the face, her claw slicing his skin. He smirked, wiping the blood away.

"You've gotten better Miltia, but that won't stop me from kicking your ass." he said, firing his gauntlets behind him. Using the momentum he punched Melanie hard, sending her flying back several feet. He cocked his hand back, getting into a defensive stance. Miltia grit her teeth, running forward, throwing several flaming swipes at him.

The sounds of metal striking metal filled the nightclub, as sparks fell over the dance floor. Spitfire dodged another swipe which would have taken his other eye, he smirked driving his right fist into Miltia's chest, sending her flying up. He threw three quick punches at her, finally firing a round at her, sending her flying through a glass pillar.

"Asshole, you'll pay for that!" Melanie cried in anger, racing at him. He fired more rounds at her, which she successfully dodged. She threw a kick at his hand, severing off one of his fingers. He hissed in pain but didn't loose his footing. He ducked and weaved, dodging her glittering heels. He knew he could loose more than just a finger if he was hit by her ice magic.

He grabbed one of her legs, swinging her over his shoulder, she was quicker, putting her arm out to catch herself. She spun around, aiming her left leg at his face. He ducked to the side, his eye patch being sliced off his face. He stepped back, ignoring the fact that his missing eye was now exposed. Melanie gasped, seeing the man's shredded eye socket. The eye was entirely missing, and the side of his face was scarred beyond repair. He took his chance, running forward.

He threw a flaming punch at her, which she easily dodged, throwing another kick at him. He grabbed her leg, driving his elbow into her shin, causing her to scream in pain. She was somehow able to throw a kick at his face, driving her into his jaw, knocking a few teeth out of his mouth. He let her go, allowing her to kick him in the stomach, though thankfully her heel didn't go into his body.

"You've gotten better...good to know your days in Blue Pegasus weren't wasted." He said, loading more rounds into his gauntlet.

"Of course, I fight hard so my sister can see tomorrow. That's why I quit being a guild mage." she replied.

"Then why is the mark still on your body?" he asked. Her eyes widened a bit and she looked at her torn dress. There was a missing section of it, exposing her naval. The mark of Blue Pegasus was clearly visible on it. She quickly covered it with her hand, glaring at the man.

"I'll teach you not to mess with me!" she shouted, racing at him. She threw a fake out on him, which he had been expecting. She threw a speedy side kick, aiming at his face. He fired some rounds at her feet, making her loose her footing. She jumped forward throwing a few more kicks at him. He smirked, catching her arm, he drove his elbow into her chest, knocking the wind out of her.

Her spun her around himself, driving his leg into her face, knocking her out cold. He sighed with relief, seeing the lights above him start to change. He heard foot steps behind him and turned around, seeing the man from before, holding a magic rocket launcher at him.

"You'll pay for this." he said, firing several rounds at him. Spitfire launched the last of his magic shells, using the explosions to destroy the rockets mid launch. The man raced at him, slamming the rocket launcher into him, sending him flying back into a glass table. He smirked, placing it on his shoulder.

"You messed with the wrong bar owner kid. Don't you Fairies ever learn?" he asked. Spitfire stood up, slamming his fists together, willing more flames to appear.

"Flaming Dragon mode activate." he said. The gauntlets started glowing a bright orange as fire swirled around them. He raced forward dodging all of the fire rockets being launched at him. He threw three swift punches at the man, breaking the rocket launcher in half. He smirked, pulling his arm back.

"Special Move: Fairy Tail's Final Hour!" he shouted, throwing an uppercut at the man. Flames burst out from the gauntlet, taking the shape of Fairy Tail's emblem. The man screamed in pain as he was sent flying, slamming into the wall. He fell to the ground in a heap, groaning in pain.

"Aiden Spitfire what in God's name are you doing?" a stern voice cried out. He stiffened as he glanced at the door way, seeing the woman he had been waiting for standing there. He swallowed hard, shivering a bit.

"Uh...sorry boss...I didn't mean to do it."

"Jeez, do you now how hard it is to keep this shit under wraps, now I have to pay for the repairs, again!" she snapped angrily.

"It won't happen again, I swear!" Spitfire said, giving the woman a pleading look.

Xxx _(Present Time)_ xxx

"And that's it." Spitfire said, glancing at his counterpart, who just sat there in shock. He blinked a few times, crossing his arms.

"Are...are you fucking serious? You destroyed a nightclub? All because your informant wasn't there?" he asked.

"Yeah, it was my mistake." the man said, rubbing the back of his head.

"That literally told us nothing. We still need to save our friends you know." Yuna said, glaring at the teen.

"Calm down you two, he was waiting to tell that story to someone. It was so freaking cool. You may not see it, but Spitfire and Aiden are a lot a like." Phoebe said.

"Heh, well at least he likes fire...but do tell us the information that we truly need, and make it snappy." Aiden said, glancing over his shoulder. It was already past sundown and he didn't want to waste anymore time."

xxx _(Earlier)_ xxx

Monet shook her head in disdain, looking around at all of the destruction. She hastily closed the doors, placing the open sign on the closed side before locking up. She walked over to one of the twins, kneeling down in front of her. After a second, she stuck her hand in her pocket, pulling out a small brown pill.

"Honestly, I can't have you do this every time you come here." she said, glaring at Spitfire who was busy reloading his gauntlets.

"Hey, Junior didn't answer my question. What was I supposed to do?" he asked.

"Any normal human being would just walk away, and I did answer your question asshole." Junior replied. He had been leaning up against one of the destroyed glass pillars, holding an ice pack to his face and one to his jewels.

"No you didn't." Spitfire replied, glaring at the man.

"Yes he did, he said Fulcrum wasn't here. I heard it all the way from the other side of the bar, even with the music." Phoebe said firmly. She had been tending to Miltia's injuries, pulling all of the small glass shards from her skin. The girl winced in pain, especially when she removed the larger ones. Once she was done, she hovered her glowing hands over each cut, slowly sealing them up.

"What...what is this?" she asked.

"Solar Divinity magic. It allows me to turn the power of the sun into energy, which I can then use to enhance myself. I can also use Sunlight to heal small wounds. Thankfully, the sunlight of Edolas works well with my magic specialty."

"Internal magic...are you from Earthland?" Junior asked, glancing at the girl. She lowered her hood, her orange ears twitching a bit.

"I'm an exceed. I was born in Earthland where I learned my magic." she said, shrugging her shoulders. Once all of Miltia's cuts had healed, she stood up, stretching her limbs.

"Unbelievable...I couldn't even tell you were an exceed." Melanie, the other twin said, clutching her head. Monet checked her over, making sure she was alright.

"Earthland mages are interesting are they not? It's been quite awhile since I met another one." she said.

"Another one? Wait...are you from Earthland?" Phoebe asked.

"Second Lieutenant, Monet Astrea of the Machias Assault Platoon. I worked under Gira Destroyer our Commanding Officer. During the invasion of Ishgarian soil, I was on a reconnaissance mission when I was absorbed by anima. This was a few years ago, in your land it has been two, in this land it has been six." She said.

"This can't be happening. I met your friend, Gira. He saved my ass during a mission...he sent out a flare to alert his comrades." she said. Monet smiled, flushing a bit.

"That's my commander. Even when we were all abandoned on foreign soil he still cares about us."

"Are...you blushing?" Spitfire asked curiously.

"Shut up! I'm still not through with you. Honestly, I give you a simple task and you...do this?" she said, gesturing to the entire club.

"My mistake, whatever the case you are here now so get on with that information." he said, crossing his arms. She sighed, helping Melanie to her feet.

"Introductions are in order. As you know, my name is Monet Astrea, you know about my origins in Earthland, but here in Edolas I happen to be the Captain of the 5th Magical Warfare Platoon. I am also the leader of the Edolas Resistance." she said.

"Whoa...you weren't kidding when you said you had an inside man." Phoebe said, glancing at Spitfire.

"I don't lie, that's my policy. I'm a gun for hire after all, if you need a target taken care of, it gets done. I've killed countless soldiers from the Army, including several generals. However my top target is Knightwalker, for obvious reasons." he said. Monet continued, gesturing to the others in the room.

"This is Junior, owner of this establishment and once the Master of the all female Blue Pegasus guild. The twins, Melanie and Miltia were S-class mages in the guild." she said.

"Um...nice to meet you, I suppose." Phoebe said.

"Nice to meet you too miss. It is an honor to make an acquaintance with an Exceed." the man said, kneeling before her. The twins did the same, freaking Phoebe out.

"What's with the bowing?" she asked.

"Exceed are held in high regard here. The only ones with natural magic, who stand above even the humans of this world. The Queen is our Goddess, a benevolent woman who decides who lives and dies." Monet explained.

"Huh? But...I'm nothing special." she said.

"But you are...you are standing here, a fountain of natural magic. You're very existence serves to inspire the human race. Sadly the King doesn't think so. Regardless of this, it is time for me to share this information...there is going to be a Protest tomorrow during the magical extraction." Monet said.

"For real? You're making your move tomorrow?" Spitfire asked.

"Indeed, if we do not use this opportunity to our advantage then our preparations are for naught. We have finally breached the capacity of Revolutionary members, and it is our time to fight. The 122 guilds that once existed in this land, have joined forces to make this army, and we will use our magic power to combat the tyranny of the king." Monet said.

"Well, you can count on Blue Pegasus to lend their support. That bastard Sugarboy killed half of my girls, including my wife." Junior said.

"We'll lend your our arms and legs." The twins said in unison.

"Spitfire, Phoebe I need you to infiltrate the castle. There is a machine there that activates Anima. We will use it in reverse to send the Earthland lacrima back, afterwards it needs to be destroyed. However, if we do destroy it, the portals will close and those from Earthland will remain here indefinitely. I've met up with the Prince and Princess." She said.

"What? Prince Jellal and Princess Yamato are back in Edolas?" Spitfire asked. Junior and the twins both gasped, muttering things under their breath.

"Whoa wait a minute, hold up! Did you say Princess Yamato?" Phoebe asked, glancing at Monet.

"Indeed, his majesty has two children, one from his marriage, and one from an adoption. However, Princess Yamato rebelled and ran away, finding solace in a village. The King didn't like that and he sent an army of soldiers dressed like people from the Church to murder the entire village. She was only six years old."

"Jesus...what the fuck is wrong with that man?"

"I don't know, but somehow she was able to find her way into Earthland and has been practicing her magic since. She has developed natural Poison magic, in hopes to one day kill the King, in the most painful way possible." the Machias replied. She had been tapping away at a device, printing out a map of sorts.

"This is surreal...I knew she called herself the Viper Princess, but I wasn't aware that it was a real title." Phoebe said.

"It matters not, what does matter is that she is ready to fight. However, she cannot approach the king directly. The Revolution will serve as our distraction, but we need to get into the castle and get the inner workings of anima before we make our move." Spitfire said.

"There is a tunnel that connects to a cavern deep beneath the castle. That is your first mission. You will meet with one of the Lieutenants of the Third Revolution's Platoon and he will guide you deeper into the castle grounds. Once inside, you will be guided toward Anima, keep your position until I give the order. Once I do, you'll need to put it in reverse, we'll be sending this world's magic to Earthland." Monet said.

"Wait...you're doing what?" Junior asked, clearly taken aback.

"In order to cease all conflict in this world forever, we must red rid of what's causing said conflict. Our world is dying, and taking the lives of another world is not the way to live. If the people knew that's what the King was doing, they would be appalled. In order to save the Earthland mages, we must reverse Anima. Earthland is vast, it won't be hard for that world to absorb this one's magic. It will be hard, but I have already taken measures to survive in a world without magic."

"Oh, and how are we going to do that? You do know how screwed we would be without it right? Magic powers up our lights, it makes things move, we need it to cook, to clean, to make things. How would we even get the bare necessities we need to live if we can't make them?" Melanie snapped angrily.

"Like I said, you don't need magic to survive. It is something ingrained into your mind because you grew up with it. You can easily create fire from striking rocks together, you can get water from rivers and purify it with carbon and sand, we don't need magic to power our cities when electrical energy is in the air. All we have to do is harness it, and I have come up with those means already. Phoebe, Spitfire, you need to go now, you'll need to go into the mine under the cover of night. Follow this map and you'll get there." Monet said, handing Spitfire a small rectangular device. Phoebe looked at it oddly.

"What is that?" She asked.

"A portable communications lacrima. It's state of the art and has several applications for daily use. I was the one who designed them." the woman said proudly. Spitfire looked the map over, giving her a nod.

"Alright, let's go Phoebe. The faster we get this done the better. We'll rendezvous with the Lieutenant at the meeting spot." he said. They turned to the doors, opening them slightly, just in time to see a magic cycle zoom past them. Phoebe's eyes widened in shock.

"Aiden? That was my Aiden!" she cried.

"Then let's go, we'll need his help in order to do this." Spitfire said.

"Alright, I'll carry you there, let me just turn back." she said, shifting back into her exceed form. Spitfire's eyes widened when he looked at the orange furred cat before him. She summoned her wings, floating up to his eye level.

"Impressive no?" she asked.

"Earthland magic is amazing...but no stalling, let's go." he said.

xxx _(Present Time)_ xxx

"You scored us a map?" Aiden asked, earning an excited nod from the girl.

"Mhmm...and it's about time we left. I'm going to remain in my exceed form to not attract attention. Let's just hurry up alright?" She said. Her body glowed a bright orange as she shifted back into her normal form. Yuna's eyes widened a bit, as it was the first time seeing her like that.

"Wow, a magic talking flying cat. This place keeps amazing me." she said.

The four moved silently through the brush, keeping an eye our for any soldiers that could be hiding in the tree line. Thankfully no one showed up and there was no one around. They started leaving the forest, coming up to the mine shaft entrance. The place looked dark and abandoned, most likely years since it was last used. They all looked around.

"Alright this is the place, has anyone been around here?" Spitfire asked, looking at his counterpart. He took a whiff of the air, shaking his head.

"No human scents, just a bunch of weird plants and rocks." he said.

"Okay, here's how it will work. We aren't safe, don't ever lower your guard and don't ever fight without sizing up your opponent. We're most likely going to hit a snag in the road so be prepared for it." he said, reaching for his revolvers, he opened the cylinders, checking to make sure every slot was loaded.

"I hear something, quick hide!" Phoebe warned. They all looked around, finding a giant rock near the entrance. The four of them quickly hid behind it, holding their breaths as to not be heard. They waited for awhile, the sound of footsteps slowing to a halt.

"This is it, the abandoned mine shaft."

"It looks so old...is there really a path here?"

"There has to be, we got no way to get into the castle."

"Alright, we're gonna need some torches before we go inside."

Aiden's face broke into a grin, and he literally jumped out of the rock, startling the people in front of the mine.

"Guys! You're alright!" he said.

"Aiden!"

Wendy jumped into his arms, pulling him into a kiss. She went as far wrapping her legs around him, hugging him tightly. Carla groaned, pinching her nose while Lucy and Natsu shared a knowing look. He pulled away from her, kissing her forehead.

"I missed so much!" he said.

"Me too, you have no idea how much I wanted to see you. When I got to Magnolia and saw everything was gone, I just lost it. Thankfully Mystogan and Yamato told me and Phoebe everything." he said.

"Yamato is a princess here, did you know that?" Phoebe asked, floating toward her friends.

"Whoa, you can use magic here? How come?" Natsu asked, grabbing the orange exceed, he started tugging on her wings, making her groan.

"Stop it, Mystogan gave us some pills that let us use our magic!" she cried.

"Oh right, he gave me a bottle in case I ran into you guys. Let me fetch some for you." Aiden said, shoving his hand in his pocket. His eyes widened when he felt his fingers go all the way through it. He looked inside his pocket, gritting his teeth.

"Shit. There's a hole in my jacket." he said.

"Are you serious? You had one mission Aiden!" Phoebe cried, floating next to her partner.

"It isn't my fault. I had to drive through the woods trying to loose those fucks." he said, placing his hands at his hips.

"Hey, speaking of that. What is wrong with you? Attacking a lacrima like that in front of people?" Lucy asked.

"Please, you are just jealous that I found a new spirit to call my own." he said, flicking Monoceros's key between his fingers. She sighed angrily.

"Let's stop lollygagging. We need to get access to the castle." Carla snapped, glaring at the wizards.

"Carla is right, we need to hurry to our rendezvous point and get to our position." Yuna said, Spitfire nodded, finally lowering his hood.

"Wait...Spitfire?" Natsu asked.

"Hello again Natsu, you aren't my Lucy, but please call me Spitfire, it's wonderful to meet you. Same goes to you Wendy, Carla and Happy." the man said. Aiden looked at his older self, shaking his head.

"Whatever, Phoebe could you find us some sticks? I'll make us a torch." he said.

"No need, I already got some made." Lucy said, pulling the two sticks form behind her back. He held his flaming finger to it, willing it to light, bright blue flames crackled on the stick, shining brightly.

"Let's just follow the map. I'll explain everything as we go." Spitfire said, stepping into the mine shaft. Aiden took a hold of Wendy's hand, tugging her alone. He had missed her a lot, her warmth and her scent just drove him insane. He was immensely happy.

"So, you found out about the secret passage as well?" Aiden asked, looking at his girlfriend.

"It was Carla that drew up the map. Apparently she was on a mission in Earthland, she's been getting the information back slowly." she said. Carla glared at the girl but remained silent. Aiden gave her a smile.

"Well I'm glad you were able to keep her safe Carls." he said.

"I do my duty." she said simply. He frowned.

"Still having attitude problems?" he asked. Wendy nodded.

"She's been getting better, this whole situation is rather pressing on all of us. Not having magic is even worse." She replied.

"Don't worry sweetie, I'll keep you safe." he said, kissing her hand.

"And that's basically the plan." Spitfire said, catching up Lucy and Natsu.

"Not bad, except we have no magic. It's gonna be a lot harder to get involved." the fire dragon said.

"I know, I should have asked Monet for some magic x-balls. She was the one who created them. Don't know how but she did it for the Prince." he replied.

"There's a prince too?" Lucy asked.

"Jellal, or Mystogan as we know him. I don't know much, other than he was exiled by the king. Yamato was adopted by him too, but she didn't like how he treated her and ran off. Her village ended up getting murdered in cold blood, somehow she found herself a way into Earthland." Aiden said.

"That's so cruel. I wanna find that old man and beat him senseless." Natsu said, punching his open hand.

"At least you know how to stay motivated." Yuna said.

"Oh yeah, how come you're here Yuna? Weren't you turned into a lacrima?" he asked curiously.

"That's another thing, if you hit the crystals with Dragon slayer magic, they'll turn back into they're original form. If we can find the lacrima that formed out of our guild, we can turn them all back." Aiden said.

"Not all of them, remember that crystal is big and the King is going to extract magic from it tomorrow. We need to work on the Anima project first, and get it up and running. Monet will take care of the rest." Spitfire said.

They remained silent, walking down the tunnel. They ended up reaching a dead end, large stone blocks had been placed at the end of the tunnel, and reinforced with wood.

"It should be here, the path that leads to the castle." Carla said, looking at the paper in her hands. Spitfire nodded, glancing at his Communications Lacrima.

"Carla is right, there's a path behind this wall. It seems pretty solid."

"Don't worry, I got this one in the bag. Open, gate of the golden bull! Taurus!" Lucy chanted, her key glowed brightly allowing the spirit to pass through. The sound of a bell filled the cave, along with a loud Moo. Before them stood the spirit of the Bull constellation, a large cow man with an ax on his back.

"Moove aside and let me take care of this bothersome wall." he said, flexing his arm.

"Give it all you got Taurus!" Lucy said, urging the spirit on. With a single punch, the wall crumbled away into nothing.

"Awesome, you really know how to break stuff!" Aiden said.

"Of course, I'll do anything for Miss Lucy...will you give me a smoootch?"

"How about you go home?" Lucy cried, forcing the gate closed.

"How did you do that? How did a small key allow a cow man to come through?" Spitfire asked, looking at the blonde.

"Oh, that's because I'm a Celestial Spirit mage. You see there's another world where Spirits of constellations and planets live. We form contracts with them and use their keys to let them through into our world. That was the Spirit of the Bull Constellation, Taurus. He's a powerhouse but really perverted when he wants to be." the blonde explained.

"Magic is more advanced in Earthland than I thought. Amazing." he said simply. Everyone filled into the tunnel, walking slowly into it. They remained silent after that, letting Carla take the lead. Spitfire kept a look at the back, his gun raised and ready to fire. Aiden was also prepared to fight. After around an hour of walking, they ended up coming into a cavern, that spanned high above them in all directions. They all looked around it in awe.

"Another cavern?" Yuna asked.

"It would seem so. It seems the castle is currently above us, we'll be able to get in from this spot." she said.

"Hmm...wasn't there supposed to be someone here waiting for us?" Phoebe asked, looking around. She saw some skeletons hanging around, along with the remains of broken weapons.

"Yeah, isn't that right Spitfire?" Aiden asked, glancing over his shoulder, noticing the man was gone. He looked around the cavern, but didn't see him at all.

"Shit, he's gone...I knew something like this would happen." he said.

"Whatever, we haven't the time to stand around here. Let's find an access." Carla said. Aiden walked forward, looking around for a way up, he jumped back suddenly, avoiding a huge glob of white thread launched at him. He heard Lucy scream behind him, seeing the thread had bound her in place.

"Lucy!" he cried.

"Gah...Aiden look out!" Wendy cried. He jumped out of the way, avoiding three more shots. He ignited his arms, holding them out to light the place up.

"Show yourselves!" he cried out. He felt something hit him in the back and tried to move forward, only so see his arms bound in place, his fire having been extinguished. Hundreds of soldiers walked out, holding light lacrima above them to keep the cavern lit.

"The Royal Army?" Lucy cried out.

"It was a set up, that bastard lead us into a trap!" Yuna cried, struggling against her bindings.

"No...it wasn't a set up, we just got here on time." a familiar voice said. From the shadows walked out a tall imposing woman, with crimson hair tied into a ponytail. She was wearing a thin bikini top over her chest, with golden markings on them. She was wearing a pair of short black shorts, with a brown belt and a white cloth attached to the side.

She wore thigh high black armored boots, which glittered brightly in the light. In her right hand was a long spear, with a quad bladed head. She was wearing an armored glove on it. Her left arm on the other hand looked rather different. It looked more mechanical, and even made a few whirling noises. She had a long scar running from her elbow to her bicep. She also had a long scar across her abdomen. Aiden swallowed hard.

"The Fairy Hunter." he said.

"Erza?" Lucy cried. The woman smirked, standing before them.

"So, you've heard of me, Fairy Tail scum?" she asked. Aiden grit his teeth, trying to burn through the thread. He clenched his hands, willing a spark to ignite but nothing happened. She chuckled.

"This thread blocks any magic power you attempt to use. You Earthland Mages are quite the specimen. Especially you Aiden Flame."

"How the hell do you know my name?" he hissed. The woman took a hold of his face with her metal arm, tightening her grasp on his jaw.

"A little birdie told me all about you. You are a younger version of Spitfire, the bastard who took my arm. I can't believe it, face to face with a younger him. Scum like you shouldn't be allowed to live!" she said, slamming her fist into his chest. He gasped in pain, almost falling to his knees. He grit his teeth, hocking a glob a spit into her face.

"Fuck you!" he said. She smirked, wiping her face with her hand. She stabbed her spear into the ground, grabbing a knife from behind her back. She held it close to one of the torches, letting it heat up.

"Do you know why the call me the Fairy Hunter? It's because I have personally dispatched the most Fairy Tail members. Even for puny guilds like Cait Shelter, I showed no mercy, but you have always slipped away from me. You might not be Aiden Spitfire, but that doesn't mean you can't share his sentiments." she said, pulling the knife away from the flame.

"What are you going to do to him?" Yuna asked, earning a smirk form the woman.

"Ah, so Peyton Francheska still lives, I'll have to rectify that."

"You lay a hand on her and I will personally kill you. You may look like my Erza, but you are not her. I will never hold back against those who threaten my family." Aiden said, earning a chuckle from her.

"You are in a precarious situation. I had heard rumors of a Revolution going to spring up, so I made a mental note to put a regimen here. We caught someone waiting for all of you. Bring him out." She said, glancing at the red knife. The soldiers brought out another man, throwing him into the ground. He was tied up with a blindfold over his eyes. Knightwalker walked over to him, taking the sack of his face.

"No way...Yun?" Aiden said, looking at the man. He looked just like Yun, and older version of him at least. He noticed his ears were bleeding, so the man probably couldn't hear him. There was a blue mark on his shoulder, the mark of Cait Shelter.

"Lieutenant Yun Powell of the Fifth Magical Warfare Platoon, a friend of Monet Astrea, a woman who I suspected was our enemy. He was going to be your guide inside. But I got to him first." she said.

"What are you gonna do to him?" Wendy asked, shivering a bit in fear. The woman smirked, grabbing a handful of his hair.

"I'm going to get rid of the Revolution, one man at a time." she said, slitting the man's throat. Everyone went wide eyed as they witnessed the man bleeding out. Natsu growled in anger, trying to break free of his bindings, but was of course unsuccessful. Aiden just stood there, silent tears falling down his eyes. Knightwalker took a firm hold of Aiden's neck, holding the knife to his eye.

"His blood will forever be on your face Aiden Flame...all because you thought it would be funny to spit in my face." she said. She drove the tip of the knife into his skin, slowly making a cut from the bottom of his eye across his cheek. He hissed in pain, more tears spilling from his eyes. She wiped the blood from the knife into the cut, using the remaining heat to sear his face.

"Now you know what happens when you mess with me. Take them away."

"Ah!" Lucy cried, as she was being dragged away. Aiden dropped to his knees, not knowing what to say or do. He was too focused on Yun's body, watching the lifeless man just lay there.

"Stop! Let go of our friends!" Phoebe cried in anger. Knightwalker turned to face her, eyes widening. She instantly dropped to her knee, holding her arm over her heart.

"Exceed!" she said.

"Huh?" Happy cried in confusion.

"I thank the three of you for capturing the humans. You shall be rewarded and taken to your home." She said.

"No! I want Aiden back, give me back my friend!" the orange exceed cried, summoning her wings. She suddenly groaned, felling to the ground unconscious, that was the last thing she remembered.


	41. Edolas Arc: Where I Belong

**A/N: High Ho Silver, Away!**

 **Welcome once again to a brand new chapter of The Hellfire Dragon Slayer!**

 **Last Chapter, we got to see a bit of what happened when Aiden stormed the capital, and we also got to see how Spitfire fights! Honestly, I don't know where the bar fight came from, but I thought adding it would be cool. It was the perfect time to showcase what Spitfire can do in a world with limited magic. I think I did a pretty good job.**

 **In this chapter, you'll get to see what happens after their capture. I have to say, Aiden is getting too many damn scars. Honestly I have no idea why that is. I just start writing and I'm like "Fuck, he would look badass with a scar under his eye" and that's how it happens. Every time...well, better him than Wendy I suppose, but she will be getting another scar at some point. No one is safe Mwuahahaha!**

 **Shoutout to RedBurningDragon for guessing the fight scene correctly, you get a virtual cookie good sir, I'm sure Phoebe would be jealous of you.**

 **Also, be sure to check out my buddy G King's own story The Outcast which has just received another update. I haven't been able to read anything due to my lack of internet. Luckily I'm at Starbucks right now, I know I'm not a White Girl, don't ask me why I'm here, and I was able to edit and post this. So If I have the chance to get to it, I'll read your stuff...but if not then I apologize.**

 **Song of the Day: Nightmare by Natewantstobattle. I totally love this freaking song, ever since I heard it last year. I ended up buying the whole album, plus Nate is a pretty cool dude, so give him some love.**

 **Well, here we go!**

 **Quick Question: Should I give Happy his own Human transformation? Honestly I wasn't considering it, but I want the little guy to be a bit more helpful to Natsu. I enjoy the exceeds being well...exceeds, but I also think it would be cool for them to transform like Pantherlily can, thus leading to Human Carla and Human Phoebe...comment in the reviews, PMs, Instagram...okay, maybe not that last one, but be sure to tell me!**

Edolas Arc

Chapter 40

Where I Belong

Aiden groaned in pain as he was tossed into the cell. He felt Natsu slam into him, further causing him pain. He sat up, looking at the soldiers as they slowly closed the gate. Aiden looked down at his hands, seeing the white thread from before around his wrists, successfully blocking his magic. He sat up, glaring at the men.

"What are you gonna to us?" Wendy asked, pulling herself to her knees.

"You? We've been given strict orders to keep you in this holding cell. You dragon slayers are going to serve a new purpose for us." the man said.

"Where's Lucy?" Natsu asked, growling at the man. He smirked, placing his face near the bars.

"And Yuna?" Aiden cried out, glaring at the black haired man.

"You mean the blonde? Sadly we have no purpose for her, so she's going to be executed. Same goes for the white haired babe." he said. Natsu grabbed the bars tightly in his hands.

"If you lay a finger on them, I'll turn you into a pile of ash." he hissed.

"Oh woe is me, are all you Earthland mages this fearsome? Oh, right, I got some pain killers for the kid. Nice face by the way." he said, tossing the two pills into the cell. Aiden growled at him, standing up from his spot.

"I'm going to kill you." he said angrily.

"I'd like to see you try." the man said.

"Where's are Carla, Happy and Phoebe?" Wendy asked, earning a chuckle from the man.

"You mean the exceed?"

"His name is Happy, get it through your thick skull asshole."

"The exceed were congratulated for their work and taken back home. They're probably stuffing their faces with the feast by now." the man said.

"Phoebe would never do that. She would never eat knowing her friend is in danger." Aiden shouted angrily.

"Hahaha, that's what you think. You see you may not know it, but those three were on a mission. A rather important mission." The man said.

"Carla abandoned that mission by returning here. Stop trying to confuse us!" Wendy cried out.

"Tch, you little brat. You're lucky I have orders...but anyway I'll keep you entertained. You say you're little friend abandoned her mission, but she in fact fulfilled it to the highest degree. Six years ago, the Queen of Exceeds and our Goddess saw the destruction of Edolas, so she grabbed a hundred Exceed eggs and sent them to Earthland. The original purpose was to find and kill our mortal enemy, the ones who would bring about the destruction of magic in Edolas, the Dragon Slayers." he said.

"What?" Natsu said.

"No, that isn't possible. Phoebe wouldn't try to kill me, she's my partner."

"Poor little boy, doesn't even know the truth behind his partners actions. She didn't know about this mission, it was all subconscious. She found you, and lead you here so we could capture you. Even though their original mission was to kill you, we figured out that Dragon Slayer magic was rather versatile. The King is going to extract the magic from the lacrima later on today, and he's going to need your help to do it." he said with a grin.

"Fuck off, you and the king can shove it. And bring that bitch Knightwalker over here so I can tear her throat out!" Aiden cried, slamming his shoulder into the cell bars. The man grinned.

"Boy, you are so full of spunk ain't ya."

"You're a liar...we're gonna set our friends free..Phoebe didn't betray me. She's my best friend!"

"No she's not. She was sent to kill you bro, all of the exceed sent to Earthland were bred for that purpose. They lead you into a trap and you got captured. Enough of this, I got shit to do. Why don't you sit tight until it's time to get you?" he said, breaking into laughter as he walked off with his soldiers. Wendy rapidly stood up, catching Aiden before he fell to the ground. She used the light from the hallway to check his face, her lip quivering.

"Oh sweetheart...I can't believe she did that to you."

"Forget about it...I'm not going to let this get me down...I just want Phoebe here with me." he said.

"I don't believe that crap he was spewing. Happy would never betray me...or us. He's just lying." Natsu said, sitting down next to the younger fire dragon.

"I know...Phoebe would never do that...we'll get outta here, and when we do, I'll fucking kill Knightwalker." he said, closing his eyes. Wendy sighed, choosing to cradle his head in her lap. She was just glad to be with him again.

Xxx

"Aiden, where are we going?" Phoebe asked, looking at her partner. The ten year old boy just looked at her, giving her a shrug.

"I'm not sure. We'll follow the tail wind and see where it takes us." he said, giving her a smile. The kitten nodded, landing on his head, letting her small wings disappear. Everything to her was odd and filled with wonder. She had only been alive for a couple of weeks, but she had learned rapidly how everything worked. Currently, she and her best friend were talking through a bog.

"Man, this bog is really thick. My feet keep getting stuck." Aiden said, grabbing his stick tightly.

"Maybe I can carry you out of here!" Phoebe said cheerfully, making the boy laugh.

"When you're a little bigger, we'll be able to fly around all we want. You can take a nap if you want, cat's like those right?" he asked.

"I want a cookie." she said, giving him a deadpanned expression. He just looked at the sky, a frown on his face.

"I don't have a cookie sweetie. Maybe we can find a sweet shop after we make it to a town." he said.

"Aw, but Aiden you promised me some cookies...ever since you told me about them, I've wanted to try one." she said, hitting him with her little paws. He chuckled, shaking his head.

"I know, but we haven't been able to find a town in awhile. I just wish Jehoash hadn't left us." he said, taking another step forward. Thanks to his stick, he didn't fall into the water. That was the last thing he wanted.

"I know...I miss him, he gave us food." she said. He rolled his eyes. He went to take another step forward, noticing a leech on his leg. He hissed and pulled it off, throwing it far away from him.

"I fucking hate leeches." he snapped angrily. Phoebe giggled, shaking her head.

It wasn't long before they finally made it out of the bog. Aiden ended up taking a tumble into the water, soaking the two of them to the bone. They were now in a small camp near a river, both of them sitting on the grass naked waiting for their clothes to dry. He groaned, placing his head into his hands.

"This sucks! Why did dad have to leave, he taught me this magic and just took off." he said, igniting his hand. It was a small blue flame, something he still didn't understand.

"Maybe he wanted you to get stronger Aiden! That way when you two meet each other again, you can duke it out!" Phoebe said, pumping her small fist into the air. He smiled, scratching her ears.

"I think so too. When we find a store, I'll buy you all the cookies you want, okay?" he said.

"Yay! I love you Aiden, you're my best friend!" she cried, hugging his arm tightly.

"You are my best friend too." he said.

"Hey, how did you find my egg?" she asked curiously.

"Hmm...well I was walking through the woods, heading back to camp where Jehoash was and it just hit me on the head." he said.

"Hehe, does that mean I was giving you headaches before I was born?" she asked. He broke into laughter, falling onto his back. The small kitten floated down, landing on his chest.

"Yeah, I think so. You're egg was pretty hard...I was just so confused, but I remember what Atlas Flame told me. Eggs needed warmth to hatch, so I just stuffed you into my shirt and raised my temperature." he said.

"Did I move at all?" she asked curiously.

"A few times, it was so surreal. I was holding a brand new life in my hands, I couldn't let anything happen to you. Jehoash literally had to force feed me while I was with your egg. When you finally hatched, I felt like crying. Of course I was confused as to why a cat came out of an egg, but I didn't care." he said.

"What about my name? What does it mean?" she asked.

"Didn't you ever hear the expression, curiosity killed the cat?" he asked.

"No...I'm still a baby." she said.

"Oh right...well, cats are very curious and you my friend are very much the same. Anyway, the name Phoebe was a name given to the Goddess of the moon, Apollo. She was a beautiful woman, with skin of ivory as clear as a full moon. As soon as you hatched and saw your fur, it just fit you know?" he asked.

"I suppose...I don't really get all that other junk, but at least I know I'm a goddess." she said.

"Of course that's the only thing you remember." he said, shaking his head.

"Mhmm...hey Aiden...can we make a promise?" she asked.

"Sure, what about?"

"Well...can we promise to be together forever?"

"Forever...yeah, I think we can do that. From now until the end of time, we'll be friends, no matter what!" he said excitedly.

"Yay, thanks Aiden, you're the best." she said, settling into his chest. It wasn't long before she fell asleep. He chuckled, grabbing his blanket, covering them up from the cold.

"You're the best too Phoebe, sweet dreams kitten."

xxx

Phoebe groaned as she opened her eyes. Her vision was a bit hazy, and she was greatly confused. Her vision cleared and she finally got a good look around the room she was in. It was a rather lavish room, with a decently sized bed. There were wooden chairs in the room, as well as some other furniture. She sat up, rubbing her eyes with her paws. She glanced beside her, seeing Happy and Carla as well. She grabbed the white exceed's paw, shaking her awake.

"Carla, wake up." she said softly.

"Hmm?"

"Where are we?" Happy asked, sitting up in much the same state as Carla. The white exceed looked around, eyes wide.

"Where are we? Where's Wendy?" she cried.

"I don't know...I fell asleep and don't remember anything else." Happy added.

"Sleep magic, those fucks knocked us out so we wouldn't do anything to save our friends!" Phoebe said firmly. She stood up, summoning her wings. She was glad that magic X-ball hadn't lost it's effect. It had been three days already, and they were running out of time.

The door suddenly opened, startling the three. An light yellow furred exceed made his way in, taking a whiff of the room.

"Meow, welcome back, children of Earthland." he said.

"What the fuck?" Phoebe cried.

"Ichiya?" Happy cried. The exceed before them looked like an exact copy of Ichiya, except he was a cat. He was wearing some sort of uniform too, making his weird poses even more awkward.

"I came to congratulate you for completing your mission in Earthland, and to welcome you home." he said.

"Screw you, this isn't my home. Tell me where Aiden is!" Phoebe cried, landing on the ground in front of the older cat.

"If you are referring to the humans, then worry not. They are being taken care of, the dragon slayers will help us acquire endless magic." he said.

"What are you talking about?" Happy asked.

"My apologies, I cannot explain further. I have come here to take you to the Queen." He said.

"The queen, there's a queen here?" Carla asked, still not believing what was going on.

"Indeed, and she wants to meet the brave warriors who came back to Edolas." a new voice said. Another cat walked into the room, he was rather tall and had smooth black fur, and was wearing a suit of sorts. The most prominent feature was the fact that he was pumping his fist.

"Who the hell are you?" Phoebe snapped angrily, glaring at the tall exceed. He frowned a bit, shaking his head.

"It seems Earthland has really tainted this one. Regardless I shall answer your question. My name is Nady, I am the Minister of the State for our great nation." he replied. Phoebe crossed her arms, looking away from the black exceed.

"Um, where exactly are we?" Happy asked.

"We will answer that soon, meow. For now, we must meet up with the Queen, who wishes to have an audience with you." Nichiya said, urging the three out of the room.

As they left the room they were in, they found themselves walking down a stone path. The path itself lead to a small town. The three exceeds were expecting humans to be living there, but were shocked to see other exceeds walking around. There shops selling fresh food, and various types of fish, another stand was selling clothing, while others sold toys and various other necessities. They all looked around in awe.

"Whoa, it's a town filled with cats." Happy said, clearly impressed with his surroundings.

"Not cats, exceed. All of us live peacefully here under the guidance of Queen Shaggote. And up ahead is our fair country of Extalia." Nady said, his fist pumping had only increased which also seemed to annoy Phoebe who was grumbling under her breathe.

"Where exactly are we again?" Carla asked curiously.

"Meow, our country is located above the human capital. From here our Queen issues her decree to the lower world scum." Nichiya said.

"Hey prism face, stop calling humans scum. They are twice the people you fucks are." Phoebe snapped angrily, her tail flicking back and forth in anger. She was tugging on the tie around her neck, the oppressive cloth kept scratching her. She hated the fact someone had dressed her as well, in a school uniform which she absolutely detested. She wanted her sleeveless halter top and shorts back.

"I would like to ask you to stop swearing, it is unbecoming of a young woman such as yourself." Nady said.

"Piss off."

"Phoebe, I understand you're angry, but please refrain from speaking that way, at least for now." Carla said softly, taking her paw in her own.

"You can't be serious Carls...this is bullshit. While were up here dicking around, our friends could very well be dead! I don't know about you but I want to get out of this fucking shithole!" She cried out in anger. Several exceed looked in her direction, whispering things under their breaths. Nady and Nichiya excused themselves, reminding them that they had just arrived from Earthland and that they behaved differently there.

"Bare with it, please...I don't know if I can last much longer." the white exceed replied, biting her lower lip. Phoebe looked at her oddly, but gave her a nod. They had been best friends for awhile, and she knew Carla wasn't doing well mentally at the moment. With a sigh, she shut her mouth, choosing not to say anything else.

The group of exceed finally entered the royal palace. It was nothing like Mercurious, while that castle had been bright and inviting, this one looked colorless and oppressive, at least in Phoebe's eyes. She hated the paw print designs everywhere, the tiles didn't match the colors on the walls and she hated the chandeliers. Then again she was most likely making herself hate the place due to spite.

"Well, we're almost there. Are you excited to meet out queen?" Nady asked curiously.

"Not really. I would much rather have a nail power driven through my foot, if I'm being terribly honest." Phoebe said, making the exceeds cringe.

"I...have a question. You said the Queen sent our eggs to Earthland, what was the true reason behind it?" Carla asked.

"Well, you may not know this but our queen has a rather special ability that allows her to see the future. She saw our great nation along with the rest of Edolas being destroyed at the hands of the Dragon Slayers. So, she gathered 100 exceed eggs and imprinted that special mission into their subconscious." He said.

"What mission? This is literally the first time I'm hearing about this, I have never gotten one." Phoebe snapped.

"Same here, I don't remember anything." Happy said.

"Memory loss? It is rather unknown seeing as you are the only ones who came back to Edolas, meow." Nichiya said.

"Yes that might be it. You see once Queen Shaggote got that vision, she had no choice but to gather up the eggs and send them off. Once we had them in our possession, we gave you the mission to destroy the Dragon Slayers, that way our nation would be safe. But as it turns out, Dragon Slayer magic is rather versatile, so the mission changed to capture them instead." Nady said.

"That's a lie...my time with Wendy was special, I'm her friend." Carla said.

"No she isn't. It was just something you developed to get closer to her, it was all for the mission." Nady replied.

"But what about our missions, all the times we laughed and cried?" she continued.

"Again, it was your mind fooling you into a sense of false security. We wanted you to befriend the Dragon Slayers so you could one day get them here. Meow!" Nichiya said, throwing various poses as he talked. Carla fell to her knees, tears streaming down her face.

"It's a goddamn lie! Shut up and stop confusing us!" Phoebe cried, her face glowing with anger.

"I'm sorry dear, I know this is all hard for you three. But all of those emotions you felt, attachment, happiness, love...all of those were fake. All for the sake of the mission, and you successfully completed it. You shall be rewarded to the highest degree." Nady said, giving them a smile.

"Shut up! My emotions aren't fake! I'm not a part of this nation, and I'm not your slave!" Happy cried, standing in front of the two female exceeds. Phoebe gasped a bit, her heart pounded in her chest. She balled her paws up, focusing on her magic power.

"He's right, we aren't your goddamn tools. We're Fairy Tail wizards, and we're going to save our friends. So you can shove that reward where the sun don't shine!" she cried, her body glowed with bright orange light as she transformed, her wings sprouted from her back, glowing a brilliant golden color.

"Oh Happy, Phoebe." Carla whispered, wiping her tears away. The orange haired girl grinned as she picked up Carla and Happy. She jumped out the window, flying away from the castle as fast as she could.

"She has a human form? Is that even possible?" Nady cried, clearly shocked at what he saw.

"Meow, it seems the humans tainted her with their parfume." he said, grasping his sword. Nady grit his teeth, taking a deep breath.

"Quickly, we have three fallen angels on the run! Capture them at once!" he cried.

"Don't worry you guys, I'll get us out of here." Phoebe said, her back ached but she wasn't going to stop, she could rest her wings when she made it home. Carla glanced behind her, eyes widening.

"Phoebe, we need to land right now!" she cried. The orange haired girl glanced over her shoulder, narrowly avoiding a magic blast from the exceeds that were following her. She grit her teeth, her eyes brightening a bit as scales formed around her cheeks.

"Solar Dragon's Roar!" she shouted, unleashing a bright orange and black beam of sunlight at them. The exceeds scattered in all directions, trying to avoid the attack. Phoebe howled in pain, her body shuddered from the magic she had used, and she could feel her teeth changing, something that was extremely painful. She passed out, her wings disappearing. Her transformation gave out, turning her back to her original form.

"Shit." Carla hissed. Without her wings she was practically useless. She pushed herself forward, grabbing Phoebe's tail.

"Carla, take my paw!" Happy cried, reaching out for her. She reached for him, taking a hold of his paw. The three exceeds slowly fell down, slamming into a hay bail. They held their breaths as the platoon of exceed soldiers flew above them, shouting orders left and right. They waited for a few minutes for them to clear away. Carla jumped out of the hay bail, holding her friend up.

"Happy, will you help me?" she asked softly. He nodded, placing Phoebe's other arm around his shoulder.

"I didn't know she was a Dragon Slayer." He said softly.

"She's not. Solar Divinity Magic is a lesser form of Solar Dragon Slayer magic, every time she uses an attack like that, she comes close to dying. She knows that, and yet she foolishly used it." she snapped, glaring at her friend.

"She's a Fairy Tail wizard Carla. If it's to protect our family, we'll gladly give up our lives. Wasn't it the same in Cait Shelter?" he asked. She smiled, giving him a nod.

"Yes, Wendy always said she would lay her life down if it meant saving her friends. Aiden is much the same, you should have seen him when we went to Fogbound Lake. Eating a lacrima was the most foolish thing he did, but he did it to save her. She was capable of making him let go those vengeful thoughts. That's why I wanted to protect her, but I lead her into a trap." she said.

"No you didn't. Spitfire was with us and was using the same map as you, that means that Knightwalker lady must have known. We walked into a trap yes, but it wasn't your fault. It never will be." he said. The white exceed, looked away from her friend, tears running down her face. She hastily wiped them away.

" _If Wendy promised to grow strong and stop crying, then I will too. No more crying...I can't wait to get back home, I'm never transforming into an exceed ever again."_ she thought to herself.

"Hey look, a small house...let's see if we can get some help." Happy said.

"That isn't wise, what if they are enemies?" she asked.

"It doesn't matter. Phoebe needs help, and we need to get her to safety." he said. She sighed, knowing he was right. She just hoped those people, or exceed weren't bad people.

xxx

"Hey Aiden, check this out! I just found this flier for this awesome sweet shop, can we go please?"

Aiden sighed, looking over his shoulder. His exceed partner was holding a colorful piece of paper in her hands. Grand Opening was written on the top, along with various other things, but what caught his eye was the ad for free cookies. He rolled his eyes, shaking his head.

"Phoebe, do you really like cookies that much?" he asked, shaking some hair out of his eyes. It was getting a bit unruly, maybe it was time for a cut.

"Is that a serious question? You know I love cookies. Chocolate chip, oatmeal, sugar cookies, Christmas cookies, even those crumble cookies from Pregrande. The thought of dunking one in a glass of warm milk is enough to make me wet!" she cried.

"Oh god, where did you learn to speak like that?" He cried, glaring at the girl. That kind of language was something a twelve year old shouldn't be hearing. Then again, they had lived in the slums of Rose Garden for a year and a half now.

"It's a figure of speech dumb shit. Can we go, please?" she asked. He sighed, pinching his nose.

"Fine, let's go to this store." he said, earning a loud joyous cry from her. She swung around him, lifting him off the ground.

"Whoa hey, give me a heads up when you are about to do that." he said.

"Sorry Aiden, I'm just so excited!" she cried out. He rolled his eyes, already knowing how she acted at the mention of cookies. It wasn't long before they made it to the sweet shop. He noticed that it was next to a bar of sorts. He also noticed a red haired woman walking into it, wearing a shiny set of armor. He shrugged, entering the candy store.

"Welcome to Candy Land! I hope you find something sweet among our inventory!" the cashier cried. He gave her a wave, a smile on his face.

"I heard about the free cookies, may I get one?" Phoebe said, flying in real close. The girl chuckled, holding the basket out to her.

"These snicker doodles were made fresh this morning by my Grandmother, the owner of the store. Say, are you two from Blue Pegasus?" she asked, taking notice of Aiden's guild mark.

"Oh, yeah. I'm trying to find a suitable guild, but so far this one doesn't really tickle my fancy. Too many pretty boys, I want a place where I can get some action." he said.

"Hmm...I heard Lamia Scale is taking in members, they lost three members awhile ago. It might suit your needs." she said.

"Lamia Scale, alright, I'll check them out when I can." he said.

"Why don't you have a look around? You might find something." she said, earning a nod from the young man. Phoebe had already eaten all of the snicker doodles, and was asking for more. That poor cashier didn't know who she was dealing with.

Walking down the aisles, he spotted several different types of candy. There were a lot of chocolates, along with gummies and sour candies, some of his favorites. He ended up grabbing a pack of grape Nerds, along with a box of assorted chocolates. He walked back to the front counter, seeing several boxes of cookies in a neat stack next to the orange exceed, who was rubbing her belly contently.

"Goddamn Phoebe, leave some for the others." he said, setting his chocolates down.

"No, my cookies." she said.

"I'll say, I've never seen someone put down so many cookies at one time. I think it's a new record, would you mind if I take a picture of her?" the girl asked.

"Go ahead, if she's up for it." Aiden said, fishing his wallet out of his pocket. Phoebe stood up, taking another bite from a Chocolate Chip cookie. The girl used her Camera lacrima to take the picture, a smile on her face.

"Congratulations, you'll be the first to eat seventeen boxes of cookies in less then five minutes. And don't even worry about it, they're all on the house."

"Oh jeez, I can't have that, let me at least pay half of them. I wouldn't want you loosing money because of us." he said.

"Actually, we haven't gotten that many customers today. Rose Garden has too many things to do, but there are those foreigners that come through here. Often times they'll buy candy for their loved ones back home, and that's why we're here." she said. He handed her the money, and she quickly printed him the recent. She grabbed a bag and placed all of the unopened cookie boxes inside, along with his chocolates. As she was handing him the bag, someone burst through the side wall, slamming into one of the shelves.

"What the hell is going on?" the cashier cried. From the other side of the wall came the woman from before, holding a sword in her hands. Aiden's eyes widened in shock, he hastily grabbed his bags and headed out of the store. A dagger flew through the still open door, pining him to the side of a parked cart. His eyes widened as the red haired woman came out of the store, her hand firmly grasping her sword.

"So, not only do I have to deal with someone pretending to be from our guild, but I also have to deal with a shoplifter." the woman said.

"Whoa...this is a mistake lady. I payed for all of this stuff...right Phoebe?" he asked, glancing up at his exceed, who had fallen asleep on top of the cart, rubbing her belly.

"Do not lie to me young man, it will only make things harder for me. Return what you stole, or else." she said. Aiden grabbed the dagger pinning him to the cart and yanked it off, throwing it back at the woman. She easily caught it, face contorting into anger. He gulped, as the woman glared at him.

"Well, it seems you have a death wish. Alright then, I shall take care of you as well...stand down and I'll make sure this doesn't hurt." she said.

"You're fucking crazy lady. I haven't done shit." he cried, his hands bursting into flames. Her eyes widened.

"Blue Flames, Rainbow Fire magic?" she asked.

"Hell no, my flames are stronger than that weak excuse for a flame. My name is Aiden Flame, the Hellfire Dragon Slayer, and I'm about to teach you a lesson for messing with me lady!" he cried, running at her. He threw his fist at her, nailing her chest plate. The woman rose a brow in curiosity, watching as the young man grabbed his hand in pain. She looked down at the ground, seeing she had actually been moved back three feet or so. She smirked, cracking her neck.

"This is going to be interesting."

xxx

Aiden's eyes slowly opened, he looked around, only to be greeted by the same holding cell as before. He noticed Natsu had been sitting at the corner, having fallen asleep with his arms crossed. He looked around for Wendy, only to see a strand of her blue hair above him. That was when he realized he had fallen asleep on her lap.

The female dragon slayer had also fallen asleep, her legs must have been numb by now. He slowly rose his head, hissing in pain. He reached for his face, feeling the boils and bubbles from his burn scar. He ran his finger down it, tracing it all the way down to his chin. He was at least glad Knightwalker didn't take his eye. He slowly moved next to the girl, who instantly snuggled up to him. Her frown turned into a cute smile, and he couldn't help but stare at her.

He was lucky, lucky to have a girl like her by his side. They were young, but it didn't matter to him. When dragons found their mates, age didn't matter, what mattered was compatibility and love, and as far as he knew, they had both of them. He took her hand into his own, giving it a light squeeze.

"I love you sweetie...we'll be safe soon." he said, whispering into her ear.

"I know...I love you too." she said softly, returning to the realm of sleep a second later. He looked down at his hands, seeing the white cuffs on them. If he could rip those off, he could easily gain access to his magic, but as far as he knew there was no way he could do it.

He thought back to Lucy and Yuna, and hoped that they were okay. He also had to wonder where Spitfire had gone. It honestly pissed him off that he had taken off and not even warned them of the trap.

His Yun ended up dying for God sakes, but no he wasn't even there. That poor man laid his life down for the Revolution and didn't even get to see the dawn of a new day. He grit his teeth in anger, wanting to punch the man across the face again. Suddenly, something clattered into the cell, a smooth shiny object. He let go of Wendy's hand and moved toward it, eyes widening.

A dagger, a magic dagger. It looked like it had been forged out of the toughest metal out there. The hilt had a small fuel lacrima in it. He pressed the side button, and the dagger sparked to life, a bright orange flame filling the room with light. He glanced outside of the cell, and saw the edge of a cape disappear from sight. He smirked, glancing at the ceiling.

"I shouldn't have doubted you Spitfire." he muttered. He took the flaming dagger and started cutting through the white cuffs. The one on his right hand broke right off, and he instantly took care of the one on his left. Holding his hand out, his hand ignited with blue flame. He smiled brightly. With the firelight, he also noticed a small vial, holding two small pills inside. Magic X-balls.

"Oi, Natsu wake up." he said quietly. The young man roused from his nap, glancing at his friend.

"Huh, what's up?" he asked. He tossed him one of the pills, which he easily caught.

"Eat it, it will give you your magic back. Wendy, wake up sweetie." he said, shaking her awake. She groaned, eyes slowly opening.

"Hmm...what's wrong?" she asked.

"We're getting out of here. Take this pill, it will give you your magic back." he said, handing the the X-ball. She instantly took it, swallowing it dry. It tasted awful, but she instantly felt a connection to her magic container. Natsu stood up, hands already on fire.

"Alright, now we're talking." he said. Aiden jabbed the dagger into the keyhole, twisting it around until he heard a soft click, he slowly lifted the cell doors up, allowing his friends to get out. Natsu held it for him, slowly lowering it back down.

"Alright, so now what do we do?" Wendy asked quietly.

"We find Lucy and Yuna and get the hell out of here." Aiden replied. He took the lead, making sure Wendy was close to him. Natsu took the back, keeping his eyes peeled.

"Man this sucks, I wish Happy was here." he said.

"I know, I miss Carla."

"And Phoebe, she would probably be begging me for cookies right about now." he said, a soft smile working its way to his lips.

They heard footsteps and quickly stopped, looking around for a place to hide. Aiden pulled his fellow dragons into an open cell, pressing himself against the walls. The man known as Hughes walked by them, along with a few soldiers. They were most likely going to their cell. Aiden smirked, looking at his girlfriend.

"Cast Vernier, you leave the bastard to me." he said. She nodded, her body glowing lightly.

"Fast wind that runs the heaven, Vernier." she said softly. Aiden's body glowed a brilliant blue, and he zoomed forward, remaining as silent as he could.

"Ooh, that's what your magic does?" Natsu asked, clearly surprised.

"Mhmm, I can enhance other people. That's why I usually stay as the supporter, but I can fight too." she said, giving him a wink. Aiden easily took down the soldiers, by the time Hughes turned around, he was kneeling on the ground in pain, he placed the flaming dagger to his neck, letting the flames sear his skin.

"Move and I'll slit your throat." he said.

"Whoa man...just calm down...let's talk this out." he said quietly.

"Lucy and Yuna, take me to their cells right now, or you die." he said. The man gave him a shaky nod and slowly stood up. Aiden grabbed a hold of his arm and forced him to walk forward. Natsu stood by him, just in case something happened.

"You won't get away with this." Hughes said, glaring at the mages.

"I don't give a shit if we do or not. Remember, if something happened to our friends, you're dead." Natsu said, giving him the angriest face he could muster. Aiden wasn't sure if Natsu could actually kill someone, but he really didn't want to know what would happen if he did.

"Stop right there prisoners!" a booming voice cried. They all stiffened, glancing behind them. Erza Knightwalker, along with her platoon of magic soldiers. Aiden looked in front of him, seeing another platoon running at them. He pressed the dagger to Hughes throat, glaring at the woman.

"Don't move, I'll kill him!" He said.

"You wouldn't dare scum bag. We have plans for you, so come quietly and we won't kill your friends." Knightwalker said, pointing her spear at him.

"We have to fight!" Natsu cried, his hands bursting into flame.

"How did you get your magic back? Nevermind, it was that bitch Astrea wasn't it?" Knightwalker snapped angrily. She made a mental note to disembowel her fellow Captain the next time they crossed paths.

"I don't know who it was, but know this...you took someone important to me right before my eyes. I will never forgive you for that Knightwalker, you have her face and her voice but you are not my Erza." he said angrily.

"Like I care if you kill the man or not. He's an annoyance to me, but if you do just remember who's lives are at stake. I can make sure you see those girls one last time, they'll probably be in pieces, but oh well."

"We can't risk it...I don't want Lucy to die." Natsu said. Aiden sighed, dropping the dagger. Hughes smirked, his grin splitting his face.

"Good choice boy...those girls will get a quick death rather than the painful one we planned to give them." he said. Aiden pulled his fist back, slamming it into this jaw. He was knocked out instantly, his body dropping to the ground with a loud thud. One of the soldiers slammed the blunt end of his spear into his head, knocking him out cold.

"Take them to the extraction room. We've received orders to drain their magic, the Dragon Chain Cannon must be operational in three hours, no more no less. I've got some business to handle." Knightwalker said, spinning on her heel. Natsu hissed in anger as he was pulled down the hall. Wendy tried holding her tears, but watching Aiden get dragged by his hair wasn't helping her situation.

xxx

Phoebe groaned, her eyes slowly opening. She found herself on a bed, in another unknown place. She sat up, noticing she was back in her exceed form. She hissed at herself. After everything that had happened, she didn't even want to be an exceed anymore. She felt more comfortable in her human form now. She didn't want to remember everything that had happened to her in Extalia.

She noticed she was wearing a dress now, instead of that horrid School uniform she had been wearing earlier. She was wearing a light yellow ruffled top, with some paw prints on it. She was also wearing a short blue skirt and some matching black leggings. She noticed the pink ribbon on her tail, and figured Carla had tied it on.

"Oh dear, it's so good to see you're awake."

She stiffened a bit, hearing the voice. It came from another exceed, who looked a lot older than her. She had a warm smile on her face, and was holding a tray of food in her paws. Phoebe sighed with relief, giving the exceed a smile.

"Hello, where am I?"

"You're in a small cottage on the outskirts of Extalia. Don't worry, we were exiled long ago, so we don't mind housing you. Besides, when Lucky brought you in, I just couldn't turn you away." she said.

"Lucky?" she asked.

"My husband, my name is Marl...you're Phoebe right? Carla told me what happened." she said, placing the tray in front of her. Phoebe's eyes widened, seeing a fresh fish fillet, along with orange juice and some cookies. She instantly grabbed one, taking a bite out of it.

"Are these home made?" she asked.

"Indeed they are. Happy told me you liked cookies, so I whipped some up for you."

"Thank you so much! You have no idea who hard it's been for us these past few days." she said, quickly digging into her meal. Marl smiled, glancing at the window.

"I was told everything, how you came from another world. How the humans took your friends, I never agreed to any of this. One hundred babies were taken from all of us and sent to Earthland, never to be seen again. I'm just glad I got to meet some of you." she said, wiping a stray tear away.

"Wait...did they take your baby too?" she asked.

"Mhmm...it was so long ago. I can still feel the warmth of his egg in my arms...we opposed her plan, the Queen I mean. But she ordered it and we had to obey. Those who opposed got exiled, so we've been living here since. It's a little hard, but we manage to make a good living." she said.

"Do you...think my mom is here too? In Extalia I mean?" Phoebe asked, setting down her unfinished cookie.

"She might be. It's going to be rough for you to find them...but if you are up for it, you'll find them." she said reassuringly. Phoebe shook her head, glancing out the window.

"I know my parents didn't have a choice in the matter, but they should have done something. I want to meet them...but as far as I know, Fairy Tail is my family...Aiden is my family, and I need to go back to him." she said.

"Kaah! Soldiers are inbound!" came the cry of a white male exceed. Phoebe jumped off the bed, her wings already out.

"Jeez, you scared the shit out of me." she cried.

"Sorry, but like I said, soldiers are coming, Kaah!" he cried.

"Go now dear, you need to follow your heart, free your friends and go back to where you belong. Take care of Happy for us." she said.

"I will...wait...you couldn't possibly..nevermind." she said, quickly flying out the door. The two exceeds followed after her, finally meeting with her friends outside. They nodded to each other and shot off into the sky, leaving Extalia behind.

"He flies just like you Lucky."

"Kaah...he's a hundred years too young to bring girls home!" he cried, holding back his tears. Marl smiled, giving her son a wave.

"He's grown to be such a gentle boy, with a loving family. He'll be just fine." she said.

"So, guys what's the plan?" Phoebe cried, keeping pace with Carla and Happy who were both flying as fast as they could.

"We find our friends and get the hell out of dodge. We need to find Anima and send our guild back." Carla replied.

"How will we do that? Our informant got killed." Happy said.

"Don't worry Happy, Fairy Tail will always find a way. So don't let your hopes down." Phoebe said, giving him a wink. She closed her eyes, spinning around as she allowed her transformation to take over. She took a deep breath, her smile widening.

"Fuck yeah, let's kick some ass!" she cried out.

Phoebe had realized a lot of things about herself. She was an exceed just as much as she was a human, even if it was a transformation. There were people out there who had it much worse than she did, some how downright lost everything, but she was able to find her way back. And now she would fight, so she could go back to that place, the place where she truly belongs. With a nod from Carla, the three shot off into the distance, mentally prepared for the war that was about to take place.

xxx

She took a deep breath as she climbed up the steel steps, leading her up to the podium that had been placed above everyone. Spitfire stood next to her, keeping an eye out for anyone who would dare attack them. This place was very well hidden, but that didn't mean the enemy wasn't aware of their actions. Finally arriving at the top, Monet walked forward staring down at her army.

Three platoons formed out of the last remaining mages in Edolas. Her own soldiers from the Fifth Magical Warfare division were among them. It pained her to know that a lot of them had to be disposed of due to the information they possessed, and with the loss of her lieutenant, that only made this a lot harder. She took a deep breath, closing her eyes.

"Fellow mages, we are all gathered here today because the time is nigh. The Kingdom has been oppressed for far too long, and it is time we do something about it. We have been preparing for this day for a long time, most of you were children when I rescued you, and now you are full fledged soldiers. It is time to show us what you have learned." she said firmly. It remained quiet, murmurs filling the large room.

"I get it, you are all unsure...but...Spitfire here has something he wants to say." She said, allowing him to take the microphone.

"Um...I'm not good at this sort of thing but...here goes. Today, I met up with mages from another world. Earthland, a place where magic flows freely, the people there have internal magic and are capable of greatness." he said.

"What, that's impossible!"

"No magic like that exists!"

"You're lying!"

"I know what you all think, but I have seen it with my own eyes. A young man that happens to be my counterpart showed me his power. Flames as blue as sapphires, and an exceed who can transform into a young woman. Those mages were captured by the King, and are going to be killed for his so called "Limitless Magic". We can't let him do that. We cannot allow that man to kill more innocents. For far to long our people have been killed, just today, Lieutenant Yun Scifo laid down his life trying to help us gain access to Anima. Erza Knightwalker killed him in front of those mages. The last true member of Cait Shelter is gone." he said.

"We have delegates here, from the 120 remaining guilds. Fairy Tail's actions in the past have served us well, but we cannot keep using them as a scapegoat, they are running for their lives! We cannot let Knightwalker or the rest of the Kingdom kill them. Mermaid Heel is gone, no one survived the raid. Cait Shelter was destroyed as well and half of Blue Pegasus was killed by Sugarboy. Master Jura of Lamia Scale, Masters Mavis and Gildarts of Fairy Tail and many others have laid down their lives to pave the path for a new tomorrow, and it is time we take the reigns." Monet said.

"Knowing the Earthland Mages, they are going to cause a ruckus in town. We want all of you to hold off the soldiers for as long as you can, open the path to anima. We will take care of the rest." Spitfire said.

"I just want to say one more thing, if we succeed in this endeavor...this world will lose its magic power. It is causing too much conflict for us to continue living peacefully, the children of tomorrow will be raised in a world after magic, and it will be a glorious world, one created by our hands alone. It's time to fight, so raise your weapons, stand proud and shout with all you're might! We will not be taken lightly! We are mages of Edolas, and we have a right to the magic of this world just as much as we do!" Monet shouted, earning loud cries in return. The whole place broke into cheers and applause, filling the whole room with white noise. Monet let out a breath, glancing over her shoulder.

"Spitfire, how would you like a Promotion?" she asked.

"Eh?" he asked, clearly taken a back. She giggled, shaking her head. Though in the back of her mind, she knew this was only the beginning.


	42. Edolas Arc: Death of a Nation

**A/N: Hello everyone, welcome to a new chapter of Hellfire Dragon Slayer!**

 **Last Chapter, we got to see what happened to Aiden as well as see a whole lot more of Phoebe's back story. You also get to see the beginning of Aiden's fight with Erza, where he ended up getting stabbed. It was also the fight that made him realize how weak he was and made him take his training seriously. Even though Erza was in the wrong, it was still a valuable lesson for him to learn.**

 **This chapter, we get to see quite a bit of stuff going down. So I hope you look forward to it..I'm so excited I'm cutting this one short.**

 **See ya later.**

 **Song of the Day: I May Fall by Jeff Williams feat. Casey Williams. I love those guys to death, fun fact, my friend actually met Jeff Williams at a store in Salem New Hampshire. The lucky bastard.**

Edolas Arc

Chapter 41

Death of a Nation

Monet had never felt nervous in her life. Ever since she had woken up in Alakitasia, she had been deemed for greatness. As a Machias, she had been born with all of the knowledge she would need to survive. That also included a way to feel emotions. Over the years, she had grown accustomed to humanity, and had blended into them. She had become one with herself and her friends, at least until the Emperor of Alvarez forced everyone to work together. She hated the man, but if she expressed it freely, she would only lose her life, like many of those before her.

The training had been hell, but she had quickly adapted. Assassination magic, it made her silent and deadly. Her swords weren't metal, thus they didn't need to be sharpened. Photon blades cut through nearly anything and could be molded into anything she wanted, she preferred Tulwars, but that was her. It wasn't long before she was made a lieutenant in the Alvarez army. You could say being a leader was in her blood.

Being abandoned by her kingdom made her realize how disposable she had been. She didn't know how many of her comrades fell to the might of Ishgar's magical defenses, but she knew she was just glad to be alive. Being labeled Killed in Action gave her the freedom to do as she pleased. And thus she decided to explore Fiore, while her systems repaired her damaged components. She still remembered what that man, the Emperor wanted. Fairy Heart, whatever that was. Apparently it was ultimate magic, a magic that would be used to destroy both Acnologia and the Dark Wizard Zeref. The man apparently moved silently through the world, not caring about anything, particularly unfeeling.

She had thought, that maybe if she completed her objective, she could get gratification, but then remembered what her Emperor wanted. She shook that off and changed her objective, to live her life freely and how ever she chose. That is until she was sucked into Edolas by an anima portal.

Falling into that world had been interesting to say the least. For one it lacked magic like Earthland. It wasn't flowing and the people didn't have it within them. That made it harder to function so she had to switch to her solar powered operation systems. Thankfully her transformation was still in place and people were none the wiser. She ran into a man there, or rather an exceed. He had been lost and wondering, but she could tell he was a captain. It wasn't long before they struck a friendship and she was once again in the Military.

Fifth Captain of the Magical Warfare Division, Platoon 32. That was her squad and she was damn proud of it. At first, she had dove wholeheartedly into her work, she thought she was helping the people, until she found out the magical guilds had been destroyed and that the king was instead a tyrant.

She absolutely detested the man, she hated him for driving his people into poverty, while he lived in his capital with all of the magic the world had left. That's when the plan started really. A Revolution, to gather the mages that remained and strengthen them, when the time came she would kill the oppressors and give the land and magic back to the people. However she hit a snag in the road.

Erza Knightwalker. The woman had been a thorn in her side since the very beginning. Even with her peace offering, a mechanical arm connected directly to her nerves, she didn't like her. She had always accused her of being an interloper, a danger to the king. Of course Faust didn't care what she had to say, his trust was fully on Monet, who was also the leader of the Science division and had designed many new items to improve living in the Kingdom. Knightwalker bit her tongue and kept her mouth shut, not wanting to inquire the wrath of the king.

But now, sitting across from her, earning a glare from her...it made her think that her time was up. It didn't take long for her to find out the fate of her Lieutenant, and that of the Earthland mages. Spitfire had relayed everything to her, and he had made plans to free his new friends. Security had been tightened around anima, making it nigh impossible to approach. The woman had thrown a wrench into her plans, and she was beaming about it. She kept silent, but Monet deeply wanted to use her laser eyes to burn her brain out of her skull.

"Byro, have the results come in yet?" Faust asked. The lead scientist grinned, hissing a bit as he spoke.

"Not yet you're majesty, but I'm sure the extraction machine will work." he said.

"Man, can you believe those Earthland mages have natural flowing magic in their bodies? It's kinda bullshit." Hughes said, poking at his cheek. He had a minor burn from where Aiden had punched him, but he wasn't worried about it.

"Yes, they are marvelous specimens. A natural spring of magic all for the taking." Byro added.

"Wait, even that Lucy girl has magic in her body?" Coco asked, earning a nod from the man.

"Maybe we should keep her around. She would make a lovely toy don't you think?" Hughes asked, looking over at Sugarboy who gave him a shrug.

"We cannot do that. Queen Shaggote has ordered her immediate execution, along with that other girl. Arguing the fact will only be a waste of breath." Faust said.

"So, what do you suggest we do then Your Majesty?" Monet asked, giving him a curious look.

"They shall be executed post haste. The job will go to you and Knightwalker. Byro, are the machines ready?" Faust asked.

"Yes, while they haven't been tested on humans, I'm sure it will be alright on the Dragon Slayers. They are a sub-species of human, partly human, and partly dragon. Marvelous creatures, the magic we'll extract from them will give us an endless supply for years to come." he said.

"Good, you may proceed. Just as an added precaution, we shall begin extracting magic from the Earthland lacrima as well. We cannot have a repeat of what happened at the square yesterday."

"Yes sir!"

"Before we depart, I have a need to say something." Knightwalker said, causing everyone to look in her direction.

"What is this about Erza?" Faust asked. Knightwalker stood up, pointing the tip of her spear right at Monet's throat. The woman smirked, raising a brow.

"Oh, you want to fight? I assure you it isn't a wise decision." she said calmly.

"Don't play coy with me you bitch. This woman, this Traitor, sent Lieutenant Yun Scifo into the catacombs to lead the Earthland mages into the palace. I am willing to believe she was planning to assassinate you." She said, looking at the king.

"Yun Scifo? That man was reported deceased three days ago. His body was found near Euride Gorge, apparently he had a mishap with his equipment and ended up falling to his death." Sugarboy replied.

"Yes, I filed the report myself. I know it's a shame that we lost such a good man, but no one makes it out alive from a mission of that caliber." Monet said, her face was one of sadness.

"What...you honestly believe such bullshit? I killed Scifo myself, I have his body, I have proof!" Knightwalker cried, glaring at everyone else.

"My, I think chasing down Fairy Tail has really twisted a screw loose in this one." Byro said.

"Shut your trap old man. You know nothing of what I have witnessed, I have reason to believe she's creating an army to oppose us. Her entire platoon is in on it, she's gathered the 120 guilds that remained and formed an army!"

"That is enough! Erza Knightwalker stop accusing Monet Astrea of such travesties. This woman has spent years developing new scientific advances for our nation! Do you honestly believe she would betray us like this? She made you an arm!" Faust said.

"A petty sentiment from a traitor like her. She isn't even from Edolas in the first place!" Knightwalker snapped angrily, glaring at the woman.

"Where did you get that assumption from? I was born and raised here all my life. I know not what your problem with me is, but I have done no such thing. Gathering an army, are you insane?" she asked.

"Don't you dare hide it from me!"

"ENOUGH. Captain Knightwalker you are dismissed from this meeting, if I hear so much as a peep from you about this revolution, I will have you demoted to Private First Class, is that understood?" Faust shouted. Knightwalker grit her teeth, giving him a nod.

"Yes sir!"

"Good, then you are all dismissed." he said firmly.

With that, everyone got up ready to take care of their own tasks. Coco was running around, happy at the thought of having eternal magic. Sugarboy was even speaking of magic surfing. Monet stood up from her seat, turning away from the table.

"Astrea, are you truly on our side?" Faust asked, glancing at the orange haired woman.

"Do you honestly believe I would do that to you, Your Majesty? I have been loyal to this kingdom from day one. My technology has been helping our citizens live in peace with magic. I would never betray my homeland." she said.

The man gave her a glare, as if judging her words. He earned a nod from him and she instantly took off, not wanting to remain in the room any longer. She took a deep breath, walking toward the Prison cells. She needed to make it to Lucy and Yuna's cells before Knightwalker did.

It took her a few minutes, but she finally made it to the first holding cell. Peyton Lilith Heartfilia, a woman from Earthland was sitting inside. She resembled Peyton Francheska so much it was uncanny. But she shook those thoughts from her head. She quickly opened the cell, startling the girl awake. Her eyes widened and she tried to crawl away from her.

"What do you want with me?" she cried out.

"I'm here to help you. Give me your hands so I can take that stuff off." she said. Yuna gave her a sideways glance, not sure if she could be trusted. She sighed shaking her head.

"I'm a friend of Spitfire, his informant. He set your friends free but they got captured, if we wait too long, Knightwalker will kill Lucy. Come on." she said softly. Yuna nodded, and stood up allowing the woman to take the cuffs off. She channeled some ice magic into them, allowing them to freeze and break off.

"Wow, are you from Earthland like me?" she asked.

"Yes I am. I am adept at several types of magic, but for now let's keep quiet. If I get caught, it could be the end for me." she said. Yuna followed after her, the cold stone felt weird on her bare feet, but she couldn't do anything about it for now. They reached a corner, seeing a few soldiers walking their way. Monet hissed, quickly turning around. They ducked into another hall way and down a stairwell, taking them to the lower portion of the castle. They made it to a balcony, which over looked the barracks of the castle.

"Alright, your friends are being held in the West Tower's basement. I'm not sure what's happening there but I can't go with you. I have to get my troops ready." she said.

"For what exactly?" Yuna asked.

"We're going to war Peyton, and we need ever able soldier we can. Today is the last day for this kingdom. Hurry up, this path will lead you to the West Tower. Take this knife, it's a cloaking device and you won't be seen while it's active. Remember, magic is scarce here so use it only if you see someone approaching you."

"Got it, thanks Monet. I owe you one." she said, running down the empty hallway. The white haired girl disappeared around the corner, giving the Machias some peace of mind.

"Now, to rally the troops, if they haven't gotten killed yet. This is gonna be a long day for me." She muttered, breaking off into a sprint. She could only hope no one would get hurt.

xxx

"Ugh...where...are we?" Aiden groaned, as he woke up. His head hurt like hell, and he felt something dry on his neck. He assumed it was blood from being struck, but he didn't know. He looked around, seeing he was in a dark room. He had been chained up to a wall of some sort, Wendy and Natsu on either side. He looked at them, eyes wide.

"Natsu, Wendy, are you guys alright? Answer me!" he cried out.

"Huh...what?" Natsu muttered, regaining consciousness. Wendy shook herself a bit, looking around.

"What is this place, and why are we chained up?" she asked.

"Good to see you are awake."

The three dragon slayers looked up, seeing a short man walking toward them. He had a disgusting look on his face, as if he only saw them as toys for him to play with. He walked up to a machine and pulled the tarp off of it, tapping it with his hand.

"You three are going to provide us with magic power. In order for our plans to be successful, you'll need to comply." he said.

"I'm not giving you shit old man. Let me go!" Natsu cried. The man pulled the lever, turning the machine on. He took aim at Natsu, striking him in the chest with a purple beam. He howled in pain, feeling his magic drain from his body. Aiden and Wendy stared wide eyed was the magic was flowing into a container.

"My, what a gracious amount of magic. This is certainly going to take us far." he said, hissing a bit.

"Stop hurting him you asshole! Let me go, I'm going to burn your fucking face off!" Aiden shouted, trying to snap his chains. Sadly they were made of magic seal stone so he couldn't break it. Natsu groaned as the device was pulled away from him.

"I'll get rid of your will to fight. You will become complacent to me, and you will obey my orders!" he said. Aiden grit his teeth, fighting through the pain. He could feel his magic power being literally sucked out of him. His magic container wanted to burst, the hot feeling in his chest just wouldn't leave him. He let out an anguished screamed, letting out his pain and frustration.

"Fight Aiden, don't let him win!" Wendy cried. Her eyes were filled with determination, and the will to live. Something that pissed the old man off. He turned the device to her, absorbing her magic as well.

"No! Stop hurting her!" Aiden cried, trying to reach out to her.

"Try as you might, but those chains will not break. You're magic belongs to Edolas now." he said, raising the suction. Wendy's screams of pain filled the room, driving the younger dragon slayer insane.

"Fight it Wendy, don't give him the satisfaction!" Natsu cried out. The man laughed loudly, turning the machine back onto the Fire Dragon. Aiden growled in anger, pulling on the chains.

The suction machine was once again turned onto him. He watched in anger as the sack behind the machine swelled with magic power, most likely forming a lacrima of some sort. He glared at the man, gritting his teeth so hard he felt one of his fangs pierce right through his tongue. He didn't care, he needed to get out of here. Wendy's screams filled his ears again, making his growl deepen.

"Stop hurting her, or I swear to god I'll kill you." He said.

"As if, bark all you want dog, I'm not going to be scared by your non-existent bite." he said, breaking into laughter.

"It's...okay...Aiden...I'll..be..fine." Wendy strained. She passed out a second later, earning a frown from the man.

"All out, well looks like It's your turn again pinkie." he said, aiming the machine back at Natsu. Aiden's eyes were wide, bloodshot as he stared at Wendy's unmoving form. He could see her chest rising and falling, so he knew she wasn't dead, but another attack like that and she would be. He glanced weakly at Natsu, who was still resisting with all his might. That was enough to drive him mad. Aiden grabbed onto the chains, pulling as hard as he could.

"That won't work boy. Those chains are made from Wizard Canceler lacrima!" the man cried. Aiden let out a fierce roar, breaking the chains clean in half. The man gasped in shock, unable to believe what was happening. He walked over to the man who just fell back in fear. Aiden wrapped the chain around his neck, pulling it as tightly as he could.

"Don't fuck with my girl, don't fuck with my friend, and definitely don't fuck with Fairy Tail, you asshole." he said, choking the life out of the man. He kept pulling and pulling until the man was dead. He sighed, letting him go. He shut off the machine, and walked over to where Natsu was, looking at him wide eyed.

"Holy shit man, did you just kill that guy?" he asked.

"Call it revenge for what they did to this world's Yun. Come off, I need you to take these off me." he said, lowering the man to the ground. Natsu quickly took the shackles off his wrists and they moved to where Wendy was. She was still unconscious, but perfectly fine as far as he knew. Natsu brought her down, and he quickly took the shackles off, taking the girl into his arms.

"I love you so much, I'm sorry that man did this to you!" he said, kissing her cheek.

"Natsu, Aiden, Wendy!"

"Lucy!" Natsu cried, happy to see the stellar mage again.

"Aiden!"

"Phoebe, I'm so glad to see you!" Aiden said, he wanted to hug her, but he was still holding Wendy in his arms. Carla floated over to her, a hand on her chest.

"Is she?"

"Hell no...she's just unconscious from that machine. That fuckhead drained our magic, but I killed him." he said, glancing at the deceased man.

"Hey, maybe we should make it snappy, there are soldiers everywhere." a new voice said. Aiden grinned, giving his friend a smile.

"Gray, I'm so happy to see you man. How are you even here?" he asked.

"Thank Gajeel, he got me and Erza out. She's distracting that other Erza, so we need to bail. Here take some of these." He said, handing Aiden some magic X-balls. He quickly ate one, feeling his magic container fill up again. He placed one in Wendy's mouth, earning a reaction from her. She quickly sat up, looking around.

"What's happening?" she asked.

"No time, we gotta go!" he said. She nodded and took his hand.

"Monet is getting the Revolutionary Army ready, our task is to get to the lacrima and free our friends." Yuna said, matching pace with her friends.

"That's gonna be a bit hard seeing as it's above us. We'll need all the dragon slayer magic we can get." Lucy said.

"No problem, we got three dragon slayers right here." Aiden said.

"Uh, where did Natsu go?"

"Shit, he took off. Leave it to him to want to pick a fight, whatever we can't dawdle here." Carla said. They all nodded, quickly making their way out of the basement. Once outside, they all saw the red flags being waved around, the loud alarms filling the entire courtyard. They noticed a large cat shaped lacrima on the ground, but didn't ask any questions. Instead they ran in the opposite direction, finding themselves in an amusement park.

"What the hell? The king has his own personal park?" Gray asked curiously.

"Seems so, we still need to get close to him. Gemini will get us the information we need on how anima works. With all this commotion, I doubt anyone could be guarding it." Lucy said.

"I wouldn't be so sure of that baby. It's not like we'll let you go."

Aiden looked up at one of the rides, seeing a man in pink armor sitting on a cart. Next to him stood Hughes, a smirk on his face.

"Well well, lookie here. The dragons got out, that's a big no no." he said.

"Hey asshole, why don't you get your ass out of here so I can kick it?!" Aiden cried, igniting his arms. Gray pushed him, Wendy and Yuna back, shaking his head.

"We'll take care of these fools, you need to get to the lacrima right now." The ice mage said.

"But...no, you're right. So I'll leave you with this parting gift, make full use of it alright?" Wendy said, raising her arms in the air.

"Fast winds that run the heaven, allow us your grace and power, stout arms that tear the heaven, allow us to fight with grace and poise. Strong armor that protects the heaven, protect us all from harm with your grace and harmony. Arms and Armor, Vernier, enchant!"

Lucy and Gray started glowing brightly, feeling their power raise significantly. Gray tightened his fist, a smirk on his face.

"I feel stronger, a whole lot stronger. Good luck kids, and stay safe."

"Same to you Gray, kick his ass for me." Aiden said, racing away from the weird amusement park.

"Guys, we might be in a bit of a predicament. Those red flags we saw earlier were a code, I think they plan to crash Fairy Tail and everyone else into Extalia." Yuna said.

"I know, we saw it when we came into the castle. All of those exceed got turned into that lacrima." Happy said.

"We have to warn them. They're lives are in danger." Wendy said.

"Heh, they can fend for themselves. Douche bags, the lot of them." Phoebe said.

"Learn your place, do you not remember that nice couple that helped us out? It would be their deaths if we don't do something." Carla snapped, making the orange haired girl frown.

"You're right, sorry Carls." she said.

"It's alright, but that's another pressing matter. With Natsu gone, there's no one else to take care of that lacrima." she said.

"Me and Gajeel will, he's here right? Phoebe and Happy can come with me, we'll pick him up and save our friends. Wendy you and Carla go to Extalia and evacuate as many as you can." Aiden said.

"Are you sure?"

"I am, there's nothing else we can do. Yuna you'll have to come with us, I'm not gonna leave you in this hell hole." Aiden said.

"Alright, then we have a plan. Come on then." Happy said shooting off to find Gajeel. Wendy and Aiden shared a kiss before splitting up, the blue haired teen took a hold of Yuna and jumped out of the castle. Phoebe groaned a bit, but was able to carry the two of them.

xxx

"Everything is falling into place." Spitfire said, as he traversed the corridors of the Royal Palace with Monet. A regimen of Revolutionary soldiers were behind them, all ready to fight. The Twins, Melanie and Miltia were walking beside them, prepared to fight for their lives.

"Indeed, the Dragon Slayers should be free right about now, which gives us enough time to set Anima up and drain this place of magic." she said.

"Are you sure that's what you want Monet?" Spitfire asked, earning a nod from her.

"Yes, this world can deal without it. You do know that since I'm from Earthland, I'll have to return there too correct?" she asked. He nodded, twirling his gun on his finger.

"Of course, which makes this final rumble the best one yet." he said. They all suddenly stopped as the ground in front of them literally exploded. Erza Knightwalker burst through, aiming her spear at the hole. Lightning burst from the tip, causing another explosion. However that didn't stop her opponent, another Erza. Spitfire grit his teeth, seeing his target in front of him. He grabbed his guns, racing into the fray.

"Aiden!" Monet cried out, reaching for the man. It had been the first time in awhile since she had actually used his name. He slid to a stop, opening fire on the Captain of the Second Magic Warfare Platoon. She woman twirled her spear, blocking all of the bullets.

"Aiden Spitfire, long time no see. How's the eye?" she asked, clutching her spear tightly.

"Same as always, how's that arm? You know I still rejoice in almost killing you!" Spitfire replied, hissing at the woman.

"What is the meaning of this, what happened to you Aiden?" the other Erza asked, earning a confused look from him.

"I do not know you, but I am not the Aiden you know. I'll ask you politely to leave, this bitch is mine." he said.

"I will not, you are putting yourself at risk." She said.

"So are you, I've handled her before, I can fight just fine!" Spitfire replied. Knightwalker took her chance, racing at him with her spear aimed at his heart. A loud buzzing filled the hall as Monet burst forward, blocking the spear with her twin Tulwars.

"Astrea, so good of you to show up. Now I can kill three people at once, two Fairies and a traitor."

"Erza Scarlet, go now. The King plans to fire the Dragon Chain Cannon at your lacrima. He wants to crash it into Extalia, if he succeeds you're friends are done for. Go!" Monet cried, throwing the woman back. Erza looked torn, she wanted to help but she also had a duty to her guild. She turned on her heel, running in the opposite direction.

"I leave her to you. Good luck!" she cried back. Spitfire jumped back, emptying his guns of their spent casings. With lightning speed he reloaded the revolvers, snapping the cylinders in place. Melanie and Miltia stood by his side, ready to fight.

"So, this is the Revolutionary army, pathetic fools the lot of you. I shall send you all off to an early grave!" she cried, running forward. Spitfire rose his gun, the sound of his bullet echoing through the hallway.

"Men, to your battle stations! Handle the second and third platoons and keep them occupied, the rest of you split up and keep the path to the castle clear! Keep the fourth division at bay, I'll take care of Knightwalker!" Monet cried out, pushing the lancer back with all her might.

"But Monet!" Spitfire said, glancing at the woman.

"I said go goddamn it!" she cried, taking a fierce punch to the face from Knightwalker. Spitfire grit his teeth, turning around.

"Alright men, you've gotten your orders, let's go!"

"I will not let you run out of here alive Spitfire!" Knightwalker cried, running at the man. She slashed at him with her lance, only for the blade to be blocked by Melanie's heel. Miltia raced forward, slashing at the woman with her flaming claws.

"Go, we'll hold her off. Meet up at point Charlie Beta Niner!" Miltia cried.

"Roger that, stay alive girls!" Spitfire said, racing off. A few soldiers stayed behind to protect the twins. Monet slammed her swords together, making sparks of electrical magic fly in all directions.

"Let's dance Knightwalker, I got all fucking night!"

xxx

"Here we are." Aiden said, landing on the large spit of land above the Royal city. Standing in front of him was the Earthland lacrima, which contained all of his friends from Fairy Tail. Gajeel and Happy landed seconds later, staring at the crystal.

"Alright kid, we'll need to channel our strongest magic to the center. Stick to the secret arts if you can." He replied.

"Let's combine our roars for now, I don't think I have enough magic for a fully powered secret art right now." he said. Gajeel nodded, preparing for his attack, only for him to jumped to the right. He literally dodged the largest sword he had ever seen. Aiden pulled Yuna and Phoebe back, almost falling over the edge as the tip of the blade almost struck him.

"Great, there's soldiers up here." Phoebe said, glancing to the right as a small platoon was racing at them. Aiden smirked, his arms igniting.

"Alright, I've been dying to fight someone." he said, running forward.

"Requip: Songstress!" Yuna cried, jumping into the air. Her outfit flashed onto her body and she quickly opened fire.

"Solar Flare!" Phoebe cried, launching all of the flaming balls she could at the soldiers, their magic shields were making it a little more challenging to defeat. Aiden raced through the first line of defense, punching one of the spear wielders in the face. One man bashed his shield into the teen, almost knocking him from the floating island.

"Get of our property!" the man cried.

"Fuck you, Fairy Tail belongs to no one! Hellfire Dragon's Iron Fist!" he shouted, the man smirked placing his shield up, catching the teens flaming punch. He increased the fire around him, breaking the shield with ease. The man slammed into the crystal behind him, passing out cold. He stepped to the side, kicking a man right off the island.

The whole place violently shook a giant chain struck the bottom of the island. Several men fell off the island, while Aiden grabbed onto the ground, glaring at the chain. It looked really thick, and was black in color. The hook grabbing the island was in the shape of a dragon's head. He grit his teeth, glaring at the castle.

"That bastard king did this. Yuna was right...he's going to crash the islands together! We need to get rid of these fools right now!" he said.

"If you say so, I think it's time for me to step in. Requip: Baby Metal armor!" Yuna cried, she quickly replaced her outfit, this time requipping into the Gothic armor. She summoned her guitar and instantly started strumming the strings, the vibrations were enough to get the men to stop fighting. Aiden smirked, taking a deep breath.

"Hellfire Dragon's Roar!" he shouted. The attack melded with the sound waves, slamming into the soldiers. They all shouted in pain as they were sent flying in all directions. He and Yuna high fived.

"Flaming Aria for the win baby!" Phoebe cried, giving their unison raid a name. The two shrugged, feeling the island rock a bit. Gajeel was still fighting with the large exceed, and it looked like the Iron Dragon was winning.

"The Island is starting to move, we have to sever the chain!" Yuna cried.

"No time, we won't be able to get down there. Besides the chain is attached from the palace. By the time we reach it, both the lacrima and Extalia will be gone." Aiden said.

"Then what do we do?" Yuna cried back, glancing at the fire dragon. He looked at Phoebe, a smile on his face.

"How about we give them a little push?"

"Huh?" the two girls asked, clearly confused.

Wendy and Carla slowly made their way into Extalia. It was odd to see so many cats in one place, as far as she knew, Happy, Carla and Phoebe were the only ones. Yet here she was, surrounded by them. All of them were muttering things, others were outright swearing at them. She shook it off, coming to a stop at the main square.

"Everyone, we need to speak with your queen. The King of Edolas is planning to crash a giant lacrima into Extalia. All of you will die!" Wendy cried.

"Shut up filthy human!"

"Yeah, why should we listen to you?"

"Do you not understand the gravity of the situation? If you don't leave now everyone will die." Carla cried out.

"Yeah right, those lousy humans can't do anything to hurt us. The Queen will zap them with her power and that'll be that."

"Yeah, why should we listen to a fallen?"

"Please, the Extalian Royal Army was already turned into a giant lacrima. The King will not stop until he destroys this place, he wants ever lasting magic and will do anything to achieve that!" Wendy cried, the urgency in her voice didn't seem to make a difference. Nady of course had been listening to everything the girl had been saying. He stood there, shock written on his face.

"Just shut up, why should we believe you?"

Wendy frowned, clutching her hand over her heart. All of the exceeds were shouting at her and Carla, none of them were wavering. She felt something hard strike the side of her head, and cried in pain. It only took a second to realize someone had thrown a rock at her. The others followed suit, pelting the two of them with anything they could find. Wendy knelt down, wrapping her arms around Carla.

"Please, don't hurt Carla. I don't care what you do to me, but please listen to what she has to say!" she cried.

"Wendy, let's just go. They don't want to listen to us!"

"NO! If we leave all of them will die! I'm not losing anyone else!" She cried, gritting her teeth. That last rock had cut her skin, small trickles of blood fell down the side of her head, dripping onto the ground.

"Wait, please!" Nady cried, standing in front of the two only to take a rock to the head.

"Minister Nady, what are you doing?" one of the exceed asked, confusion written on his face.

"You...shouldn't throw rocks. Someone could get hurt." he said. Carla was surprised that he was still pumping his fist.

"Mr. Nady, why are you defending them?"

"Have you gone mad?"

"Everyone please calm yourselves." a soft soothing voice called out. Everyone stopped what they were doing, instantly falling to their knees. Wendy and Carla just looked around in confusion, finally seeing the one who had spoken.

"Your highness." Nady said, bowing to the exceed in front of him. She had a frown on her face, as she looked at her people.

"That's the queen?" Wendy asked softly. Carla had remained silent, staring at the exceed.

"Citizens of Extalia, please remain calm. The adversity we face is strong, but we cannot let it defeat us."

"Yeah, the queen is going to zap the humans with her magic, right?"

"That's right, come on Queen Shaggote, destroy them all."

The exceed sighed, shaking her head. Everyone started muttering things under their breath, asking why she wasn't doing anything. Instead she reached for her cloak, pulling on the laces holding it together.

"I have come so I could tell you the truth. I am in fact, not a god...I do not hold any special abilities nor do I have the right to judge the humans." she said, allowing the cloak to fell around her. She took off her jewelry, setting it down beside her. Her back glowed brightly as a single wing appeared behind her.

"I am just a normal exceed, like everyone else. But I was born with a single wing. For us exceed, our wings are a symbol of our control for magic, but I was only born with one. I am far weaker than everyone else." She said, looking at the ground.

"No way...so...you don't have magic?"

"You aren't going to zap the humans?"

"Please everyone...now that she has spoken, it is time for us to speak the truth. Exceeds are far weaker than the humans are, because of that we were seen as nothing more than pests. Most of us were taken advantage of, injured and even killed by humans. Shaggote has a special ability, to gaze into the immediate future. With that, we convinced the humans that she was a God, and that she decided who lived and died. She in fact didn't have this power, it was nothing more than an elaborate bluff." one of the elders said.

The floating island rattled a bit, and they all looked behind themselves. A bright orange glow could be seen at the edge of the island. Wendy stood up, clutching the side of her head.

"That's the lacrima...did it make contact already?" She asked.

"If it had, I doubt we would be alive right now." Carla added.

"Please, you all have to evacuate. Wendy and Carla was it? I must apologize, the exceed didn't mean to hurt you. You were only trying to warn of an impending doom." Shaggote said.

"I'm not done with you yet. You ruined my life! You gave me that mission, so I could kill my best friend. Why, why would you do something so cruel?" Carla cried out.

"No wait, that was all part of the bluff too. We needed the humans to believe..."

"I don't care about that! What's done is done. I just want to know why it was done?" the white exceed cried, cutting Nady off.

"Carla, maybe you shouldn't be so hard on her." Wendy said softly. Carla was about to say something, but was stopped at the sound of a sword being drawn. She looked up, eyes wide as Shaggote tossed the sword at her feet. Everyone around her gasped.

"You are right, I did something cruel to you and I do not deserve your forgiveness. I beg you to punish me as you see fit." she said.

"No, you can't do this."

"Don't hurt the queen, please!"

"It's alright my children, please you have to save yourselves. You won't survive if that lacrima makes contact with this island." Shaggote cried, urging her people to leave. Carla knelt down, grabbing the sword tightly in her paw.

"Carla, what are you doing? You can't be serious!" Wendy cried, reaching for her friend. The white exceed slowly made her way toward the Queen, who just stood there with her head bowed down. She grit her teeth, slamming the blade into the ground, inches away from the exceed's face.

"How dare you? Do you think you can just sit there and ask me to do something like this? You've done countless horrible things to me and my friends, but that doesn't mean I don't care. I'm not going to sit around and lose my home. Extalia is my homeland, but Fairy Tail is my family. And I'm not going to stand here and watch both of them be destroyed!"

With a firm cry, the white exceed shot into the sky, her wings glowing a brilliant array of colors. Wendy just stood there in awe, watching as her friend flew off toward the lacrima. She wiped a few tears away, nodding to herself.

"Right, it's time to fight. I'm not loosing my friends, never again!" she cried, breaking into a sprint.

Xxx _(Earlier)_ xxx

"Are you sure about this Aiden?" Phoebe cried.

"Hell yeah, it's do or die time!" The fire dragon replied. He jumped over the edge of the island, grabbing onto the cliff side. Once he had a firm grasp, he cast a magic circle on it. Flames burst from his feet, lifting him up a bit.

"Hellfire Dragon's Sword Horn!" he chanted. His entire body burst into flames, he screamed as his arms shook with strain. Phoebe was flying beside him, flapping her wings as hard as she could.

"We're not gonna make it!" she cried.

"Yes we are, keep pushing!" he cried.

A loud slam shook the area, Aiden looked down seeing a giant creature underneath them. It roared loudly, pushing the island as well. Natsu jumped from its head, pushing the island back with all his might.

"Natsu!" he cried.

"Yo Aiden, don't tell me you can't push back a measly pebble." he said, giving him a grin.

"My ass, I'm the one who actually moved it back an inch. What have you done?" he called back. Lucy and Gray joined right after, with Erza following suit. Aiden smiled, glad to see his friends had come to help as well. He glanced over his shoulder, eyes wide.

"It's gonna hit!" he cried.

"No it's not! Pushing with everything you've got!" Erza cried out. Aiden grit his teeth, willing his fire to increase in size. The blue flames shot down behind him, almost looking like a dragon's tail. He could feel the rocks start to melt as well.

"Carla, good of you to show up!" Phoebe cried out, glancing at her friend, who literally appeared out of nowhere. Her body glowed brightly as she assumed her human form.

"I couldn't let all of you wussies push this on your own. Besides, if we go, we go together!" she said.

"Oh Carla, I'm so glad you're back to normal." Aiden said, giving his friend a smile. The white haired girl blushed a bit, shaking her head.

"What's that? It's coming from behind us!"

Aiden glanced over his shoulder, seeing hundreds of lights shooting into the sky, all of them coming from Extalia. Carla gasped, a few tears slipping from her eyes.

"They came, all of the exceed." she said.

"Alright, now we'll be able to do this." Aiden said.

"Gajeel, what are you doing here! You need to attack that lacrima right now, save our friends!" Erza cried, watching as the Iron Dragon stabbed his metallic arms into the stone.

"Heh, why don't you go fight the giant cat for me then. Besides, if this is our last rumble, then I might as well go with friends." he said, giving her a smirk.

"Nice of you to join us Metal Head, we could use a bit of muscle on this side of the island." Aiden cried.

"You mean to tell me your puny flames couldn't push this back? I'm not even breaking a sweat here!" Gajeel replied.

"That's what you think asshole, but I'm actually pushing it back!" He called back.

All of the exceed finally joined the fray, using every last ounce of magic power left to push the island back. All of the mages were tired, arms strained and magic depleting, but they weren't going to stop, not until they saved everyone. Aiden felt the ground below him, noticing the two islands only have a few inches left before it collided. He grit his teeth, expelling as much fire magic as he could. He let out a shout, the ground behind him broke apart and he felt himself move forward a bit. His hands slipped off the rock and he fell down into the gap.

"Aiden!"

His eyes snapped open and he reached up, grabbing Phoebe's hand. He gave her a grin, looking back at the lacrima.

"We did it, we pushed it back!" he cried.

The crystal suddenly started glowing brightly. It started changing and morphing, shooting back into the sky. It disappeared entirely, leaving the empty island behind, which slowly started disappearing again. Phoebe wrapped her arms around Aiden's chest, keeping him aloft. She was panting a bit, her heart beating a mile a minute as they all looked at the island.

"What happened?" he asked softly.

"Sorry I'm late. It took me awhile, but I finally made it back."

Aiden glanced over his shoulder, eyes focused on the white beast flying behind them, on top of it stood Mystogan. The man who had sent him and Phoebe to Edolas in the first place. Standing next to him was Yamato, wearing her fancy ball gown. She had a frown on her face, looking around the entire place.

"Mystogan, Yamato!"

"I would like to thank you, mages of Fairy Tail. You saved our friends, the lacrima was sent back to Earthland. Once it passed through the portal, it returned to normal." the man explained.

"It did? So everyone's alright?" Lucy asked.

"Indeed, and it's thanks to your hard work. Aiden, I'm sorry...all this time I lied to you. I felt like I betrayed your trust." Yamato said, shaking her head.

"No you didn't. How could you explain to me that you came from another world? How could you explain to me that the man you saw as a father slayed an entire village of innocents because you rebelled against him? None of this is your fault. It never was." He said.

"Wow, so that's the Viper Princess, I haven't even met her yet." Yuna said, clearly impressed. This was the side of Yamato she had yet to see, and she had to admit, she excelled a lot of power. The light green exceed that was holding her was also in awe. None of them had seen someone wearing a dress that regal before.

"Yes, Yamato has been our friend for awhile. But we didn't know she was a real princess." Wendy said, earning a nod from the Idol. Mystogan took his mask off, glancing at the tall black exceed.

"Pantherlily, I'm glad to see you are well. You defended this life with your own, so now I have come to return the favor. Thank you, friend...for helping me all those years ago." he said.

"It was no problem. I cannot ignore any life, even if it's human...I'm glad to see you again, my Prince...my Princess." he said, bowing his head.

"We have much to discuss, but we have to save this world first." Mystogan said. Pantherlily nodded, about to say something when he screamed in pain, a thick purple beam of magic had shot right through his body. Everyone watched in shock as the black exceed fell down, his wings disappearing from his back.

"You traitor! I knew you were never on our side to begin with!"

"Knightwalker." Erza cried, eyes wide in shock. Aiden grit his teeth in anger, memories of Edo-Yun's death filling his mind. His burn scar started to hurt at the sight of her.

"You think you were able to escape me?" A firm voice shouted. Everyone looked behind them, seeing several giant creatures flying toward the army in front of them. At the helm was Monet. The woman had a hole on the side of her body, several wires sticking out of it. She was holding her hand to it, most likely repairing the damage she had taken. She looked more robotic now, since she had entered her Machias form. Knightwalker grit her teeth in anger.

"What are you?" she shouted in anger.

"Me, I'm your worst nightmare. From where I come from, I happen to be the most intelligent being you will ever meet, and the last person you'll see on this world." she said. She held her sword up in the air, about to issue a command when Aiden moved forward.

"Phoebe, let's go!" he cried.

"Are you insane? She'll kill us!"

"I said let's go! We can't let her get away with killing that exceed!" he cried. The orange haired girl sighed, but gave her partner a nod. After all who was she to deny him. They shot forward, flying directly at the Captain. She tossed her Magic Launcher aside, grabbing her spear.

"This is the end for you Aiden Flame!" she cried.

"Hellfire Dragon's Roar!" he shouted, catching the woman by surprise. She was enveloped by the flames, loosing sight of her target. She cut them apart with her spear, eyes widened.

"Where did he go?"

"Right here, Hellfire Dragon's Crushing Claw!" he cried, barreling his foot into the side of her head. She slammed into the creature carrying her, who jerked a bit from the sudden hit. Phoebe let Aiden go and he ran forward, jumping at the woman.

"Hellfire Dragon's Iron Fist!" he shouted, aiming for the creatures back. Fire burst around the two as the creature cried in pain. They started loosing altitude, something that made Knightwalker growl in anger. She stabbed her spear into the creatures back, using it to remain on it. Aiden raced at her, pulling his hand back.

"Hellfire Dragon's Crushing Fang!" he chanted, throwing a flaming swipe at the woman's face. She howled in pain, feeling her face get seared by his flames. He took a hold of her metal arm and swung her over his head, twisting the arm until it literally snapped off. He super heated it, watching contently as it bent and warped under the heat. He tossed it aside, a smirk on his face.

"How does it feel to have your arm taken by another Aiden? Sucks doesn't it?" he taunted. She growled in anger, running at him. She grabbed her spear, twirling it in her hand.

"This is the end for you!" She cried in anger. Aiden easily dodged the attack, throwing a kick to her back. She howled in pain, flying right off the flying creature, Aiden jumped off as well, right into Phoebe's waiting arms. She took off into the sky, high fiving the teen.

"All yours Erza!" he cried, shooting past the red headed knight. She nodded, jumping off the creature.

"Stop what you are doing! You fools!"

"What was that?" Phoebe asked curiously, looking around.

"It sounds like the king." Lucy replied.

"Father, stop this." Mystogan said, looking around for the source of the voice.

"You are no son of mine. You are a forgotten prince, who dared leave this place. Seven years you were gone and sealed my anima portals, and now you dare return and ask me to stop what I'm doing? I won't allow it!" The King shouted in anger. They all looked toward the coliseum, seeing a bright green glow coming from the center of it. A large egg like device appeared at the center of it, glowing a brilliant green.

"Do you feel that magic power? It's like it's coming from the sky." Wendy said, floating down next to Aiden.

"I dunno, but this looks bad." he said, swallowing the lump in his throat.

"You are ruining this world, just like you ruined my life! I am not your daughter. You just wanted me because I was born with natural magic like the Earthland Wizards. You sick bastard, you killed my family!" Yamato shouted in anger, poison flowing around her.

"You were the first human born with internal magic. I needed to keep an eye on you, so we could study your magic, but you didn't comply. Rebels who go against the king will pay the consequences. You ruined my chances of getting eternal magic, but not any longer! I am the King of Edolas, Magic belongs to me! My rule is absolute!" he shouted. The mechanical egg burst outward, the sides turned into large clawed arms, and a giant dragon-like head came from it. It's eyes were glowing a bright red in color. It roared loudly, shaking the entire area.

"No way...the Dorma Anim...that's a forbidden magitek armor, are you insane?" Yamato cried.

"Wait...what's Dorma Anim?" Phoebe asked, glancing at the violet haired woman.

"The name hails from old Edolas legend, it means Dragon Armor, that thing down there is a magical armament. It was banned due to the amount of magic it needs to activate. They say the second this world started loosing magic was the first time that weapon was used." Mystogan said.

"Now Soldiers, Listen to my orders, capture all of the exceed and turn them into lacrima. We shall begin the Anima project anew!" The King shouted.

"Yes sir!"

"Uh oh, I think we should run!" Phoebe said.

"No, we can't run. We have to fight, I'm sick of running!" Natsu cried, punching his open hand.

"Everyone run for your lives! The King will stop at nothing to kill you." Mystogan cried out. He grabbed one of his staffs, aiming it down at him.

"Try all the magic you want, you aren't going to win!" Faust cried out, taking aim at Mystogan. Yamato took a deep breath, taking aim at the giant armor.

"Poison God's Bellow!" she chanted. The blackish purple gale of poison struck the armor dead on. However when it cleared, everyone looked shocked, it hadn't even taken damage.

"Haha, witness the might of the Dorma Anim, a device made from Wizard Canceler lacrima. You're attacks will do nothing!" Faust taunted. Aiden grit his teeth, taking a deep breath.

"This thing looks like a dragon and roars like a dragon, how much you wanna bet it's weak to dragon magic?" he said, glancing at Phoebe.

"A batch of Chocolate chip and Oatmeal cookies?" she asked. He chuckled, shaking his head.

"You got a deal, throw me at him." he said. She gasped a bit as his request, but knew that he would be fine. She grabbed a hold of his belt, grabbing him tightly. Her wings glowed a bright gold as she spun around, throwing the teenager with all her might.

"Go Aiden! Kick his teeth in!" Phoebe cried out, dodging the lacrima beam. Aiden flipped in mid air, placing his legs together.

"This is it, Hellfire Dragon's Tail Strike!" he chanted, slamming his flaming legs onto the robot's head. The machine shook from the force, throwing it off it's game.

"What was that?" Faust shouted.

"Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!"

"Iron Dragon Sword!"

The two attacks collided with the machine, sending it back several hundred feet. Natsu and Gajeel landed down next to Aiden, staring the machine down.

"Who's attacking? Why am I taking damage!"

"Sky Dragon's Roar!"

Faust shouted in anger as the Dorma Anim was brought to it's knees from that one single attack. It would take a lot more to take it down, but the sheer notion of him taking damage drove him mad. Wendy landed on the ground behind the three dragon slayers, glaring at the machine.

"Nice shot kid." Gajeel said.

"Thank you, but I'm sure you three can do more damage than me." she replied.

"Don't sell yourself short sweetheart. When you fight hard, you become the Sky Dragon, keep it that way." Aiden said. He took the remains of his shredded coat off, tossing it aside. He fixed his scarf, glad that it hadn't taken any damage.

"You, you four are the cause of this?" Faust shouted.

"Of course, we're Fairy Tail wizards after all. We aren't going to let you win." Natsu said.

"If it looks like a dragon and roars like a dragon, it's a dragon. And who better to take it down then those trained to kill them?" Aiden said.

"Tch...I feel like an idiot, here we are calling ourselves Dragon Slayers and all we can do is find robot ones." Gajeel said.

"Technically speaking, it could count as an Iron Dragon, bet the metal tastes like shit though." Wendy replied, throwing her two cents into the pot. The Dorma Anim roared loudly, shaking the entire area.

"I'll show you, you will get no mercy from me!" Faust shouted.

"Good, give us everything you got old man, and then some." Aiden said, giving the man a grin. He had been looking forward to this fight, and he wasn't going to lie down, not while his enemy was right in front of him.


	43. Edolas Arc: Fight for the Finish

**A/N: La Jiggy Jar Jar Do...  
**

 **So, It is with great disappointment that I say, Shamrock Shakes are no longer being served at my local McDonalds. I only had two of them this year, as opposed to the twenty or so that I consume. Such a shame, I wasn't able to even try the Chocolate Shamrock Shake either...but enough of my woes, we're here for the chapter.**

 **So, I'm surprised no one brought up the fact that Aiden commit murder in the last chapter, I was honestly waiting for the reviews to come in, but nope. No one said a thing...so I guess we'll just go with it.**

 **This chapter is the much awaited Dorma Anim fight, so I hope you all like it. I have also added a bit to the end, originally, it was supposed to end with Gajeel, but it actually ends differently, so I hope you all enjoy that last part. It's going to be rather juicy...just like Juicy Fruit...man I miss eating those.**

 **A little bit of news for the story. I have decided to take a break from The Hellfire Dragon Slayer after I'm done posting the Edolas Arc. I can only write one thing for so long before I get bored of it. I've been writing this story since Mid January and I need to work on something else before I get so sick of it, I ignore it forever. I do have my outlines and plot points written down, so I'm not going to forget anything. In the mean time, do enjoy the last few chapters in this arc while they are being posted.**

 **As for what I'll be working on, I'm most likely taking up my Highschool of the Dead story again, it needs a major overhaul, editing and a lot of other things I wasn't able to do in the past. My computer was having issues at the time, but it fixed itself, so now I'll be able to go back to it. Honestly I'm proud of that story, I was able to write it in an entire week. Fifteen chapters in a week, my greatest accompishment in a long time, but of course when you rush, you make mistakes, which I wasn't able to catch.**

 **I will also try to write a new Hyperdimension Neptunia story. I've ignored the one I posted for such a long time. I don't know what it is, but whenever I try to write one, I just can't think of anything that isn't over done. It's most likely gonna be a generic piece of shit, but I'll try my hardest. I'll most likely either stick to the anime storyline or come up with something new.**

 **I might also attempt a Star vs The Forces of Evil one shot, I watched one episode and very much enjoyed the show. I need to catch up on it, but my challenge for that series is, go into it with limited information and come up with a story for it. The only characters I know of are Star, Marco and Hekapoo, so I can come up with something for it. Maybe...**

 **So, with the news out of the way, I'll leave you with this chapter...hope you like.**

 **Song of the Day: To Know the Unknown from the Pokemon the Third Movie Soundtrack.**

 **I fucking hated watching Lord of the Unown tower as a kid, because I knew that I would cry like a bitch whenever this song came on. It was so freaking emotional, and it makes this movie one of my top favorites. Celebi Voice of the Forest still makes me cry to this day...and I guess Pokemon Heroes does as well.**

Edolas Arc

Chapter 42

Fairy Tail's Fight for the Finish

Having run from the Royal Army, Phoebe and Carla along with Gray and Lucy were now helping the exceed stay safe. It was becoming a bit of a hard battle, seeing as a lot of the soldiers were shooting from the sky. Thankfully, they hadn't noticed them yet and had been able to take a breather. Yamato had come as well, against her own judgment. She had wanted to fight Faust along with the Dragon Slayers, but she knew her magic wouldn't do any damage to the Dorma Anim and its Wizard Canceler lacrima. She just didn't know what to do, so for now she tended to the injured exceed, much to their dismay. It seemed that some of them still didn't trust humans, making the process harder than it needed to be. She had just finished bandaging up a female exceed's arm, earning a small thank you from her before she scurried off to her friends.

"Well, that's all I can do for now." she said, sighing to herself.

"Thanks for coming along Yamato, just seeing someone like you here is enough to keep me calm." Phoebe said, glancing at the older woman. She shook her head, looking away from her.

"I lied to you, why would you even talk to me?" she asked. Phoebe shook her head, pointing to the golden mark on her bicep.

"You see this, at one point it was the mark of Cait Shelter, and now it's the mark of Fairy Tail. We've been through a lot, I'm not gonna lie. But that doesn't mean we can't get past it. Aiden used to be vengeful, Wendy was shy, hell up until a few minutes ago, Carla was rude to everyone and now look at her." she said, glancing at the white haired girl, who had been helping an elderly exceed couple, a smile on her face. Yamato watched on as well, seeing just how much she had come since joining Cait Shelter.

"She said she doesn't want to be in her exceed form anymore. She's proud to be an exceed, but she said what happened to her is too painful to remember. Being told that she had to kill her friend, I still can't believe they did that. An over elaborate bluff that they just kept going. The bastards." she said, crossing her arms.

"It still doesn't excuse the fact of what I have done. I don't deserve to be in Fairy Tail, not anymore." Yamato said.

"Why not?"

She looked up, locking eyes with Lucy. The stellar mage had overheard the conversation and had decided to join her friends. Gray had joined her as well, along with a few other curious exceeds. It seemed that word of her Regality had spread among the small gathering.

"I gotta agree with Lucy. Everyone has a fair chance in the guild, it doesn't matter what you did, hell we took in two mages that helped destroy our guild. You lying to us is nothing compared to that." the Ice mage replied.

"You're words are wasted. Nothing is going to change my mind...look at what I dragged you into." she said, looking around.

"You didn't drag us here, Faust did. We're fighting to free are friends, and now that they are free, we're fighting so the people here can live the way they want."

"Lucy is right, we have to fight for what we believe in. If not then our talents and individual efforts will be wasted, and that would truly be worse than anything you can imagine." Phoebe added.

"Perhaps you should explain yourself. You said you lied to us, but what exactly were you lying about?" Carla said, joining her friends. Yamato sighed, looking at the sky.

"I suppose I can share with you my story." she said.

"Some years ago, I was born into this world. As you know, everyone in Edolas cannot use magic like Earthland Wizards can. It had always been that way, until I came along. I was the only wizard in the history of Edolas to have my own magic container. I could use magic freely and not waste it. I could cast spells and do more than the average human. I was worshiped as a Princess, a benevolent goddess that overlooked all of Edolas."

"I tried to live a peaceful life, but I was never granted that. The kids didn't want to play with me, the adults feared me, and even the animals were weary when I was around. I grew up sad, alone, with nothing but books as friends. It wasn't until I was six that my life changed forever." she said, closing her eyes.

 _(Flashback)_

"Round them up, the girl must be among them!"

"If they resist, kill them. The girl must not escape!"

Six year old Yamato shook with fear as she hid underneath a building. Her village was in flames. She didn't know what was going on, she had lost track of her parents when they got out of the house. She was alone, just like always. A man raced by the house, only to be shot in the back with a lightning bolt. He fell down dead, never moving again. She held her breath, not wanting to alert the soldiers looking for her.

She was covered in dirt, hair mattered, her dress in tatters. She had fallen a few times hiding from the soldiers, getting all dirty. She just wanted to know what in Edolas was going on. Nothing made sense to her, but they kept shouting and tearing the place apart. The building next to her caught flame, and she looked at it in fear.

" _I have to run!"_

She crawled from underneath the building, and started sneaking away. She looked around, seeing the path to the forest was clear. She made a dead sprint, hoping no one would see her. She bit her tongue, trying not to scream every time she stepped on a sharp jagged rock. She reached the edge of the forest, only to be caught in a trap. She looked down at her leg, eyes wide. She tugged at the rope, trying to get it loose. She remembered some of the hunters put those around the town to catch anything that got close to the village, and now it had been her downfall.

"There she is, grab her."

"Don't let her escape!"

"No, let me go! Please!" Yamato cried, clawing at the dirt. She pulled her leg as hard as she could, but the rope wouldn't let go. It wasn't long before the soldiers caught her, shoving her into a sack. It was the last time she saw her village.

 _(Flashback ends)_

"I was taken from my home...my friends, killed, the villagers, murdered. My parents managed to get away to a neighboring village, so they had been spared from everything, but my life only went to hell from then on." she said.

"The king, he ordered you to be captured...just because you have natural magic?" Gray asked, earning a nod from her.

"Yes, he was relentless. Using his full power and military force to get what he wanted. Once I was in his grasp, I couldn't do anything. There was nothing I could do but wait. Wait to live, wait to die...it didn't matter to me, I just wanted something to happen, so that I could be free."

 _(Flashback)  
_

"NO, you insolent brat!" Faust cried, slapping Yamato across the face. She cried in pain, falling to the ground. It had been two years, and so far she had the worse time in her life. She had been taken to the Royal city, and forced into doing magic experiments.

"I'm trying your majesty. I just can't grasp the concept of this magic." Yamato cried, rubbing her swollen cheek.

"Silence, I am you're father. You will do as I ask when I ask it, is that understood?" the man yelled.

"Y-Yes father. I'm sorry." she said, standing up again.

"Good, now try this again!" he said. She held her hands outward, focusing on her magic power. She had been wanting something to happen, a spark, a flame, water, anything. Anything that would set her free. A small dark purple cloud started drifting from her finger tips, shocking her and the King.

"What is this?" he asked, looking at the smoke.

"It seems to me like it's poison magic, your majesty." Byro said, hissing as he looked at the young girl. Yamato could only stare at the smoke, wondering just how she had even created it.

"Amazing...this magic, this is the type of magic people like you can produce. Yamato, you will lead us into a new age of magic, Edolas will be saved, all thanks to you." the man said, giving her a grin. The girl shuddered, not really liking that look.

 _(Flashback ends)_

"That was when I realized what the King wanted. He didn't care about me, he cared solely about my magic. Byro wanted to extract it from me, but it was a dangerous procedure. It could have killed me, so they never attempted it. It was around this time that Jellal was exiled from The kingdom, for opposing his father. During the commotion, I managed to slip away, and I ran back to my village, hoping to see my parents again."

"What happened then?" Phoebe asked.

"I went back home...I told my parents everything and they were outraged. However our peace didn't last long. Faust sent a bunch of soldiers masked as Clergymen, convincing everyone that the village had a demon. They arrested everyone on the use of Witchcraft and magic. This was after Magic was banned from the kingdom, the general public was forbidden from it, unless they were part of a guild. All of the men were lined up and executed. I watched as my father bled to death, I can still see the smile on his face, urging me to run.

One of the soldiers shot me with an arrow, and I fell, breaking my ankle. Even then, I couldn't quit. I kept running and running, finally reaching the edge of the island we were on. I didn't even stop, I just jumped right off. I figured, maybe if I was dead I would be in a better place. But instead I was absorbed into another world."

 _(Flashback)_

Yamato looked back at the island, watching as it slowly shrunk. She couldn't see the ground at all. She just saw nothing but an endless abyss. Legend had it, Edolas was composed of only floating islands, so the ground didn't even exist. She closed her eyes, waiting for the sweet relief of death to take her from this world.

Her eyes shot open as she felt her body start warping and changing. She looked at her arms, seeing them start glowing a bright bluish white. A loud buzzing filled her ears as she literally shot into the ground at high speed. She screamed, having expected a high velocity impact, but instead she just passed through the ground. Everything was black for a few seconds. She took a deep breath, eyes staring at the swirling mass of clouds above. Glancing down, she saw a giant lake underneath her, she closed her eyes, slamming into the water. Bubbles swam in her vision, the coldness of the water jolting her out of revere. She quickly swam to the surface, trying not to get swallowed up by the waves. She pulled herself onto the shore, panting for breath.

"Where...am I?" she asked herself. She sat up, looking around. The lake was massive, spanning several miles easily. All around her were lush green trees, all blowing in the wind as the rain pounded the ground. She looked up at the sky, seeing the swirling mass of clouds above. The hole in the center had disappeared completely, blending into the clouds. She stood up, crying in pain. Her foot was broken, her ankle swollen and bleeding a bit. She grit her teeth, holding back the tears.

"Alana, are you sure we should be here?"

"Don't worry Eterna, the lake will be fine. It's not like we're gonna drown or something. Were just going to fish!"

Yamato looked up at the tree line, seeing two girls making their way out of the forest, holding some baskets and some fishing rods. One had long black hair, tied into a high ponytail. Her black dress was soaking wet, clinging onto her small frame. The girl beside her was a bit shorter, and had long violet hair, and was wearing a large purple tee shirt over her body, along with a pair of shorts. Both of them were barefoot. The violet haired girl gasped, dropping her basket.

"Oh my gosh, what happened to you?" she cried, running up at the girl. Yamato stepped back, not knowing what to do.

"Don't be scared, we won't hurt you." the black haired girl said.

"I..just want help." Yamato replied. The first girl knelt down, checking her swollen foot.

"This is severely broken. We have to take her back to the guild with us Alana, maybe the master knows a healer."

"Right, we'll leave our stuff here. Let's just help her back. What's your name? My name is Alana, this is my best friend Eterna."

"Oh...my name is Yamato. I uh...got lost in the woods." she said.

"It happens, come on let's get you back. We'll have to tell your parents so they don't worry about you!" she said.

"Oh...I'm an orphan...my parents were killed long ago." she said sadly, holding back her tears. The two girls frowned, not expecting her to say that.

"Well...I'm an orphan too. I live with Alana's mommy and daddy, they're really nice. And we're both in a magic guild, the Dawn Eagles! We'll take you to meet our master. So sit tight, that leg will be healed in no time!" Eterna said, making the girl smile.

"Thank you."

 _(Flashback ends)_

"Alana and Eterna became my best friends. I never told them where I was from, I was scared they wouldn't believe me. So I swallowed my origins and pretended to be from Earthland. The master of the Dawn Eagles tended to my injuries, and also told me about my affinity with poison magic. It was then that I decided to train, so that people wouldn't take advantage of me anymore.

I went to the magic library and grabbed all of the Poison magic books I could, stumbling into a tome on Poison God Slayer magic. I tried those spells everyday, but I couldn't cast a single one. That is until I found a spell to enchant a lacrima with the magic from the tome. I implanted the lacrima within myself, finally getting control of my magic. I suppose that's also when I became the Viper Princess. After Eterna's death, Alana was never the same, I suggested she go join the Royal Guard, since she was so good with swords, and that was the last time I had seen her. I was alone for so long, until I was asked to join Cait Shelter by Aiden." she said.

"Oh Yamato, I never knew you had it so rough." Carla said.

"I get why you kept it from us. That man has no right to call himself a father, especially if he goes through such lengths to do that to his children. I hope Natsu and the others kick his teeth in." Gray said angrily.

"It's alright, you've told us something painful, and we don't blame you for lying about it for so long. But the fact of the matter is that you belong in Fairy Tail, all of us have something painful that's happened to us. We're family now, whether you want us or not." Lucy said, giving her a wink.

"That's right. I also expect some apology cookies for not telling me this." Phoebe said, crossing her arms. Yamato shook her head, giggling at the orange haired girl's antics. She smiled, holding back tears.

"You're right...Fairy Tail is my home now. So I have to defend it...let's just pray that Aiden and Wendy can defeat that man."

"Don't worry, they're facing a giant dragon armor. And who better to fight it than those trained to kill dragons?" Gray asked, a smirk on his face.

xxx

The four dragon slayers stared at the giant dragon armor, Faust's laughter filling their ears. Magic was flowing through the air, being sucked into that giant machine by the second. They could tell this was the reason why Edolas was loosing it's magic power. Even then, they knew that it would be a hell of a fight.

"Face the might of the Dorma Anim, you fools don't know who you are messing with!" Faust shouted, the creature's mouth opened, firing a pulsing white beam at the quartet. All of them dodged to the side, avoiding the powerful beam. Aiden glanced back at Wendy, giving her a nod.

"Do your stuff honey, let's give him hell!" he cried.

"Fast winds that tear the heaven, allow us your grace and power, stout arms that guard the heaven, allow us to fight with grace and poise. Strong armor that protects the heaven, protect us all from harm with your grace and harmony. Arms and Armor, Vernier enchant!"

Aiden grinned, as the enchantments too effect. He glanced back at Natsu and Gajeel who just looked at their hands in confusion and awe, for them it was the first time feeling this kind of magic. He shook it off, breaking into a sprint.

"Alright, time to show this fuck what I can do!" he cried, jumping into the air. He shot high above the robot, startling the man inside.

"What is this? He's so fast!" he shouted.

"Fire Make: Apollo's Bow!" he chanted, slamming his hands together. He formed a giant flaming bow in his hands, pulling the string back as far as he could.

"Fire Make: Hellfire Dragon's Piercing Arrow!" he shouted, letting go of the projectile. The large arrow shot forward like a speeding rocket, taking the shape of a dragon's head. It slammed into Dorma Anim's back, rattling the entire battlefield.

"Such power, I shouldn't even be taking damage!" Faust shouted.

"Fire Dragon's Brilliant Flame!"

"Iron Dragon Lance: Demon Logs!"

The simultaneous attacks struck the robotic dragon, causing some minor damage to the sides. The smoke slowly cleared away from the machine, startling the dragon slayers. Faust laughed loudly, the machine's shoulders shaking in sync with him.

"You dragon slayers couldn't even kill a dragon if it laid down before you!" he shouted.

"No way, all of that magic and he didn't take damage?" Natsu cried.

"That armor is something else. It surely fits the title of dragon armor." Gajeel added.

"Don't give up, we have to get it while our enhancements are still in effect." Aiden cried, once again running forward. He jumped into the air, slamming his flaming leg into the machine's head. He flipped in mid air, taking a deep breath.

"Hellfire Dragon's Roar!" he shouted. The machine's head was enveloped in blue flames, startling Faust.

"Why is his power growing so much?" he asked himself. His eyes fell on Wendy, who hadn't moved much since the battle begun. The glowing magic circle before her was enough to anger him.

"Of course, it's the girl. She's the cause of this, well I have something for you, fire all Dragon Canceler missiles!"

"Wendy look out!" Natsu cried.

"I'll be fine, don't worry about me!" she cried. Her body glowed a brilliant greenish blue as she jumped back, avoiding all of the missiles.

"They're tracing her!" Gajeel said, watching as the girl tried to avoid the missiles. She cried in surprise, tripping over a rock. She slammed into the ground rather hard. She rubbed her face and chest, glancing over her shoulder. Her eyes widened a bit when she saw all of the missiles flying right at her.

"Natsu, get them!" Aiden cried, urging his fellow Fire dragon. The teenager burst forward, using his flames to break apart all of the missiles. He howled in pain, being over taken by the explosion.

"Ha! Take that, you won't be able to survive an attack like that!" Faust cried out. He gasped in shock, seeing the flames flowing into the teenager's mouth.

"He's eating the flames? And this one is eating the Dorma Anim's tail? What is the matter with you!" he cried. Aiden chuckled, watching as Gajeel broke apart the armor, eating as much iron as he could.

"Ugh...I don't think I've ever had such nasty tasting fire." Natsu said, wiping his mouth.

"Same here, the iron is no good." Gajeel replied, landing next to the pink haired boy.

"Told you it would taste like shit!" Wendy called out, earning a chuckle from Aiden.

"Don't you know it's rude to have a snack in the middle of a fight? The guy won't take us serious!" Aiden said, shaking his head as he glanced at his friends.

"You...I cannot believe this. Such power, I'm going to make it mine...I will get rid of your will to live. You're magic will belong to me!" Faust shouted in anger. Black streams of magic started flowing out of the ground, right into the Dorma Anim. It started changing, the armor plating on its chest moved down, and it grew a bit in length, standing up on it's hind legs. A large sword grew from its arm, glowing a bright purple.

"No way, all of this magic...it's flowing into the armor." Wendy said.

"All of this world's magic is flowing into this armor. That means I have to win this fight, and when I do I will take your magic from your broken bodies. It's alright if you guys are damaged, so long as we get everlasting magic from you for the rest of eternity!" Faust shouted, swinging his sword.

The four mages howled in pain, being launched back by the attack. The ground around them split and broke, magic power was flowing through the ground. Aiden groaned in pain, his head was swimming, and he felt faint. But he knew he couldn't give up. He stood up, pulling Wendy to her feet.

"Man, that fucker hits hard." he said, gritting his teeth in pain.

"We can't give up, not yet!" Wendy said. He nodded, glancing at Gajeel.

"Gajeel, throw me up there, I got an idea. Just keep his firepower away from me while I set up." Aiden said. The Iron Dragon nodded, throwing the boy as hard as he could into the air. He grabbed onto the top of the coliseum wall, pulling himself over.

"Whatever you are planning wont work! You won't get away!" Faust shouted, aiming his cannon at Aiden. Natsu slammed his flaming fist into the side of its face, knocking him back a few feet.

"You need to shut up! Gajeel, hit him hard!"

"Don't tell me what to do! Iron Dragon's Roar!" The black haired teen shouted, unleashing his breath attack. The funnel of iron shavings struck the giant armor, almost knocking it off it's feet.

"Wendy, cast Vernier again! I need a boost for this to work!" Aiden called down. She nodded, taking a deep breath.

"Fast wind that runs the heaven, Vernier! Go Aiden!" she cried. Aiden smirked, breaking into a sprint on the wall. He slammed his hands together, fire bursting from his palms.

"Fire Make: Seeds." he said, he threw the flaming seeds onto the edge of the coliseum, small wisps of flame sprouted from the ground behind him. He jumped over a gap, tossing more seeds into it. Finally after he was done planting the seeds, he jumped into the air, slamming his hands together.

"Fire Make: Launching Pad!" he cried. The magic seal burst from his feet, launching him hundreds of feet into the air.

"What are you doing? Stop!" Faust shouted, attempting to swing his sword at the teenager. He bashed his shield into Natsu and Gajeel, sending them flying back. Aiden smirked, snapping his fingers.

"Time for you to taste my new attack. Fire Make: Blooming Orchids: Fire Chandelier!" he cried. All of the seeds exploded, forming large flaming stems that all joined together at a single point, forming a chandelier over Faust and the Dorma Anim. A large orchid bloomed in the center, sending hundreds of fire balls at the machine. Aiden flipped in the air, pulling his arms back.

"Kiss my grits! Fire Make: Burning Ascalon!" he shouted, the brilliant great sword burst from his hands, growing three times longer than normal. He shouted in anger, slamming the sword right into the armor, causing a massive explosion. Natsu and Gajeel shielded their eyes while Wendy hid behind one of the rocks. Aiden flipped expertly through the air, landing in a crouch near the center of the field.

"Did you seriously have to tell him to kiss your grits?" Gajeel asked.

"Fuck yeah, he can kiss them all he wants. Fucking prick!" he cried back. His eyes widened a bit seeing the tip of Dorma Anim's sword bursting through the smoke. He tried to avoid it, but ended up being struck by it. He cried in pain, slamming into the wall behind him.

"You uncouth little ruffian. I will be sure to cut your tongue off when I'm through with you."

"Eat...me." Aiden choked out, holding his middle finger up. He stood up, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

"We have to get serious. We can't hold back anymore." he said, earning a nod from everyone.

"Alright, how about we try a joint roar attack?" Gajeel suggested.

"That's good enough for me. Let's hit him hard!" Natsu said. All of them took a deep breath, channeling as much magic power into their mouths as they could.

"Fire Dragon."

"Iron Dragon."

"Sky Dragon."

"Hellfire Dragon."

"ROAR!" They shouted in unison. All four attacks melded together, creating a powerful dragon roar that struck the Dorma Anim right in the chest. They all panted for breath, waiting for the smoke to clear, and when it did they all looked on in shock.

"HAHAHAHA, nice shot but you totally missed me!" Faust cried. They all looked up, eyes wide when the saw the giant armor several thousand feet in the air.

"No way...he jumped out of the way." Gajeel said.

"That attack would have finished him, the bastard...he's a crafty mother fucker." Aiden snapped angrily. The armor landed hard on the ground, making them all loose their footing. Faust rose the machine's arm into the air, absorbing even more magic power into it.

"Face it, you are not going to defeat me. Tremble in fear of this amazing magic power! Don't even bother getting on your knees and begging, stay right where you are!" He shouted, slamming the sword into the ground. The entire field literally exploded with white magic. The four dragon slayers howled in pain, literally feeling every ounce of magic leaving their bodies.

"Lay down and die, I am the only dragon you cannot defeat!" Faust shouted, his laughter filling the air.

xxx

"Everything hurts!"

"Bare with it Melanie, we'll make it through." Spitfire said, glancing at his friend. The four of them had barely escaped Knightwalker back at the kingdom, and had been told to retreat by Monet, he hadn't seen her since and was worried she had been taken down. He had stolen a magic mobile from the army, but it had run out of gas not far from where they were. Now he, Melanie and Miltia were stumbling toward the only place that could help them.

"Are you sure...Fairy Tail will help?" Miltia asked, almost falling.

"They will...those Earthlanders are fighting Faust with everything they've got. We have to help them out, it's our only option right now." he said. The wind started blowing hard, blowing sand and debris into their faces. His hood fell back, but he didn't bother hiding his face anymore. Instead, he grabbed his bandanna from his pocket and tied it around his head, making sure the Fairy Tail emblem was facing outward.

"A world without magic, Aiden I'm scared." Melanie said, stumbling over a rock. He caught her arm, pulling her upright.

"We'll be fine...all of us will be fine. We don't need magic to survive, it'll be hard, but it isn't a necessity. Edolas will prosper in the wake of it's magical era. If we want to live for a brighter tomorrow, we'll have to give up everything we hold dear." he said firmly.

"He's right...but let's keep our magic until the last second. We aren't going to lay down and die, we will not go out into the night, today will be our Independence day." Miltia cried, pumping her fist above her head.

"Shut up sis, damn cinephile." Melanie cried, shaking her head.

"Mommy, what's going on?"

Wendy looked down, seeing the curious look her daughter was giving her. She was only three years old, her spitting image. She had her facial features, but bore Aiden's bright blue eyes. She was wearing a green dress, with a matching skirt and sandals. She also had a golden necklace around her neck, the last remaining artifact of her father. She knelt down, picking the girl up.

"Nothing's going on Carla, we're just going to listen to what Lucy has to say." she said, kissing her cheek. Carla giggled, snuggling into her mother's embrace.

"Alright you guys, things are getting serious. Right now, the Royal Army is attacking the exceeds. Even worse, Faust activated the Dorma Anim, magic is rapidly vanishing from the world. I called everyone here because it's time for us to join the fight." Lucy cried out.

"Are you insane, we can't fight." Jet cried, glancing at the blonde.

"He's right, what would we even be fighting for?" Mira added, earning a nod from her brother.

"Guys listen! The Exceeds may have been our angels for a long time, but they are living creatures too. They have a right to live in Edolas just as much as we do. I got news from that reporter Gajeel, and he told me the Royal City is in a panic. Soldiers are running everywhere attacking any Exceed in sight. We can't just sit here and watch as they all get robbed of the will to live." She cried.

"I'm sorry Lucy, I understand what you are trying to say...but I'm not going to risk my daughter's life to fight a losing fight." Wendy added, hugging her child close to her.

"Your daughter should be reason enough for you to fight. Goddamn it don't you see? We have been living in constant fear for far to long. Our friends are dead, and more of us will die. Faust will stop at nothing until our magic power is gone, we have to fight for our lives, to have the right to live!"

"Um...I get what you mean Lucy, but it's scary out there." Natsu said, shaking a bit.

"It'll be scarier if we don't fight. I get it, you are all fearful of being killed by the royal army, I am too. But right now, the Earthland Fairy Tail is fighting with all of their might against our King. Let that sink in there, people from another world are fighting our battle. That's a new low even for us. Are we just gonna sit by and watch as someone else solves our problems?" Lucy cried.

"She's right...we just can't let someone else deal with this. The King has been in power for much too long." Droy said, crossing his arms.

"I don't think we should get involved, I mean what's in it for us?" Cana added.

"Satisfaction, revenge for our fallen comrades, and a chance to live for tomorrow." a new voice said. Everyone looked toward the door, eyes widened in shock.

"Aiden...but...I thought you were..."

"Dead? Sorry, but I'm not one to lay down and die. I couldn't come back, not like this." he said, gesturing to his face. They all gasped when he moved his hair aside, showing them his eye patch. Wendy didn't know what to say, she just stood there looking at him for what felt like hours. He glanced at her, a small smile on his face.

"I'm sorry sweetie...I wanted to come back, I really did. But I met someone in the Royal city...someone who's been working to bring down the king from the inside. Right now, they need our help. Earthland Fairy Tail is fighting the soldiers, among them is our princess. We can't let them fight on their own. Or are you alright with letting more innocent people die?" he asked.

"You don't have the right to say anything asshole. You fucking left on a revenge mission to kill Knightwalker and look what she did to you. Do you honestly believe we have what it takes to win?" Jet cried.

"We do, we have everything we need right here. We're in the dawn of a revolution, and come sunrise we'll be greeting a new day, in order for us to live freely, this world must lose it's magic, so are you with me or are you going to sit here like cowards?" Aiden asked, holding his hand out. They all remained silent, muttering swears and other obscenities under their breaths. Wendy hugged her daughter tightly, walking toward her husband.

"I'm going to set you down for a second okay sweetie?" she asked.

"Okay mommy." she said happily. Wendy set the girl down and stood in front of Aiden. He looked away from her, a frown on his face.

"Wendy...I.."

The blue haired woman pulled her fist back, throwing a punch right to his face. The man flew back, slamming into the door frame. The twins who had been standing behind him could only watch in shock at what had happened.

"Three years! Three fucking years I thought you were dead! Now you just come back, asking us for the impossible?" she cried.

"Ow, you hit harder than Aiden Flame does, that's for sure." he said, rubbing his nose.

"Wait...you met him? When?" Wendy asked curiously.

"Last night, he beat the hell out of me too...why didn't you tell me you were pregnant before I left? I wouldn't have gone if I knew."

"I was going to tell you, but I wanted it to be the right occasion. We had lost everyone in Cait Shelter just after our wedding. Imagine me telling you I was pregnant on top of that, I don't think you could have handled the stress." she said.

"What, that's bullshit Wendy. I love you more than anything in this world, I would have handled anything you threw at me. Besides, I kinda want to have another one." he said, giving her a smirk. The woman blushed, looking away from him.

"Are you my daddy?" the little girl asked, looking at the blue haired man. He sat up, giving her a nod.

"Yes, I'm your daddy." he said.

"Wow, momma you never told me daddy was a pirate." she said excitedly.

"Mommy didn't know he was one. This is Carla, our daughter...I've told her all about you." she said.

"Hey sweetheart...It's good to finally meet you." he said, hugging the girl tightly.

"Guys, we can't keep stalling. Aiden brings a good point, we have to fight now, or else we won't make it much longer. Do you really want more people to die? Will you stand by while the Fairy Hunter kills a little girl?" Lucy asked, earning mutters from everyone.

"We only have enough magic for one more warp. If we choose to go to war with the Royal Army, there will be no turning back." Levy cried out, glancing over her shoulder at Lucy, who gave her a nod.

"I want what's best for my family. If that means I have to fight, then so be it. I just want to live happily in a world where I don't have to worry." Wendy said, hugging Aiden as tightly as she could. Carla giggled, happy to be sandwiched between her parents.

"Lucy is right, we have to think for the new generation, so what if we die, as long as the children live, that will be a worthy sacrifice!" Jet cried.

"I agree, let's fight. We have to stop running away and show Edolas that Fairy Tail is here to stay!"

"Yeah!"

"Rally the troops, check. Now, to fight the good fight, are you ready sweetie?" Aiden said, looking into Wendy's eyes. She gave him a nod.

"For you, I'll walk to through the gates of hell if I have to." she said, capturing his lips in a passionate kiss.

xxx

Aiden howled in pain. He groaned, clawing at the ground, trying to stand up. Faust had done significant damage on him and his friends. They were practically out of magic power. His eye was swollen shut, the cut on the side of his head bleeding profusely. But he still wouldn't give the man the satisfaction.

"I can't move." Wendy groaned. Aiden reached for her hand, giving it a light squeeze.

"We'll be fine. Stand up." he said, forcing himself to his knees.

"Oh, so you still got some fight left in you eh? I will make sure to rectify that." Faust cried out, slamming his sword into the ground again. Magic power burst from underneath them, sending them flying through the air. Aiden gasped in pain, feeling his leg snap cleanly in half. Even the metal bars he had gotten when he was younger had snapped. He was in so much pain that he couldn't even scream. He sat up, looking at his leg in shock. He reached for it, twisting it back into place. He let out a scream of agony, slamming his fists into the ground.

"Aiden...don't worry. I'm right here." Wendy said, hovering her hand over his leg, using the last of her magic power to heal him.

"No don't...you have to save your magic." he pleaded.

"Oh man, this is bad...I'm all outta magic." Gajeel groaned, panting for breath. Everything hurt. Natsu growled in anger, pushing himself to his knees.

"Don't you dare give up now! We can't let him win! So stand the fuck up!" Natsu howled, climbing onto his feet.

"Didn't they ever teach you to lay down, dog? You will have to face the full power of my Dorma Anim, the fate of Edolas is in my hands alone!" he cried.

"Go ahead, hit me with your best shot! I'm standing right here!" Natsu howled in anger. Faust grinned, lifting his foot up.

"With pleasure." he cried, slamming his foot into the ground. The shock wave struck Natsu, making him scream in pain. He fell down, growling in anger as he forced himself back onto his feet.

"Is that all you got?" he cried.

"Salamander, what are you doing? We have no magic left, how are we supposed to fight?" Gajeel cried out. Faust slammed his foot down on top of the salmon haired teenager, who pushed against the machine with all his might.

"It doesn't matter if I'm out of magic right now. If I run out of power today, then I'll borrow some from tomorrow." he cried, pushing the machine back. The Dorma Anim slammed onto the ground, having lost it's footing. Aiden grinned, sitting up on his knees.

"Tomorrow's magic huh, that works for me. Natsu, eat my flames." he said, holding his hand out. He grit his teeth, literally forcing the fire to stay lit. It hurt like hell, and he felt his magic container begging for him to stop.

"But I can't, your fire makes me sick." Natsu said. Aiden shook his head.

"I don't care! I'm scraping the bottom of the barrel here, you're our only hope. Take my fire and finish this motherfucker for good. Show him what it means to be a Fairy Tail wizard!" he shouted, expelling the magic outward. Natsu cried in shock as the blue flames surrounded his body. The boy nodded, sucking them into his mouth. He groaned in pain, his stomach almost wanting to burn from the unknown magic. He let out a deafening roar, bright purple flames bursting from his body. He held his hand out, watching them in awe.

"He did it, blue hellfire mixed with regular flames." Wendy whispered, unable to believe what she was seeing. Gajeel grit his teeth, forcing himself to his feet.

"What, how is your power still increasing?" Faust shouted, about to swing at the teen. Gajeel slammed his iron pole into the machine's foot, driving it deep into the ground. It burst several hundred feet away from the robot, forming a giant hook at the end.

"I've locked ya in place, try that jumping crap again and you might just loose this foot!" Gajeel said.

"Let go!" Faust cried, trying to shake the teenager off. He grit his teeth, holding on with all his might.

"What are you waiting for Salamander, finish him off!" He cried out. Natsu nodded, launching himself into the air.

"Wendy, I want you to roar at me with everything you've got!" he cried.

"Huh, are you sure?" the girl asked.

"Trust him, he knows what he's doing." Aiden said. She nodded, standing up. She took a deep breath, focusing on the last remaining bit of magic she had left.

"I have to do this, I have to give it everything I've got! Sky Dragon's Roar!" She shouted, aiming the swirling gale right at the Fire Dragon. He spread his arms out, rotating along with the attack.

"He found her roar's rotation, and he's riding it home." Aiden muttered, holding himself upright. Natsu let out a loud roar, spinning around, body covered in brilliant purple flames.

"Hellfire Fire Dragon's Sword Horn!" he shouted. Fire burst from his feet and he shot like an arrow right through the Dorma Anim's chest. He burst from the other side, holding the king in his grasp. He slammed the old man into the ground, rolling away from him. The Dorma Anim fell to it's knees, exploding shortly after. Natsu stood up, a grin on his face.

"Hahaha, we beat the king!" he said cheerfully.

"No...what is this...such frightening magic power...how could I have wanted this for myself?" Faust cried out, eyes wide in fear. All he saw in front of him were four dragons, all roaring loudly into the sky. He trembled and screamed in fear, passing out right after.

"Is this the part where I say check mate?" Natsu asked, looking at his friends.

"Actually, you're supposed to say that before you take down the king." Wendy noted.

"Come on man, even I knew that." Gajeel added. Aiden and Wendy leaned up against the Iron Dragon, using his body as a support. It didn't seem like he minded much.

Suddenly, bright golden streams of light started flowing out of the ground, right into the sky. The four dragons looked around in shock, not understanding what was going on.

"What is this?" Gajeel asked.

"It seems like...it is, it's pure magic power." Wendy said, looking at one of the golden streams.

"Look there, the islands are crashing down." Natsu cried, pointing at the sky. Several loud bangs filled the area, as the small floating islands started hitting the ground. Aiden stood up, clutching his head. His leg still hurt like hell, but he couldn't just sit still either.

"Let's head to the Royal city...I dunno what's going on, but we need to help the people there." he said.

"Right, let's go." Natsu said, hobbling toward the city. Aiden wrapped his arm around Wendy's waist, helping her walk along, while Gajeel kept constant watch from the rear.

"This isn't going to turn out well for us is it?" he muttered under his breath.

Once the mages were out of ear shot, Yamato made her move, walking into the destroyed arena. She walked around the large pieces of the Dorma Anim, avoiding all of the craters it's missiles left behind. She stood in front of her so called father, the man she spent hating all her life.

Memories of everything he did made their way to the forefront of her mind. She grit her teeth, clenching her hands. Poison started dripping from her fists, small swirling strands of poison seemed to flow right out of her pores. Faust regained consciousness right after, grabbing his head in his hand. He glanced up, letting out a shocked scream.

"Y-Yamato...what are you doing here?" he asked, crawling away from her.

"You know why I'm here. Making my friends fight this armor, beating them up, turning the Exceed into a power source. Killing all of those guild mages, my parents...you have committed to many sins for them to go unpunished." she said, venom dripping from her voice. The man kept crawling back, his hand grasping his spear, which he had tossed aside when he climbed into the Dorma Anim. He pointed the spear at her, launching a lightning bolt right at her face, only it dissolved into pure magic power and started flowing into the anima.

"What...what is this?" he said.

"Magic in this world is disappearing. Those who have internal magic such as myself, are exempt from this. Edolas is going to face calamity, all thanks to you." she said, a smirk on her face. The man stood up, pointing the spear at her.

"Don't you dare move, I will arrest you. You're magic will be mine!" the man said, jabbing the spear at her. She caught the blade in her mouth, her acid spit melted right through it. She took a hold of the spear, willing it to melt into a tiny puddle of goo. She swallowed the blade, licking her lips.

"Thanks for the food." she said, the man too a step back holding his hands out.

"Please...I'm sorry. You'll forgive your father right?" he asked. Yamato's fist snapped forward, punching the man square in the face with a poison coated arm. He slammed into one of the Dorma Anim's legs, crying in pain.

"You killed my father seven years ago, you don't deserve to live." she said, taking a deep breath.

"No...please!"

"Poison God's Bellow!" she shouted, poison erupted from her mouth, slamming into the man. He hacked and coughed, clutching his throat as the poison flowed into his body. She walked toward him, holding her hand out in front of her.

"Poison God's Needler!" she chanted. Forming a giant ball in front of her, she willed it to burst into tiny poison needles that flew into Faust's skin, causing him even more pain. She grabbed the man by his beard, slamming her fist into his chin. She caught his arm, slamming him into the ground.

"Gah...p..please."

"There is no mercy for killers like you! I am a mage of Fairy Tail, and those who hurt my family get no mercy from me!" she shouted.

"Your majesty...who the hell are you?" a voice shouted from behind her. She looked over her shoulder, eyes widening a bit.

"Hughes, Sugarboy, so good of you to come." she said, grabbing Faust by his throat. She pulled her fist back, slamming into his stomach, sending the man flying through the air. The two men looked at her in shock as the King fell to the ground in front of them.

"Lady Yamato...we thought you were dead." Sugarboy said. He was standing in his underwear, his armor having been broken by Gray. Hughes stood there in shock as well. Yamato cracked her knuckles, smirking at the two men.

"Oh no, I'm very much alive. I heard you kept my friends captive...I'm about to repay you for your hospitality." she said, giving the men a wide grin. Her eyes were glowing a bright red, scaring them.

"Fuck this, I'm so outta here!" Sugarboy cried, attempting to run. Yamato threw several needles at his legs, causing him to fall down. He cried in pain, clutching his legs.

"I hate when they run. You wanna try too Hughes? I'll give you a head start." she said, holding her arm above her head, forming a spear out of poison. The man sighed, holding his arms out.

"Do it, we deserve it for what you were put through. But you should know that you weren't the only one subjugated to the King's rule. We were all forced into his bidding, and all of us drowned in power. If you wish to take your anger out on us, then do so. But know that it will not bring your parents back." he said. She grit her teeth, throwing the spear at him. It sailed by his face, but had gotten close enough to sear his cheek. Black and purple smoke came out from the cut, which burned like all hell. He felt tears fall from his cheeks.

"I know it won't bring my parents back. Nothing in this world will bring them back, but you can't just go into the new world without atonement!" she cried. A sudden gunshot rung through the air, making everyone jump. Faust smirked, his gun smoking a bit. Yamato felt a stinging sensation on her shoulder and reached a hand to it, seeing the red liquid slowly seeping from the wound.

"If I can't have your magic, no one will." he said, cocking the hammer back. Yamato flicked her wrist, throwing a poison coated Kunai right into his chest, piercing his heart. The man gasped in pain, clutching his chest. The poison flowed from the knife into his body, killing him seconds later.

"Yamato?"

The woman turned around, clutching her shoulder in pain. Standing behind her was Natsu, who looked about ready to drop. She gave him a warm smile, feeling a little faint.

"It's over Natsu...we can go home." she said. He ran to her side, quickly checking her over. He used his fire to cauterize her wound, and gave her an extra magic x-ball to restore her lost power.

"Just rest, everything is over...we'll need a hero to save the day, so I'll take over for now." he said, walking over to Faust's deceased body. He pulled the Kunai from his chest and placed the man over his shoulder, heading back toward town. Hughes picked Sugarboy up, and started dragging him out of the coliseum. Yamato breathed a sigh of relief, glancing up at the clouds being filled with Edolas's magic. She smiled, closing her eyes.

"It's alright...everything is over. Thank you so much for everything, mom and dad...I promise never to lie to anyone again. I have a new family now, and I know they'll take care of me." she said. She felt herself drift off into unconsciousness.


	44. Edolas Arc Finale: Goodbye Edolas!

**A/N: And thus, we have come to the final chapter of my shitty rendition of the Edolas Arc. Man, it has been a ride, a very painful ride, but a ride nonetheless.**

 **In this chapter, we will get to see the final things that will happen in Edolas before and after Earthland Fairy Tail takes their leave. After that, it's a whole new ball game. With this, we will enter a brand new arc. I will be taking a bit of a break of course so I can plan out the next arc as well as work on something new. I gotta keep the ideas flowing, but without working myself into a corner like last time.**

 **I still can't believe I've made it so far into this story. It's kind of amazing...I also just breached 30,000 views two nights ago, so that's a major accomplishment in itself. And I am immensely proud of that.**

 **Shoutouts to RedBurningDragon, for being a loyal reader and for helping me with the editing when I missed some mistakes. Chance Green G King, for leaving good reviews and good support. Warmachine375 for submitting his ocs and for the constant support, I couldn't have gotten this far without you guys, I will also thank all of the readers for coming along for this journey, which is far from over.**

 **So, for now I will leave you with this chapter. Leave a review, PM me with your concerns or whatever else you feel like doing. Hope you all have a wonderful day!**

Edolas Arc

Chapter 43

Goodbye Edolas, Hello Earthland

xxx _(Earlier)_ xxx

Having rescued his friend, Mystogan lead Pantherlily toward the room where anima was kept. It hadn't been hard with the Royal Army in disarray. The black exceed looked around, wondering just what they were doing there. His eyes widened a bit when he saw his fellow captain, Monet Astrea standing in front of the machine, typing a few things into the control panel. She looked over her shoulder, a smile on her face.

"Prince Jellal, Captain Pantherlily, good of you to come." she said.

"Astrea, what is the meaning of this?" Pantherlily asked.

"For our plan to work, we needed to show the people the tyranny of the king. This world is dying, it's magic is only driving it to conflict. Me and Monet devised a plan for us to successfully rebuild this nation." Mystogan said.

"Earthland is a big beautiful place. It's abundant and filled with magic power." Monet added, earning a nod from Jellal.

"I spent seven years observing the people there. Earthland isn't without it's conflicts, but it will serve as a reservoir for this worlds magic. Once gone, it will be absorbed into nature, and converted into natural magic." Jellal said.

"You...can't be serious. You plan to send all of the magic of Edolas to Earthland? Are you insane?" he asked. Monet clicked the enter key, starting up the machine. The orb started glowing a brilliant gold, as all of the magic in the area started flowing around it, shooting into the sky.

"It has to be done, don't you understand? Look at what the King has done, all the destruction he has caused. Magic is a beautiful thing, but it can also a dangerous thing to possess. He wants to monopolize it, and thus we must rid ourselves of it, if we want to see the dawn of a new day, we have to make the ultimate sacrifice." Monet said.

"Yes but...are you okay with this my Prince?" Pantherlily asked, earning a nod from Mystogan.

"I am. We have to save this dying world, you saved me a long time ago, and for that I cannot thank you enough. But the time has come to bare witness to this new era in Edolas. The era of magic will end, and in it's wake, a new king shall rise to lead the people. But in order for that to happen, this world must die."

"Then what do you propose we do?" Pantherlily asked, earning a frown from Mystogan.

"In order for the people to usher in this new era of magic, they need to be convinced that the villain stole it from them. I stole their magic, thus I am the villain. We need a hero to defeat the villain, that hero is you Pantherlily." he said.

"What are you trying to say?" the exceed asked, already knowing the answer to that question.

"I want you to take me to the people and execute me for taking their magic. You will rise and become the new king of Edolas. A paragon for humans and exceeds, a new era will begin with you at the helm."

"Do you honestly believe I would do that? I will not kill you my Prince. It would make my sacrifice seven years ago worthless. I am not going to kill you." He shouted in anger.

"You must, the villain must be slain." Mystogan called back, giving his friend a piercing glare, though his eyes betrayed his emotions.

"I have to go, the last of my troops will need to fight off the Royal Army long enough for anima to take effect. Good luck." Monet said, grabbing her swords. She raced out of the anima room, taking a deep breath as she went.

Xxx

"Oh man, it's total chaos here." Aiden said, leaning against one of the buildings. Everywhere they looked, people were running in all directions. Streams of magic power were flowing into the sky, the swirling mass of clouds sucked every last bit of ethernano it could. Screams shook the area, buildings were falling apart, being torn by the lack of magic power. All around them the floating islands fell, one by one. Aiden even saw Extalia crashing into the outer edge of the Royal City.

"Everyone calm down! Don't push!" a familiar voice called out. Aiden looked over his shoulder, eyes widened in shock.

"Lucy, what the hell are you doing here?" he cried out. The woman looked at him, shaking her head.

"You must be the other Aiden, I ain't your Lucy, she's somewhere over there." she cried.

"Oh...my mistake...wait...did Fairy Tail join the fight?" he asked curiously.

"We did, let's just say, Spitfire showed up at the right time." she said.

"Um excuse me, I need your assistance." came the voice of a black exceed. Wendy's eyes widened a bit, recognizing him.

"Hey, you're the minister of Extalia right, what do you need help with?" he asked.

"Prince Jellal is the one responsible for this. He needs help ushering in this new era for Edolas. We need someone to become the villains in this story." Nady said.

"Villains?" Gajeel asked.

"I get it, Jellal needs help if he wants to become the new king of Edolas. He'll need to show the people that he can defeat evil without magic. That gives me an idea." Aiden said, looking around. He jumped into the broken window of a clothing store, grabbing some cloaks that were hung up on some manikins. He handed them to Natsu, Wendy and Gajeel, giving them a nod.

"You'll be our demons, I'll make sure the crowd gets the message." he said.

"Hehehe, alright. I need to make a pit stop first, time to get the King's scaly ass over here." Natsu said, running back toward the coliseum. Wendy and Gajeel put their cloaks on, giving each other a nod.

"Let's scare the living shit out of these people kiddo. I'll show ya how it's done." he said. Wendy groaned, not really looking forward to this at all.

Aiden ran into one of the squares, looking around for something to stand on. He found a fountain nearby and stood on the edge, just as the water lacrima broke in half, causing all of the water to disappear.

"Oh no, the demons are stealing our magic power!" he cried, gaining the crowds attention. Just when he said that, one of the buildings crumbled, thanks to Gajeel's iron sword.

"Demons, no we can't let them get our magic power!"

"The demons will stop at nothing to get the magic all for themselves, is there anyone out there who can stop them?" he cried, a smirk on his face. He jumped down from the fountain, blending into the crowd.

"Ahahaha, the Demon Lord Dragneel has come to Edolas to take your magic humans! We have already killed your king!" Natsu cried out, pointing to Faust who had been tied onto a post on a nearby roof.

"No, not the king!"

"You bastard!"

"Now, witness the power of my magic. Servant Redfox, Servant Marvel, go out and raise hell!" He cried, unleashing a plume of fire into the air.

"Stop calling me servant you asshole!" Gajeel cried out.

"Do your work Slave!" he shouted back, breaking into maniacal laughter.

"I should have been more specific." the black haired man said, groaning a bit.

"This way, don't let the demons get you! Someone, please stop these monsters right now!" Aiden cried out, urging the crowd on.

"What are you doing?"

He stiffened a bit, spinning on his heel. He came face to face with his counterpart, who had been watching him intently for awhile.

"Uh...well...someone needs our help. Scaring the crowd, riling them up." he said, rubbing his neck.

"Right." Spitfire said, sucking his teeth. Aiden sighed, rolling his eyes.

"I'm sorry man...all of this is happening so fast, I just didn't stop to think about how everyone else felt. Loosing their magic power...it must be scary to even think about." he said.

"It is, my heart is beating in my chest, and even now as I stare at it leaving this world, I can't help but want to stop anima from doing it. But it needs to happen, for us to live peacefully." Spitfire replied.

"Aiden, there you are. What are you doing here?"

"Oh, Edo-Wendy is here too?" Aiden asked curiously. The older girl smiled, giving him a wave.

"It's been awhile...thank you, for helping this world out, and for making this dumb shit realize what he was missing." she said, kissing Spitfire's cheek.

"Hey now, swearing is bad you know. It's not good for a beautiful woman like you." Spitfire asked.

"Oh for fuck sakes!" Aiden said, throwing his hands into the air.

"Mommy, the demons are stealing our magic, we have to stop them!"

Aiden glanced down, seeing the small child pulling on Wendy's hand. He couldn't help but smile at her.

"Is this your daughter?" he asked, earning a nod from the two.

"Our little bundle of joy...which also drives me to give you this." Spitfire said, digging his hand into his pocket. He pulled out some foil packets, placing them in Aiden's hand. He looked at them in confusion, staring at the older man.

"What the hell is this for?" he asked.

"Uh...it's a condom bro. Little Wendy isn't old enough to have a baby yet so you'll want to stay protected." he said.

"Protected from what, where the hell would I even put this?" he asked. Edo-Wendy looked at Spitfire, eyes widened in shock.

"Wait a minute...do you not know how sex works?" she asked.

"No I don't. I know the girl has an egg that grows inside her for nine months, which hatches just before child birth. Atlas Flame told me so." he said proudly.

"What? That is not how child birth works." Spitfire cried.

"Maybe I should take Carla over here." Edo-Wendy said, picking up her daughter. The sounds of a fight could be heard, but right now it didn't matter to Aiden. He stood closer to his older self, looking around.

"Alright, so are you gonna tell me how sex works? Atlas Flame just said when I found the one, I would know it." he said.

"Ugh...dragons...are they classified as teachers?" Spitfire asked.

"Don't ask me, Atlas Flame was an awesome teacher!" he cried in anger.

"Well this is gonna be an eye opener for you. Alright, you know how girls have vaginas and guys have penises? Well in order to make a baby, you need to put your penis inside her vagina." he said.

"What...are you serious?" Aiden cried.

"As a heart attack. That's what those condoms are for, if you want to have sex with your girl, you need to put that over your penis so you don't impregnate her. Also, there's no such thing as babies hatching from eggs. A baby forms inside the woman's womb from a single cell called an egg. It needs to be fertilized by the man's sperm cell, you get that?" he asked.

"I think so, Atlas Flame told me that much at least." Aiden said, crossing his arms.

"Well, now you know...but like I said, you two are still young so wait until you are married for that kind of junk, or at least until you are older. I would hate to see your Fairy Tail get invaded by little kids running around." Spitfire replied.

"Right, I don't want kids right now. Besides, I wouldn't want to pressure her into anything she wouldn't want." he said with a shrug. His body suddenly started glowing a brilliant gold, shocking both of them. Aiden looked at his hands, seeing them sparkling a bit.

"What the hell?" he muttered.

"Looks like Anima is in it's final stage. It's going to push out all of the magic left in Edolas. That includes people with natural springs of magic like you." Spitfire said.

"So, this is it then." Aiden said, feeling himself start to float.

"I guess so...give my regards to Wendy would ya, make sure she's always happy. You've got a good woman by your side, so don't let her go." Spitfire said, taking a hold of Aiden's hand.

"I could say the same to you. You just got your family back, she deserves to be treated with love and respect. So don't you dare leave her and Carla again, or I swear I'll find my way back here and slap the shit out of you!" he said.

"Goodbye Aiden Flame, thank you so much for everything." Edo-Wendy cried, waving at the teenager. He nodded, giving her a wink.

"Take care you three, keep an eye on Spitfire and Wendy for me Carla, make sure they're always by each others sides!" he cried.

"You got it mister!" the little girl cried, giving him a wave.

"Hey man, you missed the final rumble." Natsu said, catching up with Aiden.

"Eh, I was learning a valuable life lesson." he said, giving him a shrug.

"Oh really, what about?" Gajeel asked, crossing his arms with curiosity.

"Spitfire taught me how sex works." he said proudly.

"Oh and that's an accomplishment?" the Iron dragon asked curiously.

"It is so me!" he cried.

They all suddenly stopped breathing, clutching their throats in pain. It was as if the anima was literally sucking the magic out of their bodies. They were so high in the sky now they couldn't even see land anymore. Aiden grit his teeth, trying to reach for Natsu's hand. He let out a scream as he was finally pulled out of Edolas.

The feeling of weightlessness only struck him for a second. He saw the ground fast approaching and held his hands out, willing a flame to spark. Sadly he was completely out of magic. With a groan he crossed his arms, bracing for impact. Luckily for him, he landed on something soft. That soft thing however was Lucy's breasts, and his face was literally sandwiched into them. He tried to move, but realized Erza was sitting on his back, with Gajeel and Wendy on top of her. He groaned in pain, gritting his teeth.

"Erza, you're ass is killing me." he groaned.

"My apologies Aiden." the redhead replied. They all tumbled off of each other, landing on the soft wet grass. It was raining rather hard, the swirling clouds rumbling above them. Natsu instantly stood up, cheering loudly.

"Hell yeah, we're back home." he cried.

"Wait, what about Magnolia?" Lucy cried. Everyone got up, racing toward the nearby city. The stood at the edge of the hill, sighing with relief when the city was back in place.

"Thank god, that's fucking over." Aiden said.

"Do you think everyone is alright?" Yuna asked curiously.

"We'll have to check on them first. I...want to tell everyone about my origins." Yamato said, giving them all a smile.

"I'm sure everyone would love to hear your story Yamato. I'm glad you were able to come back with us." Lucy said.

"I didn't have a home there anymore, Fairy Tail is my home." she said.

"Aiden, was the Dorma Anim weak to Dragon magic?" Phoebe asked, jumping onto his back. He flailed a bit, almost falling to the ground.

"Whoa...yes, it was weak to dragon magic." he said.

"Aw boo...that means I don't get my cookies." she said, groaning a bit. He chuckled, shaking his head.

"Don't worry, once we get home I'll whip up the best Chocolate chip oatmeal cookies you've ever eaten." he said.

"We should head down there and make sure the citizens are alright." Erza said.

"Don't worry, we already checked on them for you!"

"The exceeds got here awhile ago, no one remembers a thing!"

"Whoa...look at all of the flying cats." Aiden said, looking above him. Hundreds of exceed floated above them, all of them looking cheerful. They heard a rustle from the tree line, seeing one of the Edolas Royal Army captains walking out of the forest.

"Well, looks like I made it back in one piece." she said, looking around.

"What are you doing here? The exceed should go back to Edolas, they don't belong here!" Carla cried, crossing her arms in annoyance.

"Come on Carla, Extalia got destroyed. They have nowhere else to go." Wendy said, placing a hand on the girl's shoulder.

"I think we should listen to what the Queen has to say." Monet said, getting weird looks from everyone.

"Uh, what are you doing here? Weren't you friends with Spitfire?" Aiden asked curiously.

"I am, but I am like you, originally from Earthland. When Anima was activated in reverse, I was sucked out with the rest of the world's magic. But that's beside the point. Queen Shaggote has something to tell us doesn't she?" the orange haired woman said, earning a nod from the white exceed.

"I do. First off, I would like to apologize to everyone, not just the humans that helped us, but to my people as well. For the longest time, I lied to you all. I held up this charade for far too long, and when it came crumbling down I didn't know what to do." she said.

"There's no excuse." Carla snapped angrily. Her body glowed brightly as she transformed back into her original form, surprising the exceeds around her. She stood in front of the queen, looking at her angrily.

"You lied to all of us, and implanted that horrible mission into me. I lead my friends into a trap, you sent me to kill my best friend." she said.

"That's right, she also took all of our eggs, she didn't have the right to do that!" Lucky cried out, glaring at the queen.

"I think it is our turn to explain things. Remember how we said Shaggote had the ability to gaze into the future? That is the reason why everything happened. She had seen an image of Extalia crashing to the ground, at the time it must have been do to the lack of magic. But we thought it was an attack by the humans." one of the elders said.

"Yes, at that time I wasn't so sure of what I had seen. So, I ordered the soldiers to grab all of the exceed eggs. I wanted to save the children from this calamity." Shaggote said, earning curious looks from everyone.

"You wanted to save the children? That is completely different to what we were told." Phoebe said.

"Yes, it seems Carla inherited Shaggote's ability to see into the future. I assume you started seeing visions of Edolas loosing magic. You must have thought that it was your mission to kill the dragon slayers, but that was far from the truth." Nady said, his fist was still pumping, and Aiden had to wonder if he got tired.

"When everything was starting to come apart, we lied to you to keep the Queen's secret. We felt wrong for lying to you, but we just couldn't risk anything happening. For that we apologize." Nichiya said, bowing his head.

"I suppose I forgive you. I guess everything has come to pass so it's alright, besides it's beneath me to hold a grudge." she said firmly.

"So, that means the hundred exceeds that were sent here didn't get that mission at all. All of those exceeds are out there doing who knows what." Aiden said, concern filling his voice.

"Yeah, all of our little brothers and sisters are lost in this world...me, Carla and Happy were lucky to be found by humans. But the others might not have been so lucky." Phoebe added.

"That's right, so we'll have to go out there and find them all." one of the elders said.

"I have a question, how come I inherited the Queen's ability to gaze into the future?" Carla asked curiously. Shaggote looked away from her, chuckling a bit.

"I don't know the answer to that question dear." she replied.

"Hey mister, don't you think Shaggote and Carla look a bit alike?" Happy asked, standing next to Lucky.

"Aye sir, and the act alike too." he said.

"They're not the only ones." Lucy noted, holding back a giggle.

"Well, I think it's time for us to go. We have to find those exceeds and reunite them with their families." one of the elders said, summoning his wings.

"I think we're going to settle around this area for now. We'll need to be close to a town in order to get provisions." Shaggote said.

"You can come visit us anytime you want dear." Marl said, giving Happy a smile.

"Of course, I dunno why, but I really like your scent." he said, hugging the elderly exceed. She hugged him back, holding back her tears. Lucky turned around, rubbing his eyes.

"Let's go, and don't you dare show up unannounced. Let us know when you are coming over Kah!" The white exceed cried.

"Alright sir, I promise!" Happy said.

"You can see me any time you want Carla...you most likely have a lot of questions, so I'll answer them when I can." Shaggote said, earning a nod from Carla.

"Alright, I don't know why I would want to visit you, but I suppose we can remain friends." she said. The tall exceed, wrapped her arms around her, hugging her tightly.

"As long as I get to see you whenever I want, I don't really care what you see me as." she said. Carla frowned, wrapping her arms around her.

" _She's warm...why do I feel so safe in her arms?"_ she thought to herself.

It wasn't long before all of the exceeds took off into the sky, waving back at all of the Fairy Tail members. Monet frowned, watching them all go.

"I wanted to hug one so badly." she said.

"Hey lady, I hope you don't mind but I wanna stay with you. You look really cool." a bright green female exceed said. She was wearing a soaked blue tee shirt with a fish on the front, along with a pair of shorts. Her tail flicked behind her. Monet nearly screamed, wrapping her arms around the exceed.

"Yes, you can come with me where ever we go. I'll love you and feed you and hug you some more. My name is Monet by the way." she said.

"Raven." the exceed choked out.

"Well...this is an interesting development." Aiden said, raising a brow in curiosity.

"You're telling me." Gray said, pumping his fist a bit. Aiden noticed Natsu and Wendy were doing it too. He rolled his eyes.

"I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to crush you." Monet said, letting the exceed go.

"It's okay miss...you feel really warm. I feel all alone in this world, and I thought sticking with one of you would be much more fun, plus I like your scent." she said, earning a smile from the woman.

"So, what are you gonna do now Monet?" Aiden asked curiously.

"Me, I'm gonna try to meet up with Commander Gira. It's been a long time since we've seen each other. I know he's somewhere around here in Earthland, I can feel it. I hope you don't mind me visiting from time to time." she said.

"Absolutely not, a friend of Aiden's is a friend of ours." Erza said happily.

"Great, it was nice meeting you, Fairy Tail. Try not to cause havoc, if you were capable of destroying an entire kingdom, it makes me shudder to think what you can actually do at full power." she said, giving them a wave. Raven waved to them as well, following the woman into the forest.

"Whelp, that's that. I'm gonna head back to the guild, I wanna check on everyone." Aiden said.

"Me too, oh maybe Mira made food. I could use some right now." Phoebe said, patting her stomach.

"You know what I could really use, some fucking fruit loops." he said, earning a chuckle from his partner.

"Hey wait up, did you see my cat? Don't tell me he took off with all those other cats!" Gajeel cried out, looking around the forest.

"Have you lost your rivets man? Since when do you have an exceed partner?" Aiden called back, arms crossed in curiosity.

"Don't you remember the huge cat from the island, that's my cat!" Gajeel called out.

"His name is Pantherlily." Phoebe added.

"I'm actually right here." a firm voice said, coming from behind them. All of them were expecting the tall exceed from before, but instead got surprised by the little one that had come in its place.

"You look so cute in that form." Happy added, a smile on his face.

"Yes, it seems this world could not adjust to my previous physique so I developed this one instead. You, Gajeel...you promised me you would take me to the guild that my Prince belonged too. Can you get me in?"

"Of course, consider it done buddy." the Iron Dragon cried, hugging the exceed tightly.

"Is he crying?" Lucy asked.

"I've lost interest. So how about those fruit loops?" Aiden said, glancing at his partner.

"They better have the tiny marshmallows."

"Those were limited edition dumb ass. Besides I doubt Mira is going to hunt down a box of that stuff...oh you know what I miss, remember that Oreo cereal they made a couple years ago, whatever happened to it?" he asked.

"It got discontinued man, it's a fucking conspiracy I tell ya!" Phoebe cried.

"Those two are idiots." Carla said.

"Yes, but they're our idiots...or...well my idiot." Wendy said, earning a chuckle from the white exceed.

xxx

The rain over Magnolia had yet to stop, even after three days. It was rather dampening for everyone, but even then people still took missions. Aiden and everyone else explained everything that happened in Edolas to the master and the rest of Fairy Tail. To say everyone was shocked was an understatement, especially with the arrival of Lisanna, Mira and Elfman's supposedly deceased sister. She had apparently been taken to Edolas through an anima portal two years prior, making everyone believe she was dead. The girl felt a bit odd around the guild but everyone welcomed her with open arms.

Aiden however had remained mostly quiet. He was recovering from the fight with Faust. His leg had to be refitted with new bars since the old ones were bent out of shape, so he would be out of work for a good two weeks, making his boredom sky rocket. Phoebe couldn't sit still and practically begged Iona and Chelia to go on a mission, so she was gone for the day. He brushed his wet locks aside, glancing at one of the store front windows. He cringed a bit, seeing his newly acquired scar.

He still didn't know why it was, but he was a literal scar magnet. Gajeel had said it came with the territory. Being part of a guild meant that you would be in danger a lot. He ran his finger over it, a frown on his face. Wendy's magic had been able to get rid of the burn tissue, but the cut had been to deep to heal, so now he had a long thin scar running from the bottom of his right eye down to his lower jaw. He looked at the lightning scar on his arm, a frown on his face.

"At least it wasn't her, I would hate to see her get another ugly scar." he muttered to himself. Thunder rumbled above him, the rain increasing a bit. He sighed and continued walking, tugging on his cloak a bit, even with his hood he was still getting wet, not that he minded.

He passed by another store, seeing several pieces of jewelry on sale. His brows knit together as he looked them over. He reached for the door handle and walked into the store, shaking some of the water off his cloak before going inside.

"Welcome, is there anything I can help you with?" the shop owner asked, looking up from his newspaper. Aiden stood there awkwardly, just staring at the showcases.

"Um...this may be a little weird of a request but, you wouldn't happen to have jewelry that helps maintain transformations would you?" he asked. The man chuckled, folding his news paper, setting it on the counter top.

"Of course I do. This is a magic shop after all, so what's the occasion?" he asked.

"Oh, a couple friends of mine happen to be exceeds. They want to remain in their human forms without wasting their magic to keep them up. I was thinking of giving them something as a gift. We've been through a lot in the last week." he said.

"Ah I see, I see. Well, we only have two pieces of jewelry at the moment, and one of them is in fact getting repaired at another store. It's a golden bracelet, embedded with lacrima crystals. It's enchantment makes it so no magic is required to hold the transformation. The second item is this ring." he said, pulling it from inside the glass case.

It was an intricate golden ring, with lots of swirls on the sides. In the center of it was a small white pearl which was glittering brightly. He could also see the small runes etched into it.

"This one is a new model, by tapping the pearl, the user can revert back to their normal form whenever they wish. They can also set it so it doesn't revert them back. Most of all, it doesn't require the users magic for it to work." the man said.

"Hmm...this is rather interesting. Do you know when the bracelet will be available?" Aiden asked.

"It should arrive here in two days at the earliest. If you'd like I can give you a call when it arrives."

"I would appreciate that, just send a note to Mirajane at the guildhall, she'll let me know." he said.

"Oh wait, you're a Fairy Tail wizard?" the man asked. Aiden nodded, showing him his guild mark.

"I joined a couple weeks ago, sadly I was injured back in Edo...I mean, I was injured during a mission so I've been stuck in Magnolia. The weather hasn't been kind either. Anyway, what do I owe you?" he asked, pulling his wallet from his pocket.

"You don't owe me a thing. The mages of your guild help me out so often that I wouldn't dare charge them. So both this and the bracelet are on the house." he said.

"Sir, I can't let you do that. This ring looks expensive as all hell, at least let me pay it." he said.

"No can do son, I won't take no for an answer. I can tell you really need it, the person who's getting this must be someone special." he said, giving him a wink. Aiden chuckled, glancing at the wall.

"Yeah, something like that. Hmm...well maybe I can pay you some other way, do you make custom jewelry here?" he asked.

"Of course, I'm one of the best jewelers here in Fiore. Anything you want, I can create it." he said.

"Okay, I need a pendant, no a locket...in the shape of a heart with Fairy Tail's crest on the front. I also want this crest on the back." he said, handing him a card with Cait Shelter's guild mark on it.

"Gold, Silver, Platinum, Sterling Silver, White Gold?" the man asked.

"Eh, surprise me. It's a gift for my girlfriend." he said, blushing a bit.

"Ah I see, then I shall make it post haste. She will absolutely love it, I'll guarantee you that. It'll take me around a week or so to finish, I'll send a message to the guild when it's done." he said, handing Aiden the ring, which he had placed in a velvety black ring box.

"Thank you so much sir! I'll tell all my friends to shop here, you really lifted my spirits!" he said happily.

"It's no issue at all my boy. I hope you're friend likes the ring!" he replied, waving at the teenager. Aiden smiled and gave him a friendly wave, leaving the store.

The Fairy Tail guildhall was surprisingly empty today. While on most days it was full, today was an exception. Most of the members either weren't up to the guild work, or were too lazy to show up. The rain had dragged on for a bit longer than most wanted thus dampening their moods. Most of Team Flaming Skies was gone, leaving only Yuna, Carla and Wendy, though the three girls were missing from their usual table. He shrugged it off and walked over to the coat area, taking off his soaking wet cloak.

"Welcome back Aiden, how were those errands?" Mira asked, catching his attention.

"Boring as all hell. I just had to talk to the mayor about our property tax and the increase we would pay for the land. The previous owner put in a good word for us, so it isn't as bad as we thought." he said.

"That's good, the last thing anyone would want is for you to lose your home. Would you like anything?"

"I'll just have a root beer, I'm kinda thirsty after that walk through the rain." he said, following the woman back to the bar.

"Yeah, this rain isn't letting up at all. It's supposed to be sunny in a few days, maybe you're leg will be healed enough for work."

"I can only hope...say have you seen Carla around?" he asked.

"Oh, she's right over there. Natsu and Happy took a mission earlier with Lucy and Gray, and since Phoebe is gone she's been all alone." she said, pointing to one of the tables near the center of the guildhall. The white exceed was actually leaning against the post, reading a worn looking book.

"What about Wendy and Yuna?" he asked curiously.

"Oh, those two are in the library. Yuna wanted to write a new song and wanted Wendy's help with the melody. Those two have struck a nice friendship, it's good to see them fitting in." Mira said, handing him the root beer. He took a sip from it, smiling a bit.

"That's good, I want her to make more friends. I've already told her she can't rely on me all the time. I want her to grow stronger more than anything in this world." he said.

"Aw, that's so sweet! Say, have you taken her out yet?" she asked curiously.

"Not once. The world keeps messing with us, we were supposed to have a date after I came back from that recovery mission, but the whole Edolas bullshit happened. Ugh...It's been a helluva long week."

"You're telling me."

"Hello Carla, can I get you something?" Mira asked.

"I'm alright, thanks. I've actually come to speak with you Aiden, it's about my training." she said.

"What about it?" he asked curiously, setting his mug down.

"Well, I want to get stronger. I realized just how useless I was in Edolas, all I did was bitch and moan. I wasn't able to do anything without magic, but now that we're back in Earthland, I realized just how weak I am. I want to improve my hand-to-hand combat a bit." she said.

"Okay, I'll be more than happy to help you. You know Wendy asked me to train her as well, it would be a good thing for us all to work as a group. Yuna's being trained by Erza, and Yamato is teaching Chelia how to fully channel her God Slayer abilities, it's about time we all took a serious training mission." he said.

"Um...do you think we could so some private sessions first?" she asked, looking away from him, a light blush on her cheeks. He chuckled, shaking his head.

"Sure, if that's what you want. Oh right, I almost forgot, I got you something." he said, reaching into his pocket.

"You got me a gift? What's the occasion?" she asked curiously.

"Well, I know you don't like going into your exceed form, so I looked throughout Magnolia and found some enchanted jewelry that'll help keep your transformation. It's actually a...oh, you're shoe is untied." he said, suddenly looking down.

"Oh, thanks for catching that. I'll tie it in a minute."

"I'll get it." he said, kneeling down in front of the girl, taking the laces in his hands.

"So, what's the thing you bought?" she asked. He looked up, giving her a grin.

"It's a ring, don't take it in a weird way, I tried getting you a bracelet. Somehow Phoebe wouldn't let me live it down if I gave her a ring instead." he said. Once her shoe was tied, he reached into his pocket and pulled out the ring box, opening it with a swift movement. He pulled the ring from inside and took her hand, about to place it on her finger.

Alas the gods seemed to be against him, as this was also the time Yuna and Wendy decided to leave the library. The girl girls were laughing at some joke they had shared when they stumbled upon the sight before them. Even the other members of the guild who hadn't been paying attention were shocked and confused.

"Aiden what the fuck are you doing?" She shouted, making the teen jump a bit. He glanced at her, eyes wide in shock. Looking at his position, he quickly stood up.

"No wait, it isn't what it looks like. Honest!" he cried.

"Oh really, because to me it looks like you're taking my best friend's hand in marriage!" she cried out.

"Okay, it's exactly what it looks like. But honestly it's just a big misunderstanding, I bought her this ring for her transformation, please don't hit me." he said, bowing his head apologetically.

"It's just as he says Wendy, you know I would never hurt you like that." Carla said, standing firm next to her team leader. Wendy looked over at Mira who was giggling at the whole sight. She locked eyes with the Sky Dragon and instantly calmed down, clearing her throat.

"It is just as they said. No eloping here, nope not at all." she said.

"That's not helping Mira." Aiden said, earning another giggle from the woman.

"Fine, I believe you. But don't use you're crush on him to your advantage Carla, I've got my eyes on you." she said, glaring at the white haired girl as she and Yuna walked past them. It remained rather silent after the two girls left. Aiden cleared his throat, handing the ring to Carla.

"Um...training, tomorrow." he said.

"What is if it rains?" she asked.

"Doesn't matter...fuck me I need some booze." he said, spinning on his heel. He grabbed his cloak and stepped out into the rain. Carla looked at the ring in her hand, a smile on her face.

"So, you do like him after all? I thought it was just something Wendy used to tease you." Mira said. The girl glared at her, auburn eyes glowing a bit.

"Thin ice Mira...very thin ice." she said. She walked off toward the library, nose held high. Mira giggled, shaking her head.

"Well, the kids sure are interesting aren't they?" Alana asked, standing next to her fellow barmaid.

"Yes they are...to think two girls would be vying for Aiden's affections. I guess it's the whole dragon thing. They like hoarding stuff right?" she asked.

"Hell if I know...maybe you should ask Natsu, that one is so infatuated with Lucy's scent he can barely keep himself out of her house." the black haired woman said, stepping back into the kitchen.

"Our guild great isn't it sis?" Lisanna asked, earning a nod from her sister.

"Yes, and now that you're back with us, we're a family again." she said, wrapping her arm around her younger sibling.

"I can't help but wonder how the Edolas Fairy Tail is doing though...I'm kinda worried about them."

"They're Fairy Tail right? They'll be fine." Mira said, shaking off her sister's worry. Lisanna smiled, knowing she was absolutely right about that.

xxx ( _Edolas)_ xxx

It had been a three weeks since King Jellal had declared Edolas a new nation. In the wake of everything, the world's magic has been absorbed by anima. The remaining armies all got together to help all of the injured people in every city across Edolas. The floating islands were still falling around them, so everyone walked on eggshells around the place.

As for Fairy Tail, nothing could be greater. They were helping the people out, finally being recognized as a good mage guild. Then again, they weren't a mage guild anymore.

Spitfire was sitting on Natsu's useless magic mobile, watching as the teenager fiddled around with the engine. Thankfully, Monet had left behind countless advances for them, all of them dealing without magic, including an all new fuel source that she had been crafting and injecting into the environment. Now, there was a large deposit of it not long from the Royal city and was growing in abundance. It truly was a new beginning for Edolas.

"So, did you get the new fuel injection system hooked up Natsu?" Spitfire asked.

"Almost, are you sure this will work?" Natsu asked, glancing at the blue haired man.

"I believe so, we've been following the instructions to the letter. Man, I can't believe it. I didn't think coal could be used for something like this." he said.

"Monet was a genius. Too bad we lost her, I hear King Jellal is already working on establishing the government again. King Faust was buried today, I still can't believe he's dead." Lucy said, appearing next to the two. Natsu yelped in surprise, jumping away from her.

"Don't hurt me." he said.

"I'm not gonna hit you wuss!" she cried back.

"Jeez, Earthland Lucy was so much nicer than you. You can learn a lesson or two from her." Levy said.

"You wanna tell me that to my face Washboard?" the blonde cried, butting her head against the blue hair girl.

"I would but your huge ass tits are in the way." the girl countered.

"Ladies please, swearing is unbecoming of beautiful young women. Not to mention there are children around." Aiden said, gesturing to all of the kids running around. Fairy Tail's guildhall had become a shelter of sorts, and the guilds reputation had risen due to all of their efforts.

"Whatever, so now that magic is gone from this place, I was wondering what we were gonna do. We can't exactly be a magic guild without magic." Lucy said.

"Who says we need magic to live? We're all fine right?" Wendy asked, walking up next to the two girls. Aiden jumped down from the car, embracing his wife.

"Momma is right, magic is fun, but we don't need it." Carla added, jumping up onto her father's back. He chuckled, kissing the girl's cheek.

"We have no money, barely any food and worse of all, we can't move the guild hall." Lucy replied, crossing her arms.

"You make mountains out of mole hills. If we can't get this car started we'll push the guildhall back. But, if we are going to remain active, we'll need a new master." Aiden said. Everyone remained silent. The other members of Fairy Tail gathered around, looking at the blue haired man.

"Are you sure we need a master? I mean, we aren't really a guild anymore." Elfman said.

"Of course we need a master you idiot. Fairy Tail's strongest team needs guidance in these dark times!" Droy snapped, making the taller man cringe a bit.

"He's right...we may not be a magic guild, but that doesn't mean we can't help the people right? Earthland has treasure hunter guilds, and mercenary guilds too, and they don't use magic. We'll be fine...but that does raise the question, who'll step up to the plate and be the third master of Fairy Tail?" Mirajane asked curiously.

"Master Mavis and Master Gildarts were two of our best masters, but with both of them gone, we can't really do anything. They never named a successor." Jet said, crossing his arms.

"Hmm...I say we put it to a vote, I have a nominee in mind." Aiden said, earning curious looks from everyone.

"Pfft, you think you're up for the job?" Droy asked.

"Me, hell no. I left for three years, making you all suffer in the wake of my apparent death. I hid in the Royal city selling black market goods, never once considering anyone else. I just wanted to wait for Knightwalker to walk by my shop so I could drive a knife in her neck. But Aiden Flame made me realize what's important, that's why I came back. Because I needed reassurance from seeing you all again." he said.

"Well, at least he made you realize what an idiot you had been." Wendy said, smirking at her husband.

"Don't even start with me missy. Before he left, he gave me a note apologizing for kissing you and for the flash you gave him." he said.

"Huh...I thought you were dead, the kiss meant nothing." She cried.

"Oh yeah, but what about the flash? We agreed your boobs belonged to me." he said.

"Are we having this conversation right now? What happened to not talking like that around the kids?" Lucy snapped angrily, causing them all to cringe. Aiden chuckled, clapping his hands.

"Quite right, you all saw it right now right? How stern she was? How she was able to rally you up and motivate us all to fight? I don't think there's anyone else that's more perfect for the job. Lucy Ashley, would you take the mantle of Third master?" Aiden asked. The girl looked at him in surprise, eyes widened.

"Me, I can't be the master!" she cried.

"Of course you can! You are ruthless when it comes to fighting, you give no fucks and get the job done. You knew how the situation was, and yet you urged us all to fight, and in the end we lost our magic, but you kept us all together. You told us it would be alright, sure Aiden had a hand in it, but you were most of the reason why we fought." Mira said.

"I agree with my sister, Lucy would be the best master...please don't be rough on us." Elfman said. Lucy frowned, crossing her arms. She slapped her cheeks a second later, and climbed on top of Natsu's car, staring at her guild mates.

"Alright then, I have been given a great honor. I will lead this guild into greatness in the wake of the magic era. Our previous masters laid down their lives for their beliefs, and their beliefs are now our beliefs. Light or Dark, it doesn't matter what we are, let's just make Fairy Tail the best guild in Edolas. We're going all the way to the top!" she cried.

"Yeah!" everyone cried out, cheering loudly.

"Technically since there are no more guilds or magic, we're already number one." Natsu said, shaking a bit.

"I like the way you think, I'm appointing you as my secretary, accept the job or else." the blonde said, earning an eep and a nod from the boy. Aiden was about to say something, but he stopped in his tracks, eyes growing wide. Everyone followed his gaze, letting out a few gasps of surprise.

Standing in front of them was Erza Knightwalker. The woman looked defeated, covered in various injuries, along with a deep scar across her face. Her long crimson hair was mattered, and she was missing her mechanical arm. She dropped to her knees, looking at the ground, tears falling from her eyes.

"Members of Fairy Tail, I'm sorry...I'm sorry for everything, for killing your friends and masters, for killing so many innocent people. I was hungry with magic power and it clouded my judgment. I know you'll never forgive me, but please...accept my apology."

"You actually think we would do that, you bitch! You killed my father!" Cana cried out, about to hit the woman, when Aiden held his arm out to stop her. He knelt in front of Erza, looking her in the eye.

"You have done hundreds of cruel crimes, taken the lives of many, ruined others. You killed everyone in Cait Shelter, you destroyed Blue Pegasus and killed half of our members and our masters. You did without remorse, look at the injuries you left on me. You don't deserve forgiveness for these crimes." he said.

"I understand...please, I want to atone for everything I did. But I fear execution is the only rational solution. I think it would be the best course of action." she said, placing a dagger on the ground before her. Aiden grit his teeth, grabbing her arm. He pulled her to her feet, glaring right into her eyes.

"You think death is going to make things better? Because it's not. Our friends are dead, and sure you deserve to die too. But...even though you've caused so much harm to everyone in this world, I believe everyone deserves a second chance. Magic is non-existent in this land, we get to come back, our power means nothing now. So this will be a new beginning, not just for Edolas but for all of us. You want to atone for your sins, then you shall spend your life under the servitude of the guild who's lives you ruined." he said firmly.

"You can't be serious, you're seriously suggesting she join us?" Jet cried.

"Yeah man, that's fucked up. Remember she killed all of our friends!" Droy added.

"Enough! I understand your concerns, but Aiden is right. Killing her isn't going to bring our friends back, and neither is exiling her from the Kingdom, that's a fate far worse than death. No, forcing her to join the very people she detests is a better punishment than anyone could think. The first thing you'll do Knightwalker, is fork over your money." Lucy said.

"My money? I don't think money has any value in this new world." the woman said.

"It does, just because a new king took over doesn't mean we'll stop using Jewels. For every member of Fairy Tail that you killed, we will get 10 million jewels, I'm sure the king was paying you more than double that when you worked for him. And knowing you, you have savings hidden in your chambers, so we want all of it. After that, you'll be on pushing duty. If this car doesn't move, you're pushing the guild with the rest of us...is that understood?" Lucy asked, earning a nod from her.

"Yes, even though I lack an arm, I will push with all my might. And I shall hand over my funds...every last dime is yours." she said.

"Good, well now that that's settled, let's get back to work. We can't keep lollygagging here. Natsu get this car running or I'll kick your ass."

"Y-yes ma'am." he said, jumping back to his work. Aiden sighed, rubbing his eyes.

"A new beginning huh, you're so full of shit you know that?" Wendy asked, hugging his arm.

"Am I, I didn't notice. And don't think the conversation from before is over with, we'll discuss it later."

"Alright, but I have a surprise for you." she said, digging her hand into her pocket. She pulled out a small plastic case, handing it to Aiden. He looked at it, eyes widening.

It was a pregnancy test, and it was positive. He grinned, pulling his wife in for a hug.

"Oh sweetheart, I'm so happy right now." he said.

"I am too. Another little bundle of joy, I hope it's a boy this time." she said.

"Maybe it'll be another little girl. One princess isn't enough." he said, looking over at Carla, who was chasing another boy around, holding a beetle in her hand. For a three year old, she was rather intuitive. Wendy placed her hand over her belly, a smile on her face.

"I love you."

"I love you too."

Even though Edolas lacked magic, everyone would be alright. If there was a rise in population during the era of magic, then there would be one during the era after magic. It would take a long time for the world to recover from the wounds left behind by Faust and his Tyrannical rule, but everything would be alright in the end. Fairy Tail would make sure of it.


	45. Tenrou Arc Prelude: The First Date

**A/N: Hello everyone, and welcome to a new update!**

 **Now, I know you all must be curious, why am I posting something after I said I would take a break? Well, I tried, honest to god I did, but I still have some Fairy Tail in me, so I'm going to make use of it. I'm going to keep working on it, I might not post anything, but if I get far enough ahead I will start posting regularly. I'm still struggling with my internet issues, so excuse my sporadic posts.**

 **This chapter is going to be a Prelude to Tenrou Island. There's gonna be two Preludes in fact, I don't know why, but I decided it would be this way. Normally a story arc has Eight or so chapters, maybe more or maybe less, but I'm not sure how many Tenrou is going to have, as I have to cover a lot of stuff. Once again, I will be writing this in Aiden's point of view. The stuff that happens on Tenrou Island will still happen, but Aiden is the main focus of this story, as well as the rest of Team Flaming Skies, so please bare with me. I didn't get complaints from Edolas, so I'll move on with my story writing as if nothing happened. I'm just glad that goddamn arc is over with.**

 **So, I will leave you with this chapter, as a taste of what's to come. I hope you all like it.**

 **Also, since I didn't do a Song of the Day last time, I will give you two songs today.**

 **The first song is going to be An Eloquent by Shaka Ponk. I totally love this song, I have no idea how many times I've heard it, but I always sing it whenever its on. I can never get annoyed of this song.**

 **The Second Song of the Day is going to be The Day, by Jonathan Young. This is actually his version of the Boku No Hero Academia opening, and I just absolutely love it. This guy kills it whenever he makes a new cover, so show him some love...**

Tenrou Arc Prelude

Chapter 44

The First Official Date _(Finally)_

Aiden stepped to the side, dodging a kick that had been aimed at his ribs. He ducked in time to avoid a left hook, and rose his hand to block another kick. He smirked and pushed her back, shaking his head. She grit her teeth, and sprinted at him again, this time throwing a flurry of speedy punches at him, which he blocked or redirected to avoid taking the hits. His foot slipped, allowing the girl to get a clean hit to his jaw. He took a few steps back, wiping his mouth, his smirk not diminishing. He shook his limbs a bit, cracking his knuckles.

Running forward, he threw his own flurry of kicks at the girl, who was able to dodge them all with ease. She did a reverse handspring, driving her heel into his chin. Landing in a crouch, she jumped forward, hand swirling with wind.

"Sky Dragon's Palm Strike!" she chanted, slamming her palm into his chest. Aiden let out a cry of pain, flying back several feet from the attack. He rubbed his chest, glancing down at his ripped shirt. It had a good sized hole in it now due to the swirling wind. He shook his head, hands at his waist.

"I thought we agreed, no magic." he said.

"I couldn't help myself. Let's go again." Wendy said eagerly. He nodded, running at her again, arms behind his back. He slid to a stop, throwing a heavy punch directly at her face, which she easily dodged. She landed two solid hits to his chest, throwing a high kick to his face. He caught her foot, looking right at her eyes.

"How many times have I told you not to kick high when you're wearing a dress?" he asked. She blushed a bit, but used the distraction to her advantage. She used her other leg to sweep Aiden off his feet, making him fall down hard. As he tried to stand she jumped onto his body, quickly pulling him into a grapple hold. He grabbed her waist and pushed her off himself, quickly standing up.

"Damn, I thought I had you!" she cried.

"Pfft, it'll take more than that to pin me down. Let's go again!" he said, running at her once more.

"Well, those two are taking their training seriously." Phoebe said, munching on an apple.

Carla hummed her reply, not looking away from her tome. They were currently in their back courtyard, which was facing the ocean. Fairy Manor, or rather Team Flaming Skies' mansion was normally where the team came to train. The back courtyard was large enough to train in peace and they were close to the house in case they needed anything.

Ever since returning from Edolas, everyone had been taking their training seriously. Wendy and Aiden had grown incredibly fast, going as far as developing new Dragon Slaying techniques. He had also been teaching her some hand to hand combat, and she was understanding the concept rather nicely. After everything they faced, they learned that you needed more than just magic to fight.

"He's been giving it his all. If I wasn't so sore from our session, I would join them as well." Carla said, rubbing her shoulders.

She and Aiden had sparred the day before and she had come close to knocking him out. Of course her reverse leg lock had been a surprise, which almost got her the win. Sadly he had found her weakness and used it to his advantage. She would be sure not to expose her bellybutton to him ever again.

"You just don't want him all over you." Phoebe teased, flicking her nose. The golden bangle around her wrist glittered brightly in the sun. Carla shook her head.

"So, who's winning?" a new voice asked, the two girls looked up, seeing their friend Gray leaning against the top of the rock they were resting beside.

"Oh hey Gray, the match is pretty tied." Phoebe said.

"Interesting, I was hoping to see some Fire Make in action. I could use some inspiration to better myself." He said.

"Speak for yourself, I don't know how to fight that well. I need all the help I can get!"

"Hi Lucy, welcome back from your mission." Carla said, greeting the blonde.

"Hi Carla, me and Gray just got into town. Have Natsu, Erza and Happy shown up yet?"

"Nope, they're still out on that mission in Crocus. I wonder what it was, all I know is that Yuna wanted to tag along." Phoebe replied.

"Look, she pinned him down again." Carla said, pointing at the two dragon slayers. Wendy was sitting on Aiden's back, holding his arms to his sides. She had a big grin on her face.

"I win, that's three to two sweetie." she said.

"Bullshit, I call this one a tie." he cried back.

"If you say so!" she replied, shaking her head. He smirked, spinning himself around hard enough to knock her from his back. He quickly stood up, getting some distance from her.

"Alright, no more mister nice guy. I'm gonna hit you hard babe, you best be ready."

"As long as I can wipe that smirk from your face, it'll be worth it." she said, placing her hands together. His eyes widened.

"I said no magic." he said.

"Too bad, I got bored. Wind Make: Shuriken!" she cried, forming a large shuriken of pure wind in her hands. She threw it forward as hard as she could, making the teen dodge to the side. Wendy smile widened.

"Now we're even." she said.

"Oh, so that's the game you wanna play? Fine by me. Fire Make: Chain Whip!" he cried, launching his flaming chains at the girl. She ducked underneath them, placing her hands together.

"Wind Make: Twister!" she cried, forming a large swirling twister in front of her, aiming it at Aiden. He threw his flaming fist forward, breaking the wind apart with ease.

"Is that all you got?" he asked.

"I got way more than that." she cried, running forward. They got into another fist fight, fire and wind flying in all directions.

"I didn't know Wendy could use maker magic." Gray said.

"Yeah, the library here had an awesome collection, including a detailed tome on forgotten Wind techniques. She had already shown interest in learning Wind Make, but with Aiden's teachings, she was able to grasp the concept. She even learned a bit of fire magic." Phoebe said.

"But why, isn't she a Sky Dragon? Why would she need fire magic?" Lucy asked.

"For the very reason that Aiden learned wind magic, so that they could feed each other in battle. Honestly it sounded stupid when Aiden explained it to us, learning magic for the sole purpose of having a food source? But it makes a lot of sense. They are always together, even in fights, and if they have the chance, they can feed each other. They're rapidly becoming strong Dragon Slayers." Carla said.

"Man, this sucks. We're getting beat by little kids...come on Lucy, fight me!" Gray said, standing in front of the blonde, in nothing but his boxers.

"Maybe put some clothes on? Freaking perv!" She cried, slamming her fist over his head.

"Wanna take a break?" Aiden called out, putting out his flames. Wendy nodded, taking a deep breath. She fell to the ground, her green dress bunching up around her waist, though she was quick to pull it down.

"So, how am I doing?" she asked, glancing at the blue haired boy.

"Rapidly improving. Honestly with all of the training we've been doing, I would put you right on my level. We're evenly matched, aside from the times we pinned each other down. If we were still in Cait Shelter, you would definitely be an S-class mage. Which is why, I got you a little gift." he said, reaching into his pocket. She sat up, looking at him oddly.

"A gift? Aiden you shouldn't have." she said, brushing her sweaty locks from her eyes.

"I know, but I love you with all my heart. I wanted to show you that...we went through some rough times in Edolas, so you can call this the icing on the cake." he said, giving her a wink. He handed her the black box, which she was quick to open. She gasped, looking at the pendant inside.

"Oh Aiden, this is beautiful. It must have cost you a fortune." she said.

"Not really, the jeweler gave me a discount. Even though I asked him not to give me one." he said, looking at the clouds. She pulled it out of the box, the brilliant silver shining brightly in the sun.

"Here, help me put it on." she said, handing him the pendant. He unclasped it, placing it around her neck. Once it was on, he wrapped his arms around her, giving her a hug. He nibbled on her ear, making her giggle.

"I hope you like it, my little sky dragon." he whispered, making her giggle. They shared a kiss, loosing themselves for a few seconds. At least until they heard someone clear their throat. The pulled away from each other, looking up at a rather annoyed Carla.

"Honestly, can you two go a second without sucking each others faces?"

"One, what do I win?" Aiden asked, earning a huff from the girl.

"Don't worry Aiden, she's just jealous that we're in a relationship and she isn't!"

"Oh heaven's child, you are above petty teasing. Stop being a bad influence on her." She snapped, pointing an accusing finger at Aiden.

"I haven't done shit. Hell up until now we haven't even had a date, so how can she had changed so much?" he asked.

"You don't see it like I do...but I do admit, Wendy has changed for the better, and that makes me happy." she said.

"Hmm...I know, how about we go on a date? We haven't done that yet." Wendy said.

"Sweetheart, I would love to take you on a night on the town, but every time we make plans, they get fucked over." Aiden said.

"Then maybe we should ask someone else to plan it for us, maybe Mira has some ideas." Wendy suggested.

"No! You do not want to go to her for dating advice." Gray said, shaking his arms in front of himself.

"For once, I agree with him. I'm still recovering from the last guy she hooked me up with. Ugh...that man was total creep." Lucy said.

"Okay then, what do you suggest we do?" Aiden said. Gray hummed to himself, snapping his fingers.

"Well, you guys are still kids...well teenagers, I doubt dinner at some restaurant is gonna be fun for you. How about a trip to Akane Resort? It isn't far from Hargeon. The tickets are cheap at least."

"Hey yeah, that isn't a bad idea at all. Akane Resort is actually pretty fun, we all went there not that long ago...it lead to some unfortunate events, but it was still a good time." Lucy said.

"I guess that's alright...I've never been to a theme park before." Wendy said.

"Oh my god, I'm such a retard!" Aiden snapped, slapping his forehead.

"Uh...what?" the three asked, clearly confused.

"Don't you remember our first mission Wen, the one in Hargeon? The mayor of Hargeon gave us Akane Resort tickets, we just never used them. We can go, provided the tickets are still good." he said.

"I totally forgot about that, I should have them somewhere in my suitcase." Wendy said, standing up. She brushed the dirt off her dress, turning toward the house.

"I'll go look, oh Carla will you help me?"

"Very well, I could use a break from the sun anyway." she said, following her friend toward the mansion.

"Hehe yes, Akane Resort here we come." Aiden said firmly.

"Um Aiden, I don't want to trouble you but...could I ask for a favor?"

"Sure Lucy, what do you need?" he asked, looking at the girl with concern.

"Help me learn how to fight. I can fight well already, but I could use a bit of direction...you seem to be doing well with Wendy and Carla..so it seemed only fair to ask you." she said.

"Whoa wait a minute...why didn't you ask me?" Gray asked.

"Honestly, how can the girl learn to fight when your butt fucking naked all the time?" Aiden said, gesturing to the teenager. He sighed, muttering things under his breath as he went to pick his clothes up.

"Hey, don't forget me. I can train her just as well as you can." Phoebe said, crossing her arms in annoyance. Aiden shook his head, ruffling her hair.

"I didn't forget you. While I'm an all around fighter, you're more of a speed specialist, especially with your Light Speed spell. You go for vital areas, so I want you to show Lucy where to throw her attacks to make them more effective. First off, I want to see how well you can fight, so no magic and no weapons. Take her belt Phoebe." he said. Lucy sighed, unclasping her belt from her waist, handing it to the orange haired girl.

"Good, now before we start, are you okay with me hitting you? I'll be treating this as a real fight so I don't want to hurt you if I don't have to." he said.

"I'm fine, I've been hit plenty of times in the past. All part of the job." she said firmly.

"If you say so." he said, taking a few steps back. He stretched his arms a bit, getting into a low stance.

"Go ahead, hit me with everything you've got." he said. The blonde girl shot forward with incredible speed, surprising him and Phoebe quite a bit. She threw a punch right to his face, but he easily caught it. He pushed her back with ease.

"Again, focus on strength and speed." he said.

"Haah!" she cried, throwing a left hook at him. He ducked back, giving her a smirk. He caught her hand and pulled her forward, driving his knee into her stomach. She groaned in pain, clutching her stomach, teeth grit tightly.

"See, that's why you have to watch what your opponent does. You have to learn to read peoples movements." he said.

"Did you have to knee me that hard?" she groaned.

"Like I said, this is a serious fight. I'll give you a minute to recover, but we're going back at it." he said, giving her a hand.

"I'm sure those tickets are around here somewhere." Wendy muttered, digging through her suitcase for the seventh time. She had emptied it of its contents and double checked every pocket. She just couldn't remember where she put them.

"Honestly child, how could you be so mindless. We've practically torn apart this room and haven't found them. They might be outdated anyway, it'd be better to just buy new ones." Carla replied, leaning against the dresser.

"I suppose you are right. I'll have to tell Aiden so we can go there early." she said.

"We should go and tell him then."

"Wait...I want to talk to you about something." Wendy said firmly, causing the girl to stop. She looked at her best friend, giving her a curious look.

"Well, what is it Wendy?"

"I can tell you like Aiden, it isn't hard actually. There's no use hiding it anymore." she said firmly. The girl blushed, looking away from her friend.

"I do not, he's uncouth, unsophisticated, undignified and completely insane sometimes. He has no tact except when it comes to fighting and even then it's questionable."

"And still you fell in love with him. I'm not mad you know...I just want you to tell me these things, I don't want my best friend coming in-between me and the boy I love." she said.

"But I don't like him." Carla snapped. Wendy wrapped her arms around her, pulling her into a hug.

"It's okay...if you want, we can share him, I don't mind."

"You are unbelievable." the white haired girl replied, pulling herself out of the hug. She flicked her hair over her shoulder and headed toward the door.

"Denying your feelings will only make it worse! Don't bottle them up!"

"Shut up Wendy!"

Back outside, Aiden and Lucy had finished their sparring session. The girl was bruised all over and drenched in sweat, but she felt like she had improved greatly, she only got hit ten times as opposed to the twenty two times when they had started. Phoebe was hovering her hands over her body, focusing her sunlight on all of the painful bruises.

"Well, you did better than I expected. That Lucy Kick got me good." Aiden said, rubbing his chest.

"Hehe, I've been practicing that one a lot lately." she said, giving the teen a grin. Gray stood next to him, holding a bit of ice to the side of his head.

"That should help with the swelling, at least until Phoebe is done. That back kick was something else Lucy...I honestly don't see why you need more training, you're doing fine on your own." the ice wizard replied.

"Yes, but there's always room for improvement...I didn't become a wizard until after I turned sixteen, as opposed to all of you who have been training since you were kids. I've come a long way in a year, and I can only get better with time." she said.

"That's the spirit Lucy, with an attitude like that, you'll be fighting like the rest of us in no time!" Aiden said cheerfully.

"Um Aiden, I wasn't able to find the tickets." Wendy said, gaining his attention. He frowned, looking at the grass.

"Hmm..maybe they're in my room. I'm gonna take a quick shower and go look for them, if you want we can continue training tomorrow." Aiden said.

"Alright, it's about time we head back to the guild anyway. Have fun you guys, and Wendy be sure to tell me all the juicy details tomorrow." Lucy said, giving the girl a wink. She and Gray took off, the ice mage thankfully wearing all of his clothes.

"I'm gonna take a nap. Any idea when Yamato is coming back?" Phoebe asked curiously.

"She said she would be back in two days. She wanted to make sure Iona and Chelia's training was coming along fine."

"Hmm...okay. Well, I don't know if you're heading out right after, but I guess I'll see you later. Remember to wrap it up Aiden, even if it's a quickie, wrap that sticky." Phoebe said, giving him a wink. Aiden blushed, looking at the ground.

"What is she talking about?" Wendy asked curiously.

"Presents...she was talking about wrapping presents...well, I'm gonna take a shower, a very cold shower." he said, walking toward the house. Wendy shrugged, looking at her partner.

"I guess I'll take a shower too. Will you help me with my hair Carla?"

"Of course, we have to make sure you look presentable for this date. Is is your first after all." her friend replied, giving her a bright smile.

Aiden sighed contently as he stepped out of the bathroom. He had gotten dressed in a rather nice outfit, for him at least. It consisted of a sleeveless flannel shirt, which he left partially unbuttoned, with his new coat over it. It was similar to his previous one, down to the minute details. He was wearing a pair of blue shorts, with a scale like pattern to them, something that Wendy had made for him. He also donned his boots, which he had recently gotten cleaned. He stood in front of his mirror, shaking a bit of water from his hair.

"It's getting a bit unruly. Maybe I should cut it down a bit?" he muttered to himself. He shook that thought off and opened the top drawer of his dresser, looking at the items inside. Several old mission requests he was saving from his various jobs, a make up pouch from his time in Mermaid Heel, he still didn't know why he had it, to be honest, and an envelop with the name Akane Resort on it. He smiled, pulling it out of the drawer. He pulled out the four tickets, a smile on his face.

"Still good, we're all set." he said. His eyes drifted to the rolled up piece of paper on top of his dresser. He frowned, taking a hold of it. It had the same crest as the Fogbound Lake paper.

He remembered, the night he fought his bother, Kurumi had given him the paper. No that wasn't right, her clone had given him the paper. He sighed, a look of confusion washing over his face. He still didn't know what to think of that. It was just all hard to believe to be honest. He shook his head, setting the paper down.

"Not now, I have to focus on this date." he muttered to himself, drawing out two of the tickets from the envelope. He was glad they were season passes, meaning he could use them for the entire season, and since fall would be coming to an end soon, that meant the water park area would be closing for the season. He really had to make use of these.

"Hey, did you find the tickets?"

He glanced toward the door, almost dropping the two slips from his hand. His girlfriend had walked into the room, looking very beautiful for the occasion. She was wearing a sleeveless faded pink low cut shirt, with a few flowers printed on the edges. Over it she was wearing a collared green vest, with a scaled like design to it, which had a yellow hemline. She was wearing a short black ruffled skirt, with a white stripe on the bottom edge. She had also decided to wear a pair of thigh high black stockings and her white leather rain boots. Her hair was left mostly down, with two ponytails tied up with pink ribbons. She looked absolutely adorable.

"You look beautiful." he said, barely above a whisper. She blushed a bright red, pressing her fingers together.

"T-thank you. You look nice too, really handsome." she said, making him chuckle. He took a deep breath, clapping his hands.

"Well, I found the tickets and they're actually season passes so we can go as many times as we want. It's still pretty early so we should catch a train as soon as we can." he said.

"Alright, I just have to do my nails real quick." she said, spinning on her heel. He quickly caught her hand, forcing her to stop.

"Gah...something wrong Aiden?" she asked. He hummed to himself, looking her hand over.

"Have you been filing your nails lately?" he asked.

"Not really...I usually do but with the whole Edolas thing, I sort of forgot. They got a bit jagged and I ended up scratching myself during the night." she said. He nodded, reaching into his drawer, pulling out his make up kit.

"Well, you're lucky you have me for a boyfriend. Take a seat, I'll do your nails." he said, opening the pouch.

"Huh?"

"Yeah you heard me. I'm doing your nails, so go on." he said, gesturing to the bed behind them. She shrugged and she walked over to the bed, plopping down on the corner. He pulled out three bottles of polish, a clear coat, a base white color and a sky blue color, along with a nail file. He grabbed the chair from the work desk and pulled it over, sitting down in front of the girl.

"Um...this may sound like a dumb question, but who taught you how to do this? It wasn't your sister right?" she asked.

"Pfft, no. Kurumi never liked acting like a girl...she was a girl in gender only, sure she liked to wear dresses from time to time, but she said if she was ever caught outside in a skirt and blouse she would kill herself. She was more of a tomboy, and never took a shower unless I asked her to." he said, taking a hold of her hand.

"So, who was it then?" she asked.

"I was a member of Mermaid Heel for six months, after the first week the girls got tired of giving me a make over, so I was forced to do it myself. I think I did a pretty damn good job at it." he said. Once he was done filing her nails, he started off with the base coat, making sure to keep it as even as he could.

"Well, I guess you can file it under the useless talent list. That one would be number 31." he said, once he was done the base coat.

"You know thirty other talents?" she asked curiously.

"I can sing, I can dance, I can cook, read foreign languages, speak Pregrandian Spanish, I can cut hair, usually not my own since I would just fuck it up, and I can draw a little." he said with a shrug.

"How come I've never heard you sing?" she asked.

"I don't think I'm that good at singing, to be honest. Phoebe likes it, but then again all I swung were lullabies from when I was growing up." he said with a shrug. He grabbed the sky blue polish and started adding that one onto the base coat.

"You should sing for me, just once." she said.

"Hmm...alright, I'll write you a song some day. And it's gonna be really pretty, just like you." he said, pecking her nose.

"Are you two still here? I thought you were half way to Hargeon by now." Carla said, entering the room.

"Oh, Aiden's doing my nails. I didn't feel like leaving without getting them done." Wendy replied.

"That's preposterous. A man cannot paint a woman's nails!" Carla said.

"Says who?" Aiden said, looking up from his work. He gave the neko a shit eating grin.

"It's just not right. I mean, who knows a woman better than another woman? Aren't men supposed to be rough and tough?" she asked.

"Girl, you are talking to a man who dressed as a girl for six months, trust me when I say this. I do not give a shit about who does what. I can paint nails, file them, you name it. I can also cut and style hair and know the difference between thirty two types of eye liner." he said.

"Thirty two?" Wendy asked curiously.

"Yes, sadly there are more types than that, and it's honestly hard to memorize them all." he said. He set the last bottle down, smiling brightly.

"Well, I'm done, what do you think?" he asked. Wendy held her hands out, looking at her nails. She was actually very impressed with his work.

"They look amazing...I like how you drew the Fairy Tail emblem on them too."

"Yeah, that was a little hard, but it was worth it. Even better, this polish is the quick dry stuff that lasts for a few weeks unless you take it off. Well we should go, before we miss our train." he said. Wendy stood up, grabbing her purse from Carla's hands. Aiden grabbed his wallet and the tickets, placing them both in his pockets.

"We'll be back tonight Carla, don't wait up for us." Wendy said.

"Don't do anything I wouldn't do." She said firmly.

"Damn, now I can't eat soda while drinking Cheetos." Aiden muttered dryly, earning a laugh from his girlfriend.

"Come on you, let's go." she said, taking a hold of his hand. Aiden gave Carla a small wave, earning a huff from the girl.

"Honestly, I can't see what she sees in him. But as long as she's happy, then I'm happy."

"CARLA! WHERE'S MY SUPER SUIT?" Phoebe shouted from her room across the hall, earning a groan from the white haired girl, maybe she would take her friend's example and get out of the house for the night.

xxx

"Well, we're here." Aiden said, standing outside of the resort. The sounds of the park rides filled the entire area, along with the screams of those riding said attractions. The smell of various foods wafted through the air, making the two teenagers grow quite hungry. Without wasting a second, they headed toward the entrance, handing the man their tickets. Once they got their bracelets, they were finally let into the park.

"So, what do you want to do first?" Wendy asked curiously.

"Fucking eat something. I'm hungrier than Phoebe at an all you can eat buffet!" he said, pulling her toward one of the food stands.

"Hello kids, what can I get you?" the owner asked, giving them a smile.

"Three orders of Takoyaki please, and a medium drink. Go ahead sweetie, get whatever you want." He said, giving Wendy a nudge.

"Um...I'll just have some Takoyaki as well, and some fried dough, and some churros, and a drink." she said shyly.

"Well then, I'll get those for you right away." he said, writing it all down.

"Don't be so shy sweetie, he's just a food vendor."

"I know, but it's in my nature." she said, pressing her fingers together. After a few minutes, the man returned with their order, and Aiden gave him the money, along with a nice tip for being so nice. They moved on to one of the empty tables, and dug into their food.

"Oh man, this is good." Aiden said, shoving one of the Takoyaki balls into his mouth.

"You really like Takoyaki don't you? I remember all of the ones you ate at the Fantasia parade." Wendy said, taking a small bite from her dough.

"That's because Takoyaki is the king of all carnival foods. You can literally make it with anything and it would still be delicious." he said.

"Is there anything you don't like?"

"Um...cauliflower. Ugh...that stuff just irritates me, not only that but I think I'm allergic to it. It's just a wannabe white broccoli, every time I see some, I just want to burn it into a pile of ashes." he said, shuddering a bit. She giggled, shaking her head.

"Aiden, there's something we need to talk about. It's rather important." she said, changing the conversation. Aiden swallowed his Takoyaki, taking a sip from his drink.

"Sure, what's on your mind?" he asked.

"Well...it's about Carla." she replied. His brows furrowed, concern written on his face.

"What's wrong with her? She isn't acting up again is she? I thought she vowed to be nicer to everyone."

"No, it isn't that it's...something else entirely. I'm sure you know this already, but I think she has a crush on you." she said.

"Eh? Are you serious?" he asked, completely taken aback.

"I'm dead serious. I've seen how she acts around you, I remember when we first met, she used to be really haughty toward you, but she got used to your presence rather quickly. It was subtle at first, but got more and more obvious the more time we spent together. She normally never showed her human form to anyone, yet she was willing to show you during the Galuna mission. I think that trip to Fogbound Lake solidified her feelings, especially after the two of you were alone for so long." she said.

"Wow, I never really noticed that. She did follow me while I was hunting, and whenever you aren't around she seems to gravitate toward me. But you know I can't return those feelings, there's only one girl I can share my love with and that's you." he said, kissing her hand.

"I know...but I'm not exactly opposed to sharing either. She's my best friend, who knows maybe this is just a passing crush, she might start liking someone else. I doubt she'd go back to her exceed form anytime soon." she said. Aiden smiled, looking at the roller coaster not far from where they were. The screams of the riders echoed throughout the entire park, scaring a lot of people who were waiting to get on.

"Wendy, I have to say you are without a doubt the sweetest person I've met. No normal woman would just be fine with having her best friend be in love with her boyfriend, yet here you are willing to share. You are one in a million, and I can't express how much I love that about you." he said.

"Thank you, but I'm just being nice. After all Carla and I have been through a lot, especially in Edolas. She deserves to be happy, and if it means I have to share you, then I'm alright with it. If you do end up starting anything with her, just be gentle okay? She isn't as outgoing as me, and she's a bit of a prude."

"Heh, don't I know it. Maybe I can start with a couple solo missions, I want to see how much her magic has improved. Besides you need to catch up with Freed too, you're second lesson is going to start soon and you don't want to miss out on that." he said.

"You're right, that means I'll have Phoebe for the day. I wouldn't want her to mess anything up for the two of you." she said, giving him a smirk. He flicked her nose, chuckling a bit.

"When did you become so deviant?" he asked.

"Hang around Mira and it starts rubbing off on you. Now come on, I wanna go on the Fiery Fist O Pain!" she said, finishing her drink. Aiden gulped, looking at the tallest coaster in the park. His pupils shrunk a bit, and sweat started dripping from his forehead.

"How about we start small, maybe the Kitty Coaster?" he asked, pointing to the small cat themed ride.

"No, don't be a wuss Aiden, I'll cast a Troia spell on you so you won't get sick. Now come on." she said, pulling him from his seat. He bit his lip, not at all looking forward to the ride.

Xxx

Three and a half minutes of violent screaming and painful vomiting later, Aiden and Wendy were walking around the park, looking for some games to play. Aiden had already won her a stuffed Panda, but he wanted to find something for Carla as well, to cheer her up a bit after what happened. He just wasn't able to find anything worthwhile.

"Oh, how about that one? You know Carla likes Giraffes." Wendy said, pointing to one of the booths ahead of them. He smiled, walking toward the booth. It looked like a Ring toss game. The man behind the counter gave them a smile.

"Hey kids, looking for a neat prize? It's three hundred Jewels for three rings." he said.

"Okay, this seems simple enough." Aiden said, handing the man the coins. He handed him three blue rings, which he spun around his finger. He took a few steps back, lining up his shot. He flicked his wrist, throwing the ring forward, which easily landed on the pin.

"Nice shot kid." the stand owner said, impressed with the boy's skill. Aiden smirked, tossing the second ring. He twirled the third ring on his finger, throwing it forward a second later.

"Yay! Nice job Aiden!" Wendy cheered, slapping her hands. He smiled, giving her a little bow.

"Well, you get top pick."

"I want that giraffe." he said, pointing to the blue and pink stuffed giraffe that was hanging from the corner. The man reached for it, handing it to the teen.

"There you are, have fun kids." he said happily, giving them a wave. A few other kids stepped up to the booth, wanting to take their own shot at the game.

"She's totally gonna adore this." Aiden said, hugging the giraffe.

"I'm having a lot of fun Aiden. Do you think we could go to the beach? I brought my swim suit." Wendy said.

"Eh, isn't it a little late?" he asked, looking up at the sky. It was pretty dark, around nine thirty at night, by the moon's position.

"Not really, come on Aiden...please?"

"No none of that puppy begging shit. Come on." he said, taking a hold of her hand. She giggled, quickening here pace. She knew that would always get him.

It was surprisingly quiet at the beach, only a few people were walking around. Due to the lights from the park, the beach was pretty lit up, so people were enjoying the tranquility. As soon as they got to the beach, Wendy set up the towel she had brought on the sand, taking her boots off.

"Are you coming into the water with me Aiden?" she asked curiously.

"I didn't bring anything." he said.

"So, come on don't make me go alone." she pouted. He sighed, unzipping his coat. He placed it on the towel next to her vest. She took off her stockings and stuffed them into her boots.

"I should pack for stuff like this more often, seeing as you can practically get me to do anything." he said, folding his shirt, placing it on top of his coat. He took his boots off, followed by his socks.

"Yeah, I think so too. Oh man, it's been forever since I actually came to the beach. I wish Carla was here, and Phoebe...it's been so long since it was just us four." she said, taking her shirt off.

"Yup, seems like just yesterday we formed our team." he said, glancing at the water. He looked back at Wendy, seeing her placing her skirt on her towel.

"So, what do you think?" she asked, gesturing to her swimsuit.

A Pink Polka-Dot bikini. A very cute polka-dot bikini that seemed to fit her nicely. But he also noticed something else about her, something he couldn't help but comment on.

"Did your boobs get bigger?" he asked.

"Huh? You pervert, why would you ask me that?" she cried, quickly crossing her arms over her chest.

"I'm sorry, I couldn't help myself. You look nice, and they look nice too. Let's just go." he said, stalking off toward the water. Wendy sighed, biting back her fierce blush. She looked down at her chest, smiling inwardly.

" _Maybe Sherry was right after all."_

xxx

It was pretty late when Aiden and Wendy made it back to Magnolia. They instantly went to bed, feeling immensely tired. Phoebe was playing video games in the living room and had only tossed a wayward greeting, telling them that Carla was spending the night at Lucy's with a bunch of other girls from the guild. They shrugged it off, to tired to care.

For some reason, Aiden had woken up early this morning. He normally woke up around eight in the morning, but today, he woke up at six. He tried to sleep, but once he was awake it was hard for him to roll back over. So he got up, got dressed and headed toward the guildhall.

Magnolia was very quiet in the morning. Most of the shop owners were setting up their things for the day. A few of them greeted him, and he gave them a warm greeting in return. Sauntering up the steps, he passed through the gates leading him into the guildhall proper. Thankfully the doors were open, but the place was completely empty.

"Hello? Anyone here?" he called out, his voice echoing through the building. He closed the door behind him, feeling a bit awkward.

"Oh, Aiden what are you doing here this early?"

It was the master. He looked like he was ready to go somewhere, most likely another council meeting.

"Good morning master. I couldn't sleep so I thought I would come here, but no one is here." he said.

"Those lazy brats don't start showing up until seven thirty. Mirajane gets here at around seven to start breakfast for everyone. Is something wrong?" he asked, concern filling his voice.

"I'm that easy to read huh? Yeah, there's something wrong."

"Well, why don't you tell me, my boy. I have enough time to listen." Aiden nodded, walking toward the bar.

"Remember a few weeks ago, when I fought against my brother Brandon?" he asked.

"Yes, the boy from Grimoire Heart, you aren't thinking of going after him are you? If you are just know Erza got back last night and I'll have her stop you." he said firmly. Aiden shook his head.

"No no, I'm not going after him. I just...wasn't entirely truthful with you. I didn't just see him, my sister was also there."

"Your deceased sister?" he asked curiously.

"Yeah, I was shocked too. She said something weird, that she wasn't Kurumi, but I'm positive it was. She looked like her, talked like her, hell she used her same magic. I just didn't know how to react, my body was freezing over so I couldn't ask her anything. The only thing I remember her telling me is that my sister cast a very dangerous spell." he said.

"Do you remember what it was called?" Makarov asked curiously. Aiden gave him a nod, looking at the far end of the guildhall.

"She called it, Ark of Self Preservation. It's an advanced Ark of Space technique that apparently makes a clone of the person. But since that clone is going to occupy the space the original being takes up, my sister ended up loosing her life. The clone doesn't know anything, other than to guide me to the sacred gems. I don't know what those are, or what they do...but she gave me a new destination." he said.

"Hmm...I don't know much about Ark of Space magic. It is a lost magic, not practiced by anyone in this day and age. But what I do know is that in order to cast a spell that powerful, she needed to have a good amount of magic. I doubt an eleven year old can cast that sort of spell. Have you tried looking for books at the Magic Library?"

"I have, but I didn't find anything at all. It seems like the only book that existed was the one that she had. I checked our old house in Shamo Village, but I didn't find it. I just...don't know what to do." he said.

"Well son, I don't exactly know the solution to this problem. But I am glad you told me this, as your master I'll do my best to find some information on this magic type. As long as you don't do anything foolish, like go after your brother, then we'll be fine. This guild is more than just that, so talk to your friends, they'll offer their help too." he said.

"Thanks master, I feel relieved. I was just thinking about that for so long it started eating at me." he said, chuckling.

"That's great, it's good to see you're fitting in. So, I heard you and Wendy went on a date last night, how was it?" he asked, wiggling his brows.

"It was alright, we just spent some time at the park. Nothing more nothing less."

"Ah, so she still pure. It won't be long my boy, soon enough you won't hold yourselves back from those urges."

"Master! What are you talking about?"

The old man cringed, hearing the voice of Mira coming from the door. It seemed she had walked in at the wrong time. The told man hopped down from the counter, coughing into his hand.

"Well, I've wasted enough time. I must be going, the Council is having a meeting so I have go. I'll see you all in a couple of days." he said, hurrying out the door. Mira glared at him until he disappeared.

"Honestly, I don't know what to do with him." She said, shaking her head.

"Yeah, I'll say."

"Morning Cana, didn't know you had stayed over." Aiden said, glancing behind the bar. The brunette reached up for the bar, pulling herself to a standing position.

"I didn't know I was gonna stay over. I'm gonna take a shower, just get my booze ready would ya Mira?" she asked, hopping over the bar.

"Will do. You're lucky we got a shipment in."

"Good, then I want the good stuff." the woman said, disappearing through the doors.

"So, what are you doing here so early, Aiden?"

"I couldn't sleep so I showed up a little early. I was just talking to the master about my fight with Brandon. I'm still not over it you know?"

"Yes, I understand. Siblings shouldn't fight, I honestly don't know why someone would do that to their family." she replied.

"Some people just like watching others suffer. Some enjoy making people suffer...it's just how it is. It doesn't matter if he's a family member or not. He's on the other side, and that makes him my enemy." he said simply.

"Don't worry, if he ever attacks you...I'll protect you, you haven't seen me fight yet, I'm pretty good if I do say so myself."

"Sorry Mira, but Erza told me how you fight and you honestly scare the shit out of me. Just stay your sweet self okay?" he asked, earning a giggle from her. He shook his head, trying not to imagine how pissed the woman would get. He stood up from his seat, heading toward the library.

"I'll be in the library, maybe there's a book there that has information on these gems." he said.

"Alright, if you need anything don't hesitate to call!" she said, giving him a bright smile. He nodded, quietly walking off.


	46. Tenrou Arc: The S-class Trials

**A/N: Hello and welcome once again to a new chapter. This will be Chapter 45 in this little story of mine. Last Chapter, Aiden and Wendy finally had their first date, something that was literally ten chapters in the making. I meant to post that earlier, but I couldn't fit it anywhere, so I placed it in the Tenrou Arc, just cuz.**

 **So, before I begin this...I would like to pay my respects to The family of Daisuke Satou, the creator and author of Highschool of the Dead. I heard that he passed away a few days back, due to heart failure. This man was one of the reasons why I started writing fanfiction. I absolutely adore HOTD, you all know this, as I wrote two stories for it, and I might write more in the future. I went as far as bying all of the manga, though I'm missing issue 5 right now, and I've watched the anime more times than I can count. It saddened me so much to hear that he passed on, and I'm disappointed that this series won't ever get a proper ending. So my condolences goes to his family, who must be suffering during these dark times. May the Stars be With You!**

 **Now, I'm going to be posting this chapter which will be the true beginning of the Tenrou Arc. The last chapter wasn't much of a Prelude, just Aiden and Wendy training before they went on their cute date, where he indeed noticed that her tatas had grown, but not too much since he likes them small.**

 **I must warn you, the Tenrou Arc has a lot of sexual innuendoes, like a lot. I don't know why, but I guess this is the arc where everyone is sexually tense, and by everyone I mean Aiden and Wendy who are getting to that stage where they want to try new things, but their too young for said things. Worry not, there will be no lemons between them yet, not until after the Grand Magic Games are over in fact. And I assure you, it will be steamy.**

 **This Chapter includes a bit of Natsu bashing, not a lot but he's a really dick in the beginning of this chapter and you'll all see why. Don't give me that bullshit in the reviews either, Natsu is still my top favorite character for Fairy Tail, and I hate making him the dick, but it had to be done, at least once. So I hope you don't hate me too much, tell me what you think?**

 **Um...I don't think I got anything else to say, other than I'm still without internet, and I'm about to get my ass torn in half by another snow storm. Gotta love New Hampshire, awesome weather 24/7 said no one ever. Um...that's it I guess...have fun reading this and tell me how I did.**

 **Song of the Day: No Love: Lil Wayne feat. Eminem. Man, I remember watching this Music Video every morning before me and my friends walked to our bus stop. Every morning we would see it and just rap each verse, we pretty much had it down pat. I miss those times, back when Chips were 99 cents and Coca Cola was 1.09 and everyone loved the early mornings in the summer. Now as an Adult I can't afford either and would much rather spend my day inside drinking Peach Schnapps like a sissy girl.**

 **Note: Some of the things regarding the Legendary Gems of Avalor were in fact part of an arc that was cut out of the story. I was too stressed out trying to come up with ideas for said fucking arc and it just fucked me over even more, so it was cut out entirely. So the Gems will be reworked into another key point of the Tenrou Island arc, if you have anymore questions or are curious about what this arc was going to be, feel free to ask, I'm always willing to answer your questions.**

 **Ah yes, My goal for this story is going to be a whopping 1 million words. So I'm not going to be cutting this story in half or anything. That's the limit I'm going for, so I'm going to try my best and reach that number. It's gonna be a tough journey, but it will be done!**

Tenrou Arc

Chapter 45

The S-class Trials

It had been rather quiet at the guildhall today. It seemed as if all of the members were out on missions. Most of the teams were gone, while others were resting in between missions. Yamato, Chelia and Iona had returned the night before and were recounting their training to their fellow guild mates. Wendy and Yuna were at a table alone, writing another song, it seemed as if those two had struck and odd friendship through music, and often times would sit for hours pouring over lyrics. Wendy was also taking the time to practice her Scripts, since Freed and his teammates were gone, she had an entire week to learn everything.

As for Aiden, he sat alone at the bar. He had a book in front of him, flipped to a certain page. He had found a book on magical gem stones, but hadn't found anything about the sacred gem stones. He flipped to another page, muttering swears under his breath. He held the Verdant Emerald tightly in his hand, it's glow slipping through his fingers. He flipped to another page, finally finding something interesting.

"Often times, certain gems will exhibit magical properties. Crystals from certain parts of the world are capable of absorbing ethernano and displaying that stored power in various ways. Such is the case with the legendary gems of Avalor, Five in total, which have been lost through time." he muttered to himself.

"Hey, looks like you found something!" Mira said excitedly. He nodded, giving her a smile.

"It only took four hours and hundreds of books, but I think I'm onto my first solid lead. However it doesn't say the names of the gems...just that they hold great power inside them." He said, pouring through the text. He flipped to another page, but found nothing else on the gems.

"Hmm...the name Avalor sounds familiar...perhaps it was the name of an old country?" she asked.

"Maybe, there aren't any records of any countries named Avalor. Then again, Ishgar was formed when two continents crashed together. Maybe Avalor was one of those continents?" he asked.

"Perhaps."

"Excuse me, I hope I'm not interrupting anything."

"Oh, you aren't interrupting Iona, is something wrong?" Aiden asked, glancing at the Basilisk Slayer. It had been awhile since they talked, with the whole Edolas thing, she had been frozen in that lacrima, and afterwards had headed out on a mission. He was just glad she was doing alright.

"Yes, me and Yamato were talking and we've decided to break away from Team Flaming Skies. We wish to form a team of three...that way you will be able to move easier." she said, pressing her fingers together. Aiden smiled, placing a hand on her shoulder, making her look up at him.

"That's great! I don't want you to think we're holding you back or anything. If you think you can make a strong team with friends, then I'm all for it. Besides having an S-class member in your team will get you far!" he said happily.

"Oh...I thought you would have an issue with it." She said.

"Absolutely not! You are my friend and I have to consider your feelings as well as the ones from my friends. So if you and Yamato want to form a team, then go right ahead. But don't think that because you'll have two god slayers that you'll be stronger than us." he said, giving her a wink.

"Don't worry, we'll take that as a challenge. Together we'll climb to new heights, and we can always go on missions together." she said. He held his fist out, giving her a smile.

"Take what you can."

"Give nothing back!" the girl replied, bumping fists with him. She turned around, walking to her friends with a spring in her step. Chelia cheered loudly, hugging the older girl tightly. He smiled, leaning back against the bar.

"That was really nice of you Aiden." Mira said.

"Eh, it's nothing. I have to be considerate of my friends after all, we're here to grow together. It was bad of me to assume they would want to be in the same team after joining a new guild. They need to spread their wings and soar, we're not kittens anymore." he said, giving her a grin. Mira nodded, placing a mug of root beer before him.

"That ones on me, you deserve it, especially after everything you've gone through in the past few days." she said, referencing the Edolas incident. Even though she wasn't there, the story her friends told was real, especially after getting her sister back.

"Hey Aiden, I would like to thank you for what you did." Mira said, earning a curious look from him.

"What I did? I haven't done anything." he said.

"In Edolas, you saved the people there. You inspired them to fight back, you took down an oppressive king, and most of all, your actions brought my sister back, and for that I can't thank you enough." she said, tears brimming her eyes.

"No no no, don't start crying on me Mira. I think Elfman would bust my lips if I made his big sister cry." he said, jumping out of his seat. He frowned, glancing at the floor boards.

"Besides, I'm not without sin. I did kill a man while I was there." he said, remembering the old man. Images of the machine filled his mind, Wendy's screams filling his ears..he shook his head, taking a deep breath.

"It's alright...sometimes, we don't have a choice. As long as it's to protect your friends, then it's alright." Mira replied, giving him a smile. He sighed, giving her a small smile. He finished his root beer, returning to his book. Not finding anything, he set it aside, finding the Verdant Emerald more interesting. He reached into his pocket, pulling out Iona's Aqua Crystal. He held both of them close to each other, observing how brightly they glowed in close proximity.

"The magic stored in these stones is beyond imaginable. There might be enough power here to fire Etherion several times. I can only imagine how much power we would have if we got the Red Ruby." he muttered.

The Red Ruby was the only gemstone he knew of, he didn't remember exactly where he had heard the name, but he knew that combining it with the Verdant Emerald and the Aqua Crystal would give him immense power. And that was three of them, there were still two out there he didn't know about.

"Hey Aiden, I need to talk to you for a sec." Natsu said, grabbing his attention. Aiden stood up, placing the gems in his pockets.

"Sure, what about?" he asked.

"It's about what happened in Edolas. I need to talk to Yamato too." he said, grabbing her attention. The woman excused herself from the table, walking over to where the salmon haired dragon slayer stood.

"Is something the matter Natsu?" she asked.

"Why did you do it?" he asked, looking at Yamato.

"I'm sorry?"

"The King, why did you kill him?" Natsu asked, rephrasing the question. Yamato's brows furrowed, and she crossed her arms.

"I didn't tell you the story did I?" she asked.

"No, Happy and Phoebe told me everything, that doesn't condone what you did. The same goes for you Aiden, you shouldn't have killed that old man." he said. Aiden scoffed, placing his hands on his hips.

"Are you serious right now man? That guy was sucking the life out of us, absorbing our magic so he could use it to kill our friends. Are you saying I should have let that one man live so he could kill a hundred thousand people and hundreds of exceed? I'm sorry, but taking one life to save hundreds is better than letting him live." he said firmly.

"That's not how we do things here! We don't kill people, even if they are hurting us!" he snapped, teeth grit in anger. Yamato took a deep breath, closing her eyes.

"I understand what you are getting at, but it had to be done. King Faust destroyed the lives of millions and his captains killed hundreds. Half of Edolas Fairy Tail was killed by Knightwalker, not to mention all of the public executions held in the Royal City thanks to the Exceed Queen. People died under his rule, so why should he get the luxury of living? Especially after all of the mental abuse I suffered from him?" she asked.

"I get it, you were abused, but that doesn't make it right to kill people." Natsu said.

"Hey man, why don't you step off? What's done is done and there's no going back. I'm sure the people of Edolas are thanking us for ridding them of two vile excuses for human beings. So stay out of this matter, because it doesn't concern you." Aiden said firmly.

"Oh, so you think killing people is right? Do you think it's okay for me to kill someone just because what they are doing is wrong?" Natsu cried out. By now half of the guild was glancing at them, all of them curious about what was going on.

"Natsu, maybe you shouldn't do this here man. Think about this for a second."

"Shut the fuck up Gray, you stay out of this." Natsu said, glaring daggers at the Ice Wizard.

"Listen, I know you have morals and I know killing is wrong. But you wanna know why I did it? It's because I felt threatened. I'm half dragon remember? When a dragon's mate is threatened, he will do everything in his power to defend her life. Even if he has to take one. Seeing Wendy chained up to that pillar, having her magic drained in front of me, I was powerless to stop it. She was dying in front of me, how was I supposed to react?" Aiden said, his teeth grit in anger. His body heat was rising a bit, making Yamato start to sweat. She took a few steps away from him.

"Aiden, maybe you should calm down a bit. It's getting really hot in here." She said. Aiden took a deep breath, calming himself down. He turned around, exhaling slowly.

"I'm gonna go, before I do something I'll regret." he said, walking toward the doors.

"You're a coward Aiden. Fairy Tail members don't kill people." Natsu said, causing the teenager to stop.

"Natsu, that's enough. Apologize to Aiden right this second." Erza said firmly, standing up from her seat. She had enough of this conversation and wanted nothing more than for it to end. Aiden turned back around, the sides of his face burning a bright blue.

"Take that back Natsu, or I swear I'm not going to respond for my actions." he said.

"Oh, what are you gonna do? Hit me? I can eat your hellfire now, so we'll be even." Natsu taunted. Aiden stomped over to the older Dragon Slayer, hands bursting into flames. Gajeel suddenly stood up, grabbing the teen's hand.

"Easy there Blue Flare, we can't have you wrecking the kid before I get to em. Just walk it off." he said.

"How can I just walk it off? Are you telling me if someone hurt Levy you wouldn't do anything about it?" Aiden snapped, glaring at the iron dragon. The man looked in all directions, sweating a bit.

"What are you talking about man?"

"Oh don't lie to me Rivet face, you're in love with Levy just admit it. If she was chained up to a wall and had her magic forcibly removed from her body, bringing her closer to the brink of death, would you just stand there and watch? Or would you kill the fucker responsible?"

"That's obvious, I would kill the bastard. Someone who does that doesn't deserve to live!" Gajeel replied.

"I can see where he gets it from, you're both cowards. Fairy Tail doesn't kill people!" Natsu snapped angrily.

"That's enough! You know damn well that they aren't the only ones to have killed in the past. I've killed plenty of people myself, sometimes there's no other choice, and you have to respect that. Can't you see they are suffering the guilt? That is enough punishment for them!" Erza snapped angrily.

"You're the one that told me every life matters!" Natsu said, glancing at the redhead, who gave him a frown.

"I did...every life does matter, but only if they choose to atone for their sins. I am willing to forgive anyone who is willing to pay for their crimes, but if they are unwilling to comply, sometimes death is the only solution. Petty threats alone won't stop a hellbent killer from killing." she said.

"Besides, it's as Aiden said. Dragon hormones are different from human ones, if we feel threatened we will eliminate the threat. He's close to his maturity point, so his body must be outta whack. Don't you remember that Salamander?" Gajeel asked, arms crossed.

"That's right, and do you actually believe I wanted to kill that man? I really didn't want to kill anyone. I saw Yun Scifo die in front of me, a man who looked just like my friend was killed in front of me. Wendy was dying right next to me, it was all too much. I just couldn't take it, the voices, the voices kept filling my mind. The screaming, the agony, the fire...so much fire. All of the dragons abandoned us, and you didn't know your parents. You didn't wake up one night to find them dead in their room, you didn't watch your sister die in front of you. I couldn't be alone...I don't want to be alone!" Aiden cried, clutching his chest. He fell to his knees, his arms shaking wildly.

"Whoa, what's wrong with him?" Gajeel cried. Wendy burst through the crowd, kneeling next to him.

"He's having a panic attack, quick Carla bring me his medicine." she cried.

"Alright!" she cried, racing into the infirmary. Wendy wrapped her arms around Aiden, making sure to hug him tightly.

"It's alright sweetie, it's alright. I'm right here, no one is going to die, and you aren't alone." she said. He didn't replied, instead he just burst into tears, wrapping his arms around her.

"Nice job asshole, you gave him a panic attack." Gajeel snapped angrily, glaring at Natsu.

"I didn't mean too...I'm sorry." he said.

"It's alright, but you should be considerate of other people Natsu, he's been through a lot so this is a common occurrence. PTSD in young people is never good, so we have to make sure he's treated like family and he's never alone." Mira said, kneeling next to the young boy. Carla came back, holding a pill bottle in her hands. Wendy quickly pulled some pills out, and handed them to the boy, who shoved them in his mouth, swallowing them dry.

"I'll be fine...just don't let go." he said softly. She nodded, handing him a glass of water. Carla sighed, glaring at Natsu.

"I know this wasn't your fault, you couldn't have known something like this would happen. But I want you to know, if you give him another attack like this, I will beat the hell out of you. No one hurts my friend and gets away with it. So from now on, this conversation is over, no more Edolas talk from anyone!" she said firmly, glaring at everyone else. No one dared to disagree with her.

After awhile, Wendy decided it would be best for Aiden to go home, so she, Carla and Yuna decided to walk him home. Phoebe had stayed behind, most likely to explain everything to the rest of the guild. Carla had her arm wrapped around Aiden's waist, and she was talking softly to him, trying to keep him calm. Wendy frowned, glancing at her friend.

"I'm sorry...I know you wanted to write another song." she said.

"Don't be sorry. I didn't know Aiden had panic attacks like this." she replied.

"They don't happen often." he replied, finally feeling calm. His medicine had kicked in, calming him down significantly, but he still held onto Carla's arm for reassurance.

"Yes, the first time it happened was during out Fogbound Lake expedition, after fighting Red Hood. I remember it too well, and I honestly wish it didn't happen again." Wendy said.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bring up bad memories." Yuna said. Wendy shook her head, wrapping her arm around the girl.

"It's alright, I think it's good to get this out. The more people are aware of it, the more people will help when it does happen." she said.

"You two are friendly with each other, I'm glad!" Aiden said happily.

"Um...do you think you could go on ahead? I want to talk to Yuna about something real quick." Wendy said. Carla nodded.

"Okay, I'll get him home safely, so don't you worry." she said, leading the Hellfire Dragon along. Once out of earshot, Wendy turned to face her friend.

"Listen, I have a question for you. Do you...have feelings for Aiden?" she asked.

"Huh? Why would you ask me that?" Yuna asked, taken aback. She hadn't been expecting the question at all. Wendy rolled her eyes, crossing her arms.

"Do you or not? It's alright, I'm not mad." she said.

"I'm not sure what I feel. He set me free, got me out of that contract with Dennis, and finally made me feel loved. He gave me a family, something I had longed for. I'm not sure if what I feel is love." she said firmly.

"Maybe it is...I think you should explore those feelings with him." she said, taking a hold of Yuna's hand. The girl's eyes widened a bit, looking down at their joined hands.

"I don't know how to feel about this Wendy. Aren't you a little young to be deciding stuff like this?"

"I'm turning fourteen soon, so no I don't think so. Besides, in dragon years, I'm well over a hundred. Like I said, if you harbor feelings for him, then I can let you love him. Dragons are loving creatures, often times having more than a single mate during their life time. If they have a soul mate, they will never betray them, but often times they can have two or three of them. I may be young, but I'm already seeing him as my soul mate. It won't be long until we mark each other." she said.

"You can't be serious. I don't know much about dragon anatomy, but from the Encyclopedia Draconica that I read, it speaks about the mark and how important it is. Are you truly willing to mark Aiden as your own and bind yourselves for all eternity?" she asked.

"For Aiden, I would walk through the gates of hell if he asked me too. That's how much I love him, he changed me for the better. He changed all of us, he just doesn't realize how special he is yet. Hmm...maybe Carla will come around and admit her feelings for him." she said.

"Jeez, that's some hard on he has." Yuna muttered, making her friend laugh.

"Come on, let's go home." she said, pulling the girl along. Yuna smiled, matching her pace.

"I think I have a new song. But I'm not so sure about the lyrics yet." she said.

"Oh, what's it called?" Wendy asked curiously.

"So far, the only title I can give it is Shine...I'm not sure yet, I'll have to write it down on paper first."

"Well, I can't wait to read them. Maybe I can come up with the melody for it." Wendy said happily, making the white haired idol smile.

xxx

"Thanks for walking me home Carla. Sorry for everything." Aiden said, taking a seat on his bed. Carla shook her head, sitting beside him.

"There's nothing to be sorry for. If anything, it should be that idiot Natsu that should apologize." she snapped.

"No, it's alright. He didn't know about my panic attacks, only you, Wendy and Phoebe did, so it isn't his fault." he said.

"Still, he has some nerve. Especially speaking of those things that happened in Edolas. It just boils my insides!" she said. He placed his hand over hers, giving it a small squeeze.

"It's alright Carla, everything is behind us. So let's just forget it. Oh, I nearly forgot." he said, reaching underneath one of his pillows. He pulled out the rainbow colored giraffe he had gotten at Akane Resort, and handed it to her. She blushed brightly, looking the toy over.

"I got ya this at the park. Do you like it?"

"W-what's the occasion?"

"No occasion...you know...Wendy told me you like me...she's okay with an open relationship, and I don't mind being with you either." he said.

"Well I do. Wendy is my best friend, so even if I like you, I will hold back my feelings. Besides, I'm an Exceed, even if I look human, I'm not a real one. I should be with an exceed." she said firmly, standing up from her seat.

"Is that what you think? Carla, I don't care what you are...I think your happiness should come above anything else." Aiden said.

"Which is why I'm giving up these feelings. I'm going to remain a close friend, but I am not going to let myself love you. Besides, I've gotten used to Happy's scent now." she said, blushing a bit. Aiden sighed, giving her a smile.

"If that's your choice, then I respect it. I wish you luck...but I'm still giving you gifts, because your still a cutie!" he said, giving her a wink. She hissed under her breath, walking out of the room.

"You need to be alone. I'll make some lunch." she said, her footsteps echoing through the hallway. Aiden lay back on his bed, staring at the ceiling. He remembered the two gems in his pocket and took them out, staring at them both.

"Why are you so important? Why does she want me to use you?" he muttered to them, as if they would reply. He sighed, setting them on his bedside table. He didn't even know what to do with them. He kicked his boots off, not wanting to get his sheets dirty.

"Um, Aiden...do you think we could talk for a second?"

Aiden sat up, facing the nervous looking Idol who was standing near the door. She was fidgeting a bit, and looking really anxious. Feeling worried, he gave her a nod, gesturing to the spot next to him.

"Is something the matter?" he asked. She sat down next to him, folding her hands over her lap.

"Listen...this is going to sound a bit odd but...I don't think I can hold my feelings back anymore. For awhile, since we've known each other, I haven't stopped thinking about you. You're sweet, and kindhearted and go the extra mile for anyone in need. I just...fell in love with you." she said firmly.

"Oh Yuna...I'm so sorry. You know I'm with Wendy." he said.

"I know...she said she was okay with us being together." she said. He sighed, taking her hand in his own.

"She's such a kind person. Other women would be pissed at the thought, and here she is allowing people to be in our relationship. It's just...I don't think I could handle two relationships at the same time. I'm still having a hard time getting used to being in Fairy Tail, trying to better myself. This isn't about you alright? I'm glad that you got the courage to tell me this...but right now I'm not really looking for a relationship." he said. She nodded, biting her lip.

"It's alright. In my mind, I was ready for this outcome...I just wanted to let you know...but could I at least get a kiss?" she asked, giving him a puppy look. He frowned, already knowing who had taught her that. He gave her a nod.

"Fine, I'll give you one kiss." he said.

She gave him a grin, leaning forward. They pressed their lips together, loosing themselves in the kiss. Aiden tried not to make it as passionate as he normally did, but he couldn't help himself. In the back of his mind, he knew Yuna deserved better, one of the reasons he didn't accept her feelings. She pulled away from him, her cheeks a rosy red.

"Wow, Wendy is a lucky girl." she said, licking her lips.

"Yeah, she truly is. We'll still be friends alright Yuna? You can tell me anything you want, besides I'm sure there's someone out there who can fulfill you're wildest fantasies." he said, giving her a wink. She blushed a big, giving him a nod.

"Y-yeah...thank you Aiden, for everything." she said, stepping out of the room. It was quiet for a few minutes, before Wendy walked in, an annoyed look on her face.

"Seriously Aiden?" she asked.

"What?" he asked.

"I am so mad at you right now! There are tons of boys out there dreaming of being with tons of girls, and here you are spoiling it all!" she cried.

"Are you serious? Sweetie I only have eyes for you! I can't focus on another girl when I got my hands full. Besides, I love you with all my heart, I got eyes for you and you alone!" he said. She blushed brightly, and walked up to him. She pushed him back onto the bed, climbing on top of him.

"I'm happy that you love me so much! But I want you to be happy too, Dragons have more than one mate you know. I'm not jealous, unless you go skirt chasing behind my back." she said firmly.

"Maybe in the future, but I would never betray you like that love. I already see you as my soul mate, and I wouldn't want you to get sad. I can't see myself with any other woman but you." he said. She smiled, tearing up a bit as he said that.

"I love you Aiden."

"I love you too Wendy." he said happily, capturing her lips in a kiss.

xxx

Days had passed since the incident at the guild. It had been a bit awkward for everyone, but Aiden reassured that everything would be okay. He had explained to them what had happened, so now more people were aware of it, in case it happened again. He had told them that it wouldn't be likely, but he could never be too careful.

Wendy had been busy with Freed, having taken her Script exam. She had been practicing her Script magic a lot, as well as her other magic and had grown really strong. She had gained the attention of quite a lot of people in the guild, including other young boys. Aiden of course shut down any attempt at a date with her, much to their chargin. Wendy only blushed, her shyness taking over. She was currently taking her final exam with Freed. Aiden himself was at the bar, reading up on the Legendary Gems of Avalor, trying to pinpoint the location of the Red Ruby. Sadly, he had lost the note his sister had given him, thus he would have to search for it without her help.

Aiden had noticed something odd about the members of the guild, well...it wasn't odd perse. He had noticed the S-class mages had been gone for awhile. The last time he had seen Mira was the day after his panic attack. Yamato had also been strangely absent, and so had Gildarts. Erza had hung around for another day, before leaving, something that seemed to annoy Natsu quite a bit. He didn't know what exactly was going on, but Aiden had heard rumors of an exam. People had also gone apeshit taking requests day in and day out, something he wasn't able to do, thanks to his previous injuries. Thankfully, he had healed enough to take an in-town mission, so he was at least glad for that.

He flipped to another page in his book, frowning when he found no information on the gems. This had been the only book that had information about them, but he hadn't found anything yet and he was getting annoyed. He closed the book, rubbing his eyes.

"Are you alright Aiden?" Alana asked, leaning over the bar. He gave her a nod, a tired look on his face.

"I'm fine. I've been training with the girls daily for this whole week, and on my off time I've been researching these gems. I just wish Kurumi would tell me what I need these for." he said firmly.

"Hmm...are you sure she said something about using them?" she asked. He nodded, placing his hand on his head.

"This was way back, before we went to Fogbound Lake. She said I would need them to defeat him, but I don't know who _he_ is...unless she means Brandon."

"I thought you gave up that hunt?" Alana asked, setting one of the clean mugs aside.

"I did...I'm not going after my brother ever again. That run in with him, where I almost died, it opened my eyes. Revenge isn't going to bring my sister back, or my folks. So I'm not going after him...but that doesn't mean I won't kill him if I get the chance. He hurts my friends, and it's Sayonara for him in a micro second." he said, clenching his hand.

"I hope it doesn't come down to that. Trust me, you don't need that baggage." Alana replied, looking away from him. His brows furrowed, but he didn't press the issue. The doors suddenly flew open, and his girlfriend ran in, holding a sheet of paper in her hands. She slid to a stop in front of him, panting lightly.

"Aiden, Aiden! I did it!" she cried. He chuckled, leaning against the bar.

"What did you do exactly?"

"I passed my test!" she said, showing the paper. There was a bright red one hundred on the top. He smiled, ruffling her hair.

"Nice job babe, I knew you could do it!" he said encouragingly.

"She did outstandingly well. Her ability to grasp Scripture, no matter how complex is astounding. I have nothing left to teach her, where she takes this skill is up to her." Freed said, a smile on his face.

"It's all thanks to you Mister Freed, I wouldn't have gotten so good without your lesson plans. Now I can definitely use these enchantments to my advantage!" she said happily. Aiden smiled, watching her with a loving look on his face. Seeing his girlfriend smiling was enough to make him smile. He didn't even care that people were making fun of him.

Freed reached into his pocket, pulling out a light blue case. He handed it to the girl, who looked at it oddly.

"A small gift from me. You'll need it if you want to write quick enchantments." he said. She opened the case, eyes widening.

"It this a Luminescent Pen?"

"Indeed, I figured it could help you. After all, it is much easier to use a catalyst when creating enchantments. Light pens are rather versatile, use it well young Wendy...one day, you may even surpass me." he said.

"Hey Freed, hurry up. We're about to go on a mission!" Evergreen cried out, grabbing his attention.

"My apologies, I must be heading off. Good luck Wendy, it was a great experience to have you as my student."

"Thank you so much Mister Freed, I'll never thank you enough for this." she said, hugging the green haired man. He smiled, hugging the girl back. Aiden got a tap on his shoulder, and he looked back, getting a grin from Alana.

"It's Mister Steal Your Girl." she said, gesturing to Freed. He rolled his eyes, shaking his head.

"Sure he is."

"Oh good, it seems all of you are here."

Master Makarov walked into the guildhall, various sheets of paper in his hands. He, much like the S-class mages had been gone for most of the week.

"Hey Master, how was your trip?" Alana asked, earning a smile from the man.

"It was great, I would like to make some announcements, so please come with me to the stage." he said. She nodded, taking her apron off. Since Mira was gone, she had taken the role of active barmaid, so she also took over Mira's job. Aiden watched the two curiously.

"What's this about?" Aiden asked, earning a shrug from Wendy. Yuna, Carla and Phoebe joined them shortly after, similar looks on their faces.

"So, any idea what's going on?" Phoebe asked curiously.

"Your guess is as good as mine." Aiden replied.

"Alright brats listen up. It's the end of the year, so you all know what time it is." he said.

"Yeah, time for the S-class trials!"

"Woo hoo! I might get chosen this year, this is going to be awesome!"

"Master, Pick me! Please!"

"S-class trials?" Aiden muttered curiously.

"That's right, I forgot. Fairy Tail actually puts their mages through an exam in order to see if they are worthy of the S-class title. That means any of us are fair game!" Phoebe said, a grin on her face.

"As if, you aren't S-class material yet. I on the other hand am worthy of the title!" Carla added, crossing her arms.

"Don't be so haughty Carls, you'll be eating those words soon enough." the orange haired neko called back.

"Settle down, settle down. This year has been quite long, and a lot of events have happened. From the Fantasia parade, Oracion Seis, and more recently, the Edolas incident that most of us weren't even aware of. All of you have shown your skills and proved yourselves countless times. But, me and the S-class mages have put in our votes and chosen ten mages who are capable of this honor." Makarov said.

"All of you have shown a lot of promise, I'm so proud of you all!" Alana said, smiling brightly. Makarov handed her the sealed envelope, giving her the honor.

"Now, before she reads this I have to warn you. Please don't take it out on anyone else, and don't attack the ones chosen. All of you were evaluated and had a fair chance of getting chosen. All I can say is, keep your hopes up and don't worry, if you don't get chosen today, there's always next time. Alana, if you would."

"Right, the first person being chosen for this years S-class trials, is Gray Fullbuster."

"Ha, I knew it." the black haired ice mage said, a smirk on his face.

"What? How come Ice Princess gets chosen?" Natsu cried out, hands bursting into flames. Alana rolled her eyes.

"The next person chosen is, Natsu Dragneel."

"Wait...I got chosen? Haha, take that Ice Princess."

"We were both chosen idiot!" Gray called out, already butting heads. Alana decided to ignore him.

"The next three women also get the honor of joining those two idiots during the trials. Cana Alberona, Levy McGarden, Juvia Loxar, congratulations you three."

"I got chosen? That means me and my darling Gray might become S-class mages together." Juvia cried out, already picturing her and Gray together, much to his dismay.

"Man, that one should just admit his feelings for her. I caught him staring at her ass." Phoebe said, making Yuna giggle. Aiden glared at her, making them all shut up.

"The next three gentlemen have also proven themselves this past year. Congratulations to you three, Elfman Strauss, Freed Justine and Mest Gryder!" Alana cried.

"Yeah! I'm a Man!"

"It is truly an honor to be chosen."

Aiden glanced around, catching the look of another young man. He seemed to be around nineteen years of age. He was wearing a red shirt, with matching blue jeans and black boots. He had a long scar on the side of his face, with two slashes across it. He had a firm look on his face. He looked away from him, focusing on something else.

"Hey sweetie, have you ever seen that Mest guy before?" Aiden asked, whispering into Wendy's ear. She looked over at the man, shaking her head.

"No...this is my first time seeing him. He must take a lot of missions." she said. He nodded, seemingly accepting her answer.

"Heh, two spots left, I wonder who they'll go to?"

"Probably someone else, Bixlow is pretty strong."

"Maybe Evergreen will get chosen."

"Nope, I think Lisanna will. She must have grown stronger in Edolas."

"Alright settle down, the final two members of this group are two of our newest recruits and close friends of mine. I'm not surprised to see both of them on this list to be honest, I've seen them fight. They have what it takes to be S-class, and it's time for them to show us. Iona Ilgardia, Aiden Flame, congratulations, you two are the final members for the S-class exams!"

Aiden's eyes went wide with shock. Everyone was clapping and chanting his name. He felt Wendy give him a kiss at some point, but he was still just stunned at hearing his name.

"The ten chosen mages will be given a few days to prepare. We will be heading to Fairy Tail's holy land, Tenrou Island in a weeks time. So you'll need to be at Hargeon Port by Ten AM. Also, you'll be allowed to bring one person with you as a partner, they will help you for the duration of your exam. However, you cannot choose anyone who isn't a member of the guild, and you cannot choose an S-class mage." Makarov said.

"Once again, congratulations to all of those chosen! I can't wait to hear the results of your exams. So you better come back as S-class mages, that goes for you Aiden and Iona, don't disappoint me!" Alana snapped, pointing at the two. Aiden chuckled, giving her a nod.

"Wow, congratulations bro! You got chosen, that's like an amazing honor!" Phoebe said.

"Thanks, I wasn't really expecting it though." Aiden said.

"I'm just glad you were able to make it. You've done some amazing things in the past, so they must serve you with some sort of merit." Carla added. She froze, suddenly getting a blank look on her face. She stood there for a few seconds, blinking a few times.

"You okay?" Aiden asked, concern filling his voice. She nodded, giving him a smile.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just a passing thought, nothing more." she replied, he shrugged it off, not needing to be concerned. He had seen her spacing out a lot recently and wished to know why.

"So, who are you choosing as a partner?" Yuna asked, causing him to grow silent. The four girls looked at him expectantly. He chuckled dryly, looking at the request board.

"Um...well...I was going to pick Wendy to go with me. She's been training hard, so I want her to help me. I hope you understand Phoebe." He said.

"Nah, it's totally cool. I knew you were going to pick her, she has been growing strong lately." she said.

"Are you sure you want me there Aiden? Won't I hinder you during the exam?" The Sky Maiden asked, earning a chuckle from Aiden.

"Nope, I want you there with me. That way when I make S-class, you'll be the first to see. I'll climb to the top, you'll see." he said happily.

"I wouldn't so sure of that Aiden. I'm going to give it my all too, so I'll become an S-class mage before you." Iona said, giving him a smirk. He was surprised to see her act so competitive. He nodded, giving her a grin.

"May the best mage win!"

"Indeed, Phoebe I'd like for you to be my partner. Chelia is a bit too young for me to take and I don't want her to get hurt. Would you mind?"

"Not really, it's been awhile since we've chatted anyway. Tell me everything you've done, have you found any cute boys to stalk?" she asked, pulling the girl away. Carla sighed, shaking her head.

"It's going to be weird not seeing any of you here. But there's nothing I can do about it. Train hard and make sure to come back an S-class mage, or I won't forgive you!" Carla said, earning a chuckle from Aiden. He nodded, giving her a hug.

"Thanks Carls, I know you'll be cheering me on from here. I'll give it my all." he said.

Aiden didn't know it yet, but this exam wasn't just going to test his abilities. It would test everything, from his physical abilities, to his own emotions, and he could only hope they could survive the test of time.

xxx _Meanwhile in Era_ xxx

The Reformed Magic Council had gathered for the first time in their new headquarters. It was a rather spacious area, in an imposing building situated far south of the capital city. The members looked at each other, frowns on their faces.

"So, it seems the reports are coming in. We haven't been gone long, but it seems the transgressions of a single guild are still apparent." one man said firmly.

"Indeed, it seems Fairy Tail hasn't changed at all. The damages had been calculated and have exceeded previous years. We must do something about this!"

"Yes, but we must remember what they have done for us. Remember, they were responsible for taking down Oracion Seis." Org, one of the high ranking members said, earning mutters from the crowd.

"Actually, it seems a coalition of legal guilds came together to get rid of Oracion Seis. Fairy Tail alone wasn't involved in it, it also wasn't a legal operation, so everything else cannot be disregarded." Grand Doma, the new leader of the council said firmly. Org looked away from him, a frown on his face.

"Is there something wrong Org? Speak!"

"Well...I don't think we should blame them at all. Sure they are rowdy, and their track record is far from clean...but they've taken out more dark guilds in the last few months than any other guild." He said.

"At the loss of various others. I hear Cait Shelter was absorbed by them, more rowdy mages for the most destructive guild of them all." The man said.

"We also received reports about Jellal Fernandez, when he was found, various members indicated that he was one of them, and even fought against the Rune Knights. Anyone who would view that monster as a friend should be eliminated immediately." Grand Doma said firmly.

"Besides, taking down Oracion Seis must have attracted the attention of the other guilds in the Baram Alliance, who knows if they will retaliate against the light guilds?" a woman said.

"Which, is why it has been decided. Fairy Tail cannot continue to function as a legal guild any longer. If they cause another uproar, or cause more damages, then that guild will be disbanded! Call Lahar and Doranbolt, they shall receive a special mission." Grand Doma said, slamming his spear onto the ground, the sound echoing throughout the room.

"Sir, perhaps you should reconsider." Org said, earning a glare from the man.

"Reconsider what? I have already decided...one of our own will infiltrate the guild, and keep an eye on everything. If they even breathe in the wrong direction, we will destroy that guild. No more Fairy Tail, and no more catastrophes either!" he cried angrily. All of the members nodded, not wanting to anger the man. It seems like Fairy Tail's endless luck had finally run out.


	47. Tenrou Arc: Tenrou Island Trial

**A/N: Oh boy, I don't know what kind of greeting I'm coming up with, but I guess this will suffice. You'll all need a cold shower after this one.  
**

 **It's time once again for a new chapter. Last Chapter, you got to see who got chosen for the S-class Trials, and in this chapter, the trials will get underway. A lot of interesting stuff happens in this chapter, stuff that you might find interesting. Once again, everything regarding the Legendary Gems of Avalor is going to be reworked into the plot, so for now don't pay much attention to them. They will play a big role in the Tenrou Arc, but mostly near the end. It's going to be rather unique. For reference, they look like Chaos Emeralds from the Sonic Series, and they're cut in the same way too. So I hope that helps when picturing them.**

 **Man, I can't believe we're already at 46 Chapters...it's crazy..and there's going to be a lot more to come. As you know, I'm aiming for a million words, and I'm not sure how many chapters that's going to be, probably over a hundred, which is going to be my longest story to date. I can't shake the Fairy Tail out of me, so I'll keep working on it for as long as I can, but I'll take breaks in between to work more on the plot. I promise a lot of good stuff will happen after the time skip. I might also make a special arc, or somehow work Phoenix Priestess into it, I don't really like that movie, but I might include it.**

 **So, for now do enjoy this chapter, and let me know what you all think. Things are starting to fall into place, as the big players in the Tenrou Arc are being revealed.**

 **Song of the Day: Beautiful Loser by William Control.**

 **I like this song a lot, i don't remember who it was that introduced me to his music, but I really do enjoy the techno-like beat it has. I always sing the middle part at random times, not sure why.**

 **Also, there's an added song as a bonus. I-69. I don't know who the artist is, but I heard it on GTA online and haven't stopped singing it. Tell me who the hell sings it, cuz I'm too lazy to look it up. Byah!**

 **Nothing will fuck you up more than realizing that there's no need for the Alphabet to be in Alphabetical order.**

Tenrou Arc

Chapter 46

Tenrou Island Exam

He didn't know the last time he had been this at peace. It must have been years, centuries even. He stared at the pale moon above him, an unchanging satellite that had always been there, for as long as he could remember. During his travels, he had seen countless things, from animals to people. But the thing he hated seeing the most was suffering. He had seen people dying, from war, famine and disease, it was something disheartening, especially when you were immortal.

Oh how he longed for death, but just wouldn't come. No matter what he tried, he just didn't feel the sweet bliss of eternal darkness. He sighed, forcing himself onto a sitting position. He knelt in front of the river he was at, and scooped some water into his mouth, pausing only to stare at his reflection.

Long black locks fell around his face, that of a teenage boy, with vibrant red eyes. Fair skin, free of blemishes and scars. He was wearing some black robes, with a white sash over his shoulder. He shook his head, taking another drink of water. He heard a growling behind him and looked up, seeing several wolves behind him. He swallowed hard, seeing he was surrounded. He licked his lips, eyeing the creatures.

"Please...stay away. You'll get hurt if you don't!" he said softly. The wolves growled louder, pouncing at him. He closed his eyes, just as his magic activated. A black wave washed over the creatures, and they all fell to their deaths. He looked at all of the unmoving bodies, a frown on his face.

"I warned you...I didn't want you all to die." he said, a tear running down his cheek. All around him, the plant life started wilting, dying all around him. He stood up, drying his hand with his robe.

"400 years, I've seen nothing but countless people die, all of them suffering. Nothing will change for me it seems...I only wish to see you one more time, Natsu."

xxx

It was late when Aiden left the guild. Everyone had been celebrating for the S-class exams, and even after a couple days, people wouldn't stop partying. Some had gone out to train for the week they had, while others were taking care of business with their teammates before they left. He himself had been rather silent throughout it all. Iona had been training with Phoebe, so the two of them were out of the house. As it turned out, Mest had asked Yuna to be his partner, so she had also been training hard, as she didn't want to disappoint her partner. He hadn't been training at all, in fact he had just felt odd. Everything to him was white noise. He still didn't know why he had been chosen.

The S-class exams were supposed to be for mages that proved themselves. He hadn't been in Fairy Tail that long, weeks at most. He hadn't even been taking missions since he had returned from Edolas, so why was he even on that list? On top of that he had killed someone, he wasn't worthy of being a candidate. He sighed, a small cloud of steam leaving his mouth. It had grown very cold in Magnolia over the last few days, so much so that it was snowing. It had been years since he had seen snow, and he wasn't even aware that it snowed in this city. He stopped by the river, staring at the water, a frown on his face.

"Why did you even choose me?" he muttered, glancing at the water.

He had been wondering that for the last three days. He had wanted to talk to Makarov, but he had been busy discussing things with Alana, who had been put in charge of the guild in his absence. Since all of the S-class mages would be gone, someone who had the qualifications of an S-class had to take over, and her background as a Knight in training had been up for consideration.

"Why do you doubt yourself?" a voice asked.

His breath hitched a bit when he heard it. He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. When he opened his eyes, he looked into the water, seeing another person standing next to him. He glanced next to him, seeing her familiar gaze. Red and Green, an eye color he wasn't used to.

"Hello Kurumi...or should I call you something else?" he asked.

"I never considered renaming myself. For now Kurumi shall suffice, but you didn't answer my question." she said. He frowned, placing his hands in his pockets.

"I don't doubt myself. I just don't think I'm ready to be an S-class mage...at least not here in Fairy Tail. I haven't proved myself." he said.

"As far as I can tell, you are more than worthy to hold that title. You're actions in the other world were taken into consideration, and thanks to those action, one of the previously deceased members was brought back. I believe that's the reason you were placed on that list." She said.

"But I killed someone, how does that make me an able person?" he asked, looking directly at the woman. She shrugged, kneeling down. She grabbed a pebble from the ground, looking it over.

"Do you see this pebble?" she asked curiously, holding it out to him.

"Um...I do...what's this about Kurumi?" he asked.

"Just listen, this pebble on its own just that, a small little pebble. But, if you take that pebble and add another one, then you got two pebbles. Place more of them together and eventually you'll have a brick. Put those bricks together and you'll have a house. What I'm getting at is, you aren't alone. There are others who have killed, and have moved on from it, their family is there for them, just like all of those pebbles were when they were turned into a brick." she said, tossing the pebble into the water. It skipped a few times over the water, before sinking into the river.

"I guess I understand what you are getting at. I'm not on my own...Erza killed a lot of people escaping the Tower of Heaven, so I'm sure she thinks of them daily. I was justified, I wanted to save my mate." he said.

"Is the Sky Dragon truly your mate though? Would you die for her?" Kurumi asked, earning his attention.

"Of course I would, you know I would Kurumi." he said. She smiled brightly. She shivered a bit, the cold wind blew her hood off, revealing her face. She reached up for it, but decided against it.

"Aiden Flame...I didn't come here just to pay a visit. I came here for something else, there's no time." she said.

"What do you mean?"

"The Gem, did you locate it's whereabouts?" she asked, glancing back to the water. He sighed, shaking his head.

"Thanks to the whole Edolas thing, I wasn't able to research at all. I was going to see the next location, but I ended up loosing the paper you handed me. I'm sorry...but I got a question, what do I need these gems for?" he asked.

"I cannot disclose that information...but there is a reason you need them. He's going to be on the island, and you'll need their power, I fear you won't survive if you don't use those gems." she said.

"He? Who is He? You don't mean Brandon do you?" Aiden asked. She remained silent, turning away from him. She snapped her fingers, a white magic seal opening in front of her, she reached into it, pulling out a glowing golden gem. His eyes widened as she placed it in his hand.

"One of the Five Sacred Gems of Avalor. The Golden Beryl, together with the Aqua Crystal and the Verdant Emerald, your power will grow. Keep them close, I will give you the Red Ruby and the Pink Diamond as soon as I can." she said, disappearing from sight. He looked down at the gem in his hand, it's golden glow illuminating the darkened street.

"What the hell do I need this for? Who is he? Kurumi?" he cried out, hoping for a reply, sadly she didn't give him one. He sighed, shoving the gem in his pocket. He had more questions than answers now.

He sighed, and decided it was time to go home. He was sure Wendy was worried about him, as he hadn't spoken to her much. She had grown worried of course, but he said it was all due to the exam. As he walked by one of the many Alleyways in Magnolia, he heard a loud thud, as well as the sound of glass breaking. He quickened his pace, taking a look into the alleyway, he noticed it was in fact a person, a person he knew quite well.

"Cana!" he cried out. The woman glanced up, giving him a sheepish grin.

"Hey, what's up Aiden?" she asked, her speech slurring a bit. He sighed, kneeling next to her.

"Jeez, don't you know how dangerous it is to fall asleep in the cold?" he asked. She didn't reply, more focused on reaching for her bottle. He picked the woman up, wrapping her arm around his shoulder. He grabbed her purse from the ground, feeling the weight of several bottles within.

"I'm walking you home, where do you live again?" he asked.

"Oh uh...over here, pink house...second floor." she replied. He nodded, walking down another street. He looked around, noticing a pink house not far from where they were. He stood in front of the building, noticing the woman had fallen asleep on him. He sighed, digging his hand in her purse, trying to find her key.

"What the hell, where the hell is her key?" he muttered. He took a deep breath, catching a familiar scent in the air. It didn't smell at all like Cana, it smelled more like Lucy. He shook his head, at this rate, he was just glad there was someone he knew nearby. He reached for the door, finding it was open. Making his way upstairs, he stopped in front of the door and gave three solid knocks, rousing Cana from sleep.

"Oh...we're here?" she asked.

"We're at Lucy's, why didn't you tell me you lived here?" he asked.

"I don't." she replied. The door opened a second later, revealing the blonde Stellar mage, in nothing more than a towel. She looked at the young man, and at the brown haired woman, a sigh escaping her lips.

"She was sleeping in the alley wasn't she?" Lucy asked.

"No actually, I got to her before she passed out."

"Come in." she said, allowing him entree. He stepped into the living room, setting the woman down on the couch. She giggled in her sleep, settling into the arm rest.

"So, is this a normal occurrence for you?" Aiden asked, glancing at the blonde, who had closed her door.

"Something like that. I'm surprised you haven't broken into my house yet." she said.

"I'm not Natsu. If I'm going to come over, I'll knock on your door like a normal human being." he said, crossing his arms.

"If only my other friends could understand that. Thanks for bringing her over, I don't want her to get hurt, or worse." she said, checking on the brunette.

"No problem." he said. Lucy frowned once she checked her friend over.

"She's been really sad lately...she actually started staying with me ever since she was picked for the exam."

"Yeah, I noticed she wasn't acting the same. Why is that?" he asked.

"I don't think I have the right to tell you, it's really personal stuff." she said.

"I don't mind, go ahead if you want." the brown haired woman mumbled, reaching for her purse. She pulled out a half drank bottle of Cognac and took a swig from it, falling asleep shortly after. Thankfully, Aiden caught the bottle before it broke.

"Give me a second to get dressed, you can grab something from the fridge if you want." Lucy said, stepping into her bedroom.

He set the alcohol bottle down on the coffee table, moving onto the kitchen. He decided on grabbing some water, not wanting to take anything else from the blonde's kitchen. He caught Natsu and Happy's scent all over the place, meaning the rumors he heard were true. He sat down on the chair next to Cana, keeping an eye on the young woman as she slept.

Seeing her like this now really made him worry. He remembered all of the flirting she had put him through, especially when she found out he had done Wendy's nails. It had been hell, but she just didn't stop teasing him, but now seeing her like this...it really made him wonder what was wrong with her.

"Um well, I guess you want answers right?" Lucy asked, catching his attention. She had sat across from him, a glass of juice in her hands. He hadn't even noticed when she had sat down. He just gave her a silent nod.

"Well, as it turns out, this is her fifth time being chosen for the S-class trials. She failed four times already."

"Seriously? But she's such a strong mage, why would she fail so much?" he asked curiously.

"I guess she just didn't feel like she could become an S-class mage. She's been trying hard but with each failure, she's come closer to quitting. She said that if she fails this time, she's leaving Fairy Tail for good."

"What?" he exclaimed. His eyes were wide with surprise...if anyone was Fairy Tail material, it was definitely Cana. She had been in the guild literally since she was able to walk. Hearing her wanting to quit really worried him.

"She wants to become an S-class mage so she can tell her father about herself. He's a really powerful mage, and she thinks that if she's an S-class mage, that she'll be strong enough to face him." Lucy said, taking a sip from her juice. He leaned back in his seat, loosing himself in thought.

"Strong enough to tell her father huh? Dummy, doesn't she know he would accept her as she is? Wait...did she tell you who her father is?" he asked curiously.

"No, she never told me who it was, just that she wanted to tell him. That's why I vowed to help her with this exam. I can't let her down." she said.

"Only one person can win the title Lucy, you know that right?" Aiden asked, though it sounded a bit firm.

"I know, that's why I'm prepared to give you and everyone else the battle of your lives." she said. He chuckled, shaking his head.

"I'm not sure there will be a battle. I'm thinking about dropping out of the exam entirely." he said. Her eyes widened.

"What? But you totally deserve to be in this exam, you've done so much for our guild already! You helped us during Phantom, healing the injured, during Oracion Seis, you and Wendy were key members in taking the guild down. Don't even get me started on Edolas." she said.

"I know...I know I did a lot of good things, but there's still a lot of stuff that I did wrong. Times were I could have done different things, Natsu opened my eyes Lucy, I shouldn't have killed that guy. It's been on my mind since that day." he said. She sighed, looking at the ground.

"I understand...you think you're guilty for what you did. But in my opinion, it was a justified killing. It was either his life or Wendy's. When it comes down to that, never hold back. If it came down to it, I would have done the same." Lucy said firmly.

"It's just...I'm trying not to think about it. But it just all blends together...I've seen so many people die in my life, I just never thought I would be responsible for taking a life you know...I'll think about it, but I'm most likely be dropping out of this thing. Don't tell Wendy, she would probably kick my ass." he said, standing up from his seat.

"Please think about it, it wouldn't be fun without you there. You've improved quite a lot, and I want to show you the results of our training." she said, giving him a wink.

"I'll think about it. Goodnight Lucy, make sure Cana sobers up in the morning, I would hate for her to have a hangover." he said, making his way out of her apartment.

The streets were just as cold as he remembered, but he felt a little warmer. Perhaps he would listen to his friend. Three days had passed since the announcement, and he wasn't going to waste a single second. He had to train hard, because if anyone was going to pass that test, it was definitely him. Then again, he might let Cana win, after all she deserved it for everything she had been through in her life.

xxx

Hey Aiden, do you wanna have a quick spar?" Wendy asked, catching the boy's attention. He had been rather silent all day, staring at the ocean from the back courtyard. Yuna and Mest had gone out training, and he was a bit worried, since he knew nothing about the man. Phoebe and Iona were also gone, leaving them alone with Carla and Chelia, who had been training her own magic techniques. He was surprised to see how far the little girl had come since they had met. Her training with Yamato had definitely started to show. He frowned, looking up at the sky.

"Are you sure?" he asked.

"You need all the training you can get. We only have two days before we're due at Hargeon. We've trained hard, but we haven't focused on anything other than raising our magic power." she said.

"Um, I suppose I can go for a quick fight." he said, standing up. He brushed his shorts, getting the dirt off them.

"Is something wrong big brother? You seem a bit out of it." Chelia asked, catching his attention.

"The kid is right, you haven't been acting the same ever since the exam was announced. What's wrong?" Carla asked. He sighed, glancing away from them.

"I don't feel worthy of being an S-class mage." he replied.

"Huh, why not?" Wendy asked.

"Because...I just...don't feel like I can live up to it."

"Are you serious? Aiden, don't you remember what Master Roubaul said when he made you an S-class mage? He said you were strong, and that you were a responsible young man. Your power alone is enough to put you up there, you are as strong as Erza and you might be even stronger. Why are you doubting yourself?" Wendy asked.

"I'm not...It's just...why should a killer be rewarded for his actions?" he asked, crossing his arms.

"A killer...wait...is this about that Byro guy?" Carla asked.

"Sweetheart, you did what you had to do. It was a heat of the moment thing, but if you hadn't done that, I wouldn't be here. Would you much rather I be dead?" Wendy asked firmly, an angry look on her face.

"Hell no, I would die without you." he exclaimed. She put her hands on his shoulders, looking right into his eyes.

"Then why are you acting like this? Yeah, you killed a person, I get it...but think of all the people you saved! You saved me, you saved the guild...and you saved many more people in Edolas from a fate that the King was driving them too."

"I agree with Wendy, you did what you had to do. Besides you aren't the only one at fault. Yamato also committed the same crime you did, and she's atoning for it. I hear she's dropped her moniker of being the Viper Princess for a more modest one. If she can learn from her mistakes, then I believe you should be capable too. This trial might be what you need." Carla replied.

"Yeah, big brother only did what he had too. That old man was a meanie who wanted to kill big sis! He doesn't deserve to live!" Chelia cried, punching the air in front of her. Carla placed a hand on her head, shaking her head.

"Don't say stuff like that Chelia. You aren't old enough to know of the implications your words have." she said. Chelia frowned, giving her a nod.

"Well, if you guys really think I was justified...I guess I got no choice but to give it my all. So yes, I'll spar with you Wendy...I have to see how much stronger my cute sky dragon has gotten." he said, making the girl blush.

"I think it would be in your best interests to fight against other people. You will be working together on Tenrou Island, and it would be better for you to practice your skills as a team." Carla suggested.

"She is right, who knows what we will be facing out there. For all we know we might be pit against the other teams in a tournament style match until we face an S-class mage." Aiden said.

"Hmm...but who will we face? No one would be willing to fight against two dragon slayers." Wendy said. Carla and Chelia shared a look, smiles on their faces.

"We can fight you, I've grown really strong too!" Chelia said, flexing her arm.

"And I've grown rather strong myself. You could attest to that right Aiden?" the white haired neko said.

"Well, if they are willing, then I'm sure it would be okay." Wendy replied.

Carla and Chelia walked a few paces back, with the taller girl ditching her blazer and tie. Chelia gathered her hair up, tying it into a ponytail at the back of her head, her hair had grown quite a lot, so even tied up, it reached down a good length. Aiden looked at Wendy, who had a calm look on her face.

"Are you ready for this?" he asked.

"I'm always ready. Let's not hold back on anything alright?" she asked. He nodded, holding his fist out.

"Take what you can!"

"Give nothing back!" she replied, bumping his fist.

"Don't hold back you guys, give us everything you've got!" Carla cried out. The two dragon slayers nodded, their magic power flaring from within. It was enough to ruffle their clothing, both of them were glowing brightly. Fire swirled around Aiden's body, the sapphire blue light enveloping his system. Similarly, Wendy's form was enveloped with wind, which swirled from around her body.

"Hellfire Drive." Aiden chanted.

"Sky Drive."

"Whoa...what's this?" Carla asked, glancing at her two friends.

"It looks like an enhancement spell. This is gonna be fun." Chelia said, a grin on her face. Her hands were swirling with black wind.

Aiden was the one that moved first, using his speed boost to his advantage. He jumped into the air, pulling his arms back. Flames burst from his hands, glittering a bright sapphire blue. Carla and Chelia braced themselves, no knowing what he would throw at them.

"Fire Make: Explosive Shuriken!" he cried. A large blue shuriken formed in his hand, which he threw down at the two girls. It exploded on contact with the ground, sending fire in all directions. He landed on the ground, getting into a stance. Chelia burst through the smoke, a smile on her face.

"Fast winds that weave around us, guide us into the sky and aid our transgressions. Sky God's Dance!" she chanted, sweeping her arms at the lad. He jumped back, only for him to be shot into the air by a blast of wind. He grit his teeth, spinning around as fast as he could. Chelia kicked herself off the ground, pulling her fist back.

"Sky God's Molecular Strike!" she chanted.

"Sky Dragon's Roar!" Wendy chanted, unleashing her breath attack at the girl. Chelia howled in surprise, being shot several hundred feet away from Aiden. The young man smirked, spinning his body around, willing the wind to twist around his body.

"Now, flames of sapphire heed my call. Lend me your power, Fire Make: Hellfire Dragon's Flame Wheel!" he chanted. Flames burst from his wrists and ankles, making him spin much faster than normal. He directed himself at the Sky God Slayer, who could only stare wide eyed at the attack.

"Don't forget about me, Left Wing: Moon Flash!" Carla cried, swiping her arm at Aiden. The light sword she had created cut right through the flames, slamming into the dragon slayer. He slammed into the ground, quickly climbing onto his feet. He started at his opponents, panting a bit.

"They've gotten strong." Wendy noted, glancing at Aiden.

"Yeah, I'm impressed." he replied.

"I think it's time to kick it up a notch." Wendy said, the wind around her body stilled a bit. The entire area seemed to die down, startling Chelia and Carla quite a bit. The Sky God Slayer stuck her tongue out of her mouth, eyes widening.

"No way, she's controlling the currents, I'm not even strong enough to do that." she said. Carla could only watch as her friend closed her eyes, increasing her focus. She rose her hands above her head, doing some rapid hand signs, ones she didn't even recognize.

"Wind Release: Oxygen Deprivation!" she chanted. Carla and Chelia suddenly fell to their knees, eyes widening. It had become harder to breath for some reason, making them lose focus. Chelia quickly stood up, clutching her head.

"No fair sis...you can't...get rid of the oxygen." she croaked. She looked at Aiden, who had a swirling orb of wind around his head, a smirk on his face.

"I didn't learn Wind magic just so I could feed Wendy you know. I learned it so I didn't get affected by this attack. Face it, you two are screwed, that is unless you can stop her...but I'm not letting that happen." he said, arms bursting into flames. They burned with such intensity that they could see the heat itself. Carla sighed, shaking her head.

"I give...you did well." she said. Wendy snapped her fingers, returning the air around them back to normal.

"Alright, we are totally ready for that exam!" she said cheerfully. Aiden powered down a bit, letting his flames die down.

"Yeah, looks like our training did wonders for us. I'm not even winded, and my magic didn't even get affected." he said.

"Jeez, just how much magic power do you two possess?" Carla asked curiously.

"Me and Aiden meditate for three hours daily, focusing on increasing our magic power. We've been doing that every day practically since we joined Fairy Tail. Our magic power has grown significantly, but it wasn't anywhere near our current level. We've been training extra hard, especially after Edolas." she said.

"Boo, you guys are so mean...one day, I'll be stronger than you two combined!" Chelia cried. Aiden chuckled, ruffling her hair.

"I can't wait, the next time we see each other...let's fight again. We'll fight super hard, I went a little easy because your little, but take the time I'll be gone to train hard." he said.

"Okay big brother. Promise me we'll fight when you come back an S-class mage." she said, holding her pinkie out. He laughed, wrapping his own pinkie around hers.

"I promise. We better rest up, we have to start packing our stuff." he said, glancing at his girlfriend, who gave him a nod.

"Wanna take a shower?" she asked, giving him a wink.

"Uh..."

"Absolutely not! You may be turning Fourteen soon, but that isn't a free pass to do perverted stuff together missy!" Carla said firmly.

"Man, don't be such a cock blocker big sis Carla. How will I be an auntie if they don't get busy?" Chelia cried.

"Remind me to wring Sherry's neck the next time I see her." Aiden said, earning a nod from his blushing girlfriend.

xxx

The day had finally come. The ten Fairy Tail mages chosen for the exam, along with their partners had made it to Hargeon. Everyone was standing around the port, amiably talking to one another. Aiden had greeted the other trial goers, exchanging words of good luck with each other. He had however hung back, staring out into the ocean. He didn't know what he would find on Tenrou Island. His nerves were going through the roof, so much so that he was shaking a bit.

"Hey Aiden, glad to see you didn't quit after all." Lucy said, giving him a smile. He looked up at her, giving her a nod.

"Y-yeah...I thought about it, and figured..it would be a waste you know?" he said. She looked at him, head tilted.

"Are...are you nervous?" she asked.

"Me, nervous? Pssh, no. Why would I be nervous?" he asked.

"Well, for one your shaking, so much so that I can hear your keys." she said, gesturing to the two gate keys on his belt. He sighed, his voice sounding a bit shaky.

"Alright, I'm nervous. I don't feel like I deserve to be here, but I gave it my all, me and Wendy trained and we're not letting it go to waste." he said firmly.

"That's the spirit. But remember, I'm going to help Cana make it to the top, so you best not hold back. I surely wont!" she said. He grinned, his nerves washing away.

"I'm not holding back Lucy, trust me. I'll face you and Cana with every ounce of my power, and then some." he said.

"Hey Lucy, glad to see you here." Wendy greeted.

"Hey you, what a cute dress. Did you make it yourself?" the blonde asked, taking notice of Wendy's dress.

It was a different style than she normally wore, instead of the vibrant green, she was wearing a dark sapphire blue, with thick scale patterns. It was backless, and had a golden halter. She was also wearing her favorite pair of sandals, her red lightning scar visible to everyone. The girl smiled, giving her a nod.

"Yup, I've been waiting to wear this one. This is a special occasion after all." she said.

"I can tell...you've gotten really tall recently, you're almost as tall as Aiden now, and check out those boobs!" she said, making the girl blush.

"Lucy, they haven't grown that much." she said.

"What are you talking about? Those are at least a C cup...you're half way to looking like your Edolas counterpart." Lucy said. Wendy frowned, looking at the ground.

"I hope not...Aiden doesn't like big boobs, he says smaller ones are better." she said.

"Really? Isn't that a first, I thought all guys liked big boobs."

"Uh ladies, not to interrupt this riveting conversation, but our ride is here." Gray said, snapping them out of their chat. Thankfully, Aiden had been talking to Phoebe so he hadn't heard anything the two girls had said.

The mages all slowly started boarding the large sail ship. Aiden took a deep breath, popping two pills in his mouth. The last thing he needed was to throw up on his way to Tenrou Island. He felt Wendy take his hand, the girl leading him onto the boat. He felt a bit sick, but it wouldn't be long until the pills kicked in.

"Isn't this exciting? I've never been on a ship this big before. Even the one we came back here on from Galuna wasn't this big." She said.

"Well, that just shows how strong Fairy Tail is, as well as how rich. Man...is it just me, or did it get really hot here?" he asked, wiping some sweat from his brow.

"Even though it's snowing in Magnolia, the southern parts of Fiore are really hot at this time of year. Tenrou Island is in the southern sea, so it's going to be really hot there." Levy said, as she and Gajeel brushed past them.

"Great, musky sea air. Just what I love." Aiden muttered dryly. He found a good spot near the mast, choosing to sit down in it's shadow. Once everyone was on board, the master climbed up on the railing, glancing at the other Fairy Tail mages who had come along.

"Everyone, we don't know how long it will be, but do hold the fort while we're gone. When we next return, you'll be welcoming home a new S-class mage!" he chanted.

"Good luck guys! I know you can do it!"

"We love you Levy, kick some serious butt!" Jet and Droy chanted, making the girl in question blush.

"Make us proud Aiden and Iona, one of you better come back with that title!" Alana cried, waving at her friends. Makarov took the helm, sailing the ship away from the port, while everyone waved at their friends.

"Hey master, how long will it take us to reach Tenrou Island?" Aiden called up, looking at the spot where the elderly man stood.

"It'll be about two days my boy. Think you can handle it?" he asked, already aware of his motion sickness.

"I can handle it, as long as I got my pills." he said, rattling the bottle. He looked over to Natsu, who was clutching his stomach in pain. He sighed, feeling bad for the teen. He stood up, popping two pills from the bottle. He dropped them in the teenagers mouth, who stood up seconds later.

"Alright, I feel like a million bucks! Thanks Aiden, I owe ya!"

"No problem Natsu. But remember, we're rivals now, so this is the only time I'll help ya. Once we reach Tenrou Island, it's every mage team for themselves."

"I wouldn't want it any other way buddy. Oh right...I wanted to apologize for last time. I know I already did but...I still feel bad." he said, giving him a sheepish smile.

"No worries, all water under the bridge. Just promise me in the future, that you'll think before you do something. And I promise, never to kill anyone unless it is absolutely necessary, or the lives of my friends are on the line." he said.

"Done...I was thinking about it a lot...and I sounded really shallow. I've never had to be in that position, but I'm sure if I had a mate being killed in front of me, I would have done the same thing. I need to apologize to Yamato too." he said.

"Don't worry, she's on Tenrou Island right now. Maybe when she kicks your ass, you can apologize to her." he said, giving him a grin.

"Oh yeah, as if I'll let her kick my ass. If she wants to beat me, she'll have to work for it." he said. Aiden chuckled, holding his fist out.

"Take what you can!"

"Give nothing back!" Natsu said, bumping fists with the teen. They both broke into laughter, glad to have rekindled their friendship. Wendy suddenly screamed, making the boys jolt a bit. Aiden was instantly at her side, checking her over.

"What's wrong? Did something happen?" he asked.

"Gray is...he's...so big." she said, pointing to the young man, who had taken his clothes off. Aiden grit his teeth.

"Oi Elsa, mind putting your fucking clothes back on? I don't want my girlfriend staring at your fat stack!" he said.

"What was that kid? You wanna go?" Gray snapped, turning to face the young fire dragon.

"Dude seriously, put your fucking clothes back on." Natsu cried. The ice mage looked at himself, muttering swears under his breath as he started picking up his clothes. Aiden turned to face Wendy, who was blushing brightly.

"Don't worry, he's not going to walk around naked anymore, not on my watch." he said.

"A-Aiden...is yours bigger than his?" she asked.

"Huh?" he asked, taken aback. Natsu smirked, placing his arm around Aiden's shoulder.

"Hell yeah, us fire dragons have the biggest stacks in the world. You'll see when your older!" he said.

"What the hell are you talking about Salamander? Everyone knows Iron Dragons have bigger poles than Fire ones." Gajeel said, grabbing their attention.

"Yo Aiden, is my ear alright? Because I think I just heard that guy talking shit about our Fat stacks." Natsu said, glaring at the iron dragon.

"No no, you heard him right. You can insult us man, everyone knows Fire Dragons are the kings of Fat Flaming Stacks. I can piss napalm, the only thing you can do is piss iron shavings and that would only turn that spigot into a bloody mess." he said. Natsu broke into laughter, falling to the ground pointing at Gajeel. Even Gray and Elfman broke into chuckles. The Iron Dragon grit his teeth, clenching them so hard he almost broke one.

"Take that back kid, before I knock your teeth out." he said firmly.

"Oh I'm sorry, is the widdle dwagon insulted? I thought you were a proud man, it's alright if you have a tiny spigot. It's how you use it that counts." he said.

"Oh my god, are you guys really talking about dick right now?" Evergreen snapped angrily, her face flushed red.

"You don't seem too bothered by the conversation Evergreen, is that because Laxus has a fatter stack then those three?" Cana asked, taking a swig from his bottle.

"What are you insinuating? I never saw Laxus in a position like that!" she snapped angrily.

"I have, and I can attest to its length and girth." Freed added, making everyone look in his direction. Even Bixlow had remained quiet, not knowing how to respond to that.

"Well, that ends that conversation. Cold showers are in store for everyone it seems, Juvia, why don't you make it rain for us, it would cool us off after that riveting conversation we bore witness too." Aiden said.

"If you say so." she said, holding her hand above her head. Water burst from her palm, softly raining over them all. Everyone instantly felt better, having ignored the blazing heat. It would be an interesting two days, that's for sure.

xxx _(Skies Above Fiore)_ xxx

Ultear frowned as she looked down at the sea. She had a bored look on her face, having not done anything interesting for awhile. She heard footsteps behind her and glanced over her shoulder, smiling a bit.

"Brandon, how intriguing. Weren't you keeping an eye on your brother?" she asked curiously.

"Eh, I was...but that bitch sister of ours got in the way. Magnolia was placed under some weird spacial magic, preventing me from entering." he said, arms crossed with disdain.

"I thought your run in with him in Hargeon was enough. Glad he survived?" she asked curiously.

"Not really...sort of wish he was dead. But it does make the game much more interesting...but I'm not here to exchange pleasantries with you dear sister. I'm here because the master has found Zeref's current location." he said. Her eyes widened in shock, so much so that she almost dropped her lacrima.

"Are you serious?"

"As a heart attack my dear. It seems he's been spotted on the Fairy's holy land, Tenrou Island. We've set course for it and will be arriving in two days time." he said.

"Well...I'll be damned. Looks like we'll be traveling to the Grand Magic World much quicker than we thought." she said, a smirk on her face.

"That's not all. It seems we'll get our chance to wipe out the Fairies once and for all. They are holding their annual S-class certification exam on the island. We'll be able to capture Zeref and wipe out Fairy Tail in one fell swoop. Better yet, it seems your Mother's pupil is on the list of people chosen." Brandon said. The woman's smile only grew wider.

"I assume you are telling me this for a reason?" she asked.

"Not really, but you won't be the only one smothering family ties. We both have a reason to be on the ground that day. So let's do our best, and make them all suffer." he said, expelling a bit of his ice magic. She nodded, glancing out at the sea.

"The water looks beautiful today doesn't it?" she asked.

"It always does, but it would look better if it was frozen solid, and smeared with the blood of our enemies." he said, wrapping his arms around her. She shivered a bit as he bit down on her neck, causing her to moan slightly. He didn't bite her hard, just enough to draw blood. He licked her neck, leaving a bright red mark on her skin.

"Maybe after we get our hands on Zeref and his keys, you and I can make a sibling for Meredy to play with." he said, giving her a wink. She nodded, giving him a warm smile. Even though she saw him as a brother, she couldn't deny his alluring gaze. The Grand Magic World was within reach, and if she wanted to enter it, Gray Fullbuster needed to die, along with the Fairy Tail guild, and she would make it happen.


	48. Tenrou Arc: The Exam Begins!

**A/N: Hey guys, Celestial Sky Dragon here bringing you a brand new chapter of The Hellfire Dragon Slayer!**

 **The Tenrou Arc is in full swing now, and in this chapter you get to see some of the trials that are going on. I hope you like the battle in this chapter, It took me awhile to decide who Aiden was going to go up against, but I'm sure you'll all like it. I worked super hard on it so please tell me how I did.**

 **The latter half of the Tenrou Arc is actually becoming quite dark. I'm not sure if I originally intended it that way, but it's rapidly becoming so, and I like it a lot. It's really fun to write villains, I can try a lot of stuff that I wouldn't normally try with heroes. I don't know why, but villains have always been my favorite to write, and the Eight Kin of Purgatory are my chance to shine. Of course not all of them will make an appearance, just those who I deem important.**

 **Well, I actually reached Chapter 50 of this story, and I'm super excited for that. I never thought it would grow that long, and it will actually grow even longer, it's a massive achievement for me, as this is literally the longest piece of work I've come up with. In a few more chapters I'll have reached 400,000 words, almost half way to my goal! I hope you'll share in my sentiments when I reach that goal, it's going to be awesome. Maybe by fall I'll have reached that goal, at the rate I'm writing, I should be near Tartaros by the summer time.**

 **Well, with that out of the way, I leave you with this chapter. Remember to stay frosty, and if you get hungry, snap into a Slim Jim.**

 **Song of the Day: Savior of Song by Nano.**

 **This song is actually the opening to Arpeggio of Blue Steel. I've been listening to it a lot recently. I remember the first time I listened to this was in an anime mix on the internet. It was actually the reason I got into the anime in the first place. It's a blend of Japanese and English lyrics, as the lead singer is actually Japanese-American. Give it a listen and let me know if you like it.**

 **Also, I am not sorry for Freed's creepiness last chapter, I have too much fun with sex jokes, I saw my chance and I took it.**

Tenrou Arc

Chapter 47

The Exam Begins!

It had been a long two days. Due to some stormy weather, the trip had been delayed, but now the Fairy Tail members were back on track. The sun had been relentless, assaulting all of the mages with its shine and unbearable heat. Even Phoebe had been rather tired, as she had been absorbing sunlight into her system and increasing her magic stores. Aiden was sitting in the center of the deck, laying back against the mast. The sail was making a nice breeze that had kept him cool for most of the trip. He had taken his vest off, choosing to stay shirtless, he had also taken one of Wendy's spare sunhats, having placed it on his head. His eyes were closed, hands behind his head as he tried to relax. Thankfully, he had his pills, so the bobbing of the waves wasn't bothering him too much.

Everyone around him was much in the same state. All of the girls had changed into their swimsuits, an effort to cool themselves off. Lucy was almost melted on her deck chair, as she lazily fanned herself. Happy was laying on a table next to her, muttering things in his heat induced hysteria. Gray had taken his clothes off again, but thankfully had been sitting down, having made a chair out of ice to keep cool. Juvia hadn't stopped staring at him, creeping both the ice mage and everyone else aboard the vessel. Tenrou Island was just visible on the horizon, not far from their position. It would still take them another hour to reach it.

It was a large spit of land in the middle of the ocean, with a large tree smack in the center. The Master had explained, that the Tenrou Tree was a magic bearing tree and it was where most of Fairy Tail's magic power came from. The guild marks were Mavis Vermillion's blessing, allowing them to gain an extra boost from the tree. While on the island, their magic would be stronger than anywhere else.

Aiden sighed, a groan escaping his lips. He was absolutely bored, and the temperature wasn't making him feel any better. As a fire dragon, the heat normally didn't bother him, but at the current standing, it was actually making him sweat, something that almost normally never happened. Oh what he wouldn't give for a glass of ice cold root beer, that thought made him miss Mirajane quite a lot. The barmaid always seemed ready when he had a craving for the soft drink. He heard the sounds of scribbles nearby and looked up, seeing his girlfriend standing by the railing, on the port side of the ship. He shook his head, clearing his throat.

"What are you doing?" he asked. She jolted a bit, glancing over her shoulder.

"Um...nothing...just staring into the ocean." she said.

"Uh huh." he said, not believing her. She had been standing there for the last twenty minutes, muttering things under her breath. He had heard the word Archaic several times, but he didn't think much on it.

"Don't mind me, sorry for bothering you. I didn't know you were sleeping." she said, turning back to face the ocean.

"You never bother me beautiful. Cute bikini by the way." he said, making her blush a bit.

"You think so?" she asked.

"Oh yeah, plaid is a good look on you." he said, giving her a thumbs up. Her eyes brightened up a bit, and she grinned, turning back to face the ocean.

"Anyone want to hear a joke?" Levy suddenly asked, grabbing everyones attention. They all groaned, various no's echoing through the ship.

"Sorry Levy, but you aren't funny." Elfman said, glancing at the blue haired girl.

"That's rude. I am funny...Gajeel laughs at my jokes." she said, glancing at the iron dragon who had been munching on some silverware. His eyes darted in all directions as he slowly took another bite from a fork, not wanting to say anything.

"Alright then, if you are funny then tell me a joke. I'll laugh at anything, no matter how fucked up it sounds." Aiden said, crossing his arms. Levy grinned, clapping her hands.

"Okay, what's brown and sticky?" she asked.

"Oh, that's easy. It's shit!" he said.

"No, it's a stick. Why would it be shit?" she asked, earning a shrug from Aiden.

"I dunno, I've stepped in dog shit before and it was sticky and brown. Smelled like shit too." he said.

"My god, I have never met such an uncouth young man in my entire life." Evergreen snapped.

"Get used to it sweetheart, I grew up in the slums. What you see is what you get." he said, earning a high five from Phoebe who was walking by. Levy shook her head, licking her lips.

"Alright, how about another joke?"

"Sure, can you make it funny this time?" Yuna said, looking up from her fashion magazine.

"A visibly exhausted man walks into a bar and asks for a strong drink.

"Long day?" the bar tender asks. The man shakes his head. "No, all days are 24 hours long." the man replied, sad at how uneducated the bartender was."

"That didn't even make me kek." Aiden said, shaking his head.

"Face it Levy, you just aren't good at telling jokes. I got one, why did the blonde build a bridge over the river?" Gray asked.

"I dunno."

"So she could have shade when she swam across." he replied. Aiden broke into chuckles, his shoulders shaking a bit.

"Okay, that one was good." he said.

"Really, generic blonde jokes? You know not all blondes are stupid." Lucy said, sitting up from her seat.

"We never said they were." Aiden said, suddenly getting defensive.

"God, I hate blonde girl jokes, if I could swim, I would go over there and kick your ass." Lucy snapped. Everyone broke into laughter, making the blonde rather satisfied at her joke. Levy however deflated, muttering things under her breath. Cana sighed, patting the girl's head.

"Look alive brats, were almost there." Makarov said, grabbing their attention.

"I can see it from here, it looks like an island on top of another island!" Yuna said, sweeping some hair out of her eyes.

"Do you feel that? The magic power is amazing...no wonder Master decided to hold the exam here." Wendy said, stepping away from the railing. Aiden nodded, his eyes falling on Mest.

He didn't know anything about the man at all. He remembered the day he had joined the guild, he had met several members. Mest hadn't been one of them, no matter how many missions he had taken or how many times he had been in the guildhall, he had never seen him. Yuna had told him that he was friends with Mystogan, but Wendy didn't recognize him at all. The young man glanced at Aiden, a curious look on his face.

"Something wrong Aiden?" he asked.

"No no...just wondering how this is all going to turn out." he said simply. Mest chuckled, shaking his head.

"You don't trust me do you?" he asked. Aiden's eyes widened a bit in shock. He chuckled, glancing away from him.

"No, no I don't. I've never met you, and I don't think you should be near any of my friends. But the master trusts you and so does everyone else, so I'll put my faith in their beliefs. Just know, if something happens to Yuna, or any of my other friends, I'm going to give the other side of your face a matching scar." he said firmly. Mest nodded, and looked away from him, not wanting to anger him anymore. Yuna pouted, placing her hands at her hips.

"That wasn't very nice Aiden."

"Sorry, I'm just worrying over my teammate...but then again, we aren't teammates right now. I guess I'll just wish you good luck." he said, earning a smile from her. Makarov cleared his throat, gaining their attention.

"Look there, our holy land Tenrou Island. This is a very special place, as it houses the grave of our first master. Mavis Vermillion, a kind young girl and lover of Fairies. You know, legends say Fairies used to live here." he said.

"Seriously?" Lucy asked.

"Indeed, it holds great significance for our guild. The Tenrou Tree is as old as the island itself, and grants those with our crest divine protection. Those on the island with our crest cannot die so long as they are on it. But that's enough about the island. It is time to explain the rules of the exam." he said, willing a large board to appear before them. It had a map of the island on it, ten different paths were drawn on it. Four of them lead to the S-class mages, the words Challenge Fight written above it. Three paths joined together, the words Team Fight written on it. The last three paths were blank, the word Serenity written on them.

"The First task for you is to get to that smoke trail on the island. There are ten paths and all of them are meant for a single team of two. So don't dawdle and pick a path. They will all be randomized, as you can see, four paths will lead to an S-class mage, defeat them and you'll move on to phase two of the exam!" Makarov said.

"Phase two? How many Phases are there?" Lucy asked curiously.

"Ah, I'm not disclosing that. Three paths will lead to a battle, eliminate the opposite team to move on. Finally, there are three Serenity paths. You won't be fighting anything on these paths, but don't be fooled, you'll still be tested. Teams that defeat these challenges will move on to Phase two, and will meet here at the Camp site. Good luck, the exam starts now!" he cried.

"We're in the middle of the ocean though." Gray said. Wendy took a hold of Aiden's hand, pulling him along.

"Whoa...Wendy what are you pulling me for?"

"Dark Ecriture: Wings!" she cried, swiping the air in front of her. Violet lights shot out of them, a pair of of wings sprouting from their backs. She shot into the air, pulling him along, though he was flailing and screaming, not expecting that from the girl.

"What the hell? They just took off!" Elfman cried.

"Move before we're left behind!" his partner cried, racing toward the edge of the ship. She was about to jump, only for her to slam into a red barrier. She groaned in pain, clearly confused.

"What is this?" Lucy asked.

"An enchantment, only dragon slayers under the age of fifteen are able to pass through this barrier. It has a ten minute time limit. Oh she's good, but not good enough, let us go Bixlow." Freed said, swiping the barrier with his sword. He and his partner easily passed through.

"Hey, no fair. Rewrite the enchantment!" Natsu cried angrily, slamming his fists onto it.

"This barrier is childs play. Freed rewrote the time limit. Don't worry Elfman, I can get us through easily." Evergreen said, reaching into her top for her light pen. The white haired man was left to wonder where exactly she had that hidden.

"I can't believe this shit, we got duped by kids!" Gray said, crossing his arms.

"Well, that's why you shouldn't mess with love birds. Alone they're strong, but together they are unstoppable. I can attest to that." Phoebe said, earning a blank look from Iona. She chuckled, pulling a light pen from her back pocket.

"But, thankfully Wendy left her notes lying around, I can get us out of here lickity split!" she said, racing toward the barrier. Elfman and Evergreen burst through, both of them jumping into the water, followed by Gajeel and Levy.

"Aw man, this sucks!" Lucy cried, watching as her guildmates all headed toward the island.

Aiden and Wendy touched down on the island. They glanced back at the ship, seeing all of their friends heading toward them. The wings on their backs disappeared, the enchantment having wore off.

"Nice call on the wings babe, but at least let me know when we're going to take off."

"Sorry, I only had one shot before Mister Freed figured out what I did." she said.

"It's impressive how far you've come. I knew you were doing something, but I didn't know what. Alright, it's time to pick a path, ten paths, three empty ones, six battle paths. Which one do you want?" he asked, glancing at the blue haired girl.

"Um...it's my choice?" she asked.

"Yeah, I don't mind letting you choose." he said, giving her a grin. She nodded, looking around.

"Let's take path D. I can smell fresh air coming from it!" she said. He nodded, heading toward path D. A magic barrier appeared right after the two of them entered, blocking them from leaving.

"So, it seems like we're in this until the finish. Let's give it our all." Aiden said, walking up the path.

The path itself seemed to be a rocky cave system. A few stalactites grew from the cavern ceiling, slow drips of water falling to the ground. Small little lightning bugs were floating around them, keeping the cavern lit up. Aiden shoved his hands in his pockets, trying to focus on the path ahead.

"Are you alright Aiden? You're rather quiet." Wendy said, grabbing his attention.

"I'm fine, just thinking." he said.

"Nervous?"

"Nope, not anymore. I'm thinking about Mest...I dunno about you, but I don't trust that guy. Something that Carla told me before we left really left me unsettled." he said. Wendy pulled him to a stop, looking into his eyes.

"What did she say?" she asked curiously.

"Huh? Oh uh...she said a lot cryptic stuff. I'm aware of her ability you know...she said she saw Cana and Natsu crying...there was a body there as well. There was a boy too." he said. He took out a folded piece of paper from his pocket, handing it to Wendy. She unfolded it, her eyes scanning the paper.

"Is..this what he looks like?" she asked.

"Yeah, I did my best to draw him from her description. That's what I came up with." he said. The drawing depicted a young man in his mid teens, with dark black hair. He had fair colored skin, without a single blemish. His most noticeable feature was his crimson red eyes. Wendy swallowed hard, feeling really nervous all of the sudden.

"Maybe it's just a false alarm. I doubt Master would let random people walk around here." she said.

"Yeah, you're right. But I can't help but worry." he said, taking the paper back. The two of them resumed their walk, walking hand in hand. They settled into a comfortable silence, just happy to be near each other.

The path opened up a bit, turning into a giant chamber of sorts. There was a large gaping hole near the very left side of the cave, allowing natural sunlight to filter into it. The sound of the waves lapping the land echoed through the cavern, the scent of salt drifted through the air. Aiden noticed a large grate at the other end of the chamber, which had been closed. He swallowed hard, getting into a stance. Wendy noticed this and followed suit, looking around the room. They noticed a thick blackish purple cloud of smoke started gathering around them, moving around the floor. Without warning, it wrapped around their legs, lifting them into the air.

"Whoa, what the hell is going on?" Aiden cried out, watching his pack and other things fall to the ground. Wendy cried in shock, her arms flailing around wildly.

"So, what are the odds that two of my closest friends would wonder into my path?" a firm yet familiar voice said. Aiden swallowed hard, seeing the mist start swirling. It all flowed toward the center of the chamber, taking the shape of a human. When it disappeared, Yamato stood in it's place. He had been expecting her to wear her dress, but was actually surprised to see her wearing a violet bikini, that hugged her curves nicely.

"Yamato?" Wendy cried out, shock written on her face.

"We're fucked with a capital F." Aiden muttered. The woman tossed the two mages back, slamming them into the back wall. They cried in pain, dropping to the ground in heaps.

"Oh come on, giving up already? Where's that spunk I saw in Edolas?" she asked, placing her hands behind her back. Aiden stood up, glancing at Wendy.

"We have to give it our all. That's not our friend right now, that's our enemy, and if we want to win, then we'll have to take her down." He said firmly, tossing his vest aside. Wendy nodded, shaking her head a bit.

"You're right, we aren't going easy on you Yamato!" she said firmly.

"Good, give it your all. You're exam starts now!" she said, raising her arms above her head, two thick clouds of Poisonous smoke gathering around her body. She threw her arms forward, sending the cloud at them. Wendy drew her pen from her top, clicking it on, she swiped the air in front of her, a stream of runes appearing from its tip.

"Dark Ecriture: Shield!" she said, swiping the air a few times. The ground around her and Aiden glowed a brilliant crimson as the poison slammed into them, the runes having protected them from the attack.

"Huh...I wasn't expecting that. Guess I'll have to get a little more physical!" Yamato said, dashing forward, arms behind her body. She took a swing at Aiden, only for his body to disappear into a wisp of flame. She came to a stop, glancing up seeing a flaming fist coming at her. She raised her arms in time to block it, but was sent flying back several feet. Aiden smirked, running forward.

"What's wrong Yamato? You were talking that good shit a second ago, but now we got you on the ropes!" he said, slamming his flaming fist into her chest, sending her back a few more feet.

"Oh, this is certainly going to be fun." the poison mage said, cracking her neck. She shot forward, body turning into a poison mist. Aiden took a swipe at her, only for it to pass through. She grinned, slamming her knee into his chest, sending him flying back. He cried in pain, violet smoke coming off his body.

"Shit...that poison hurts." he muttered, rubbing his sore spot. Wendy held her hand out, focusing her healing light on his injury.

"That was a Neurotoxin, it pretty much attacks all of your nerves which is why it hurts so much. You weren't the only ones training you know..but let's stop messing around. I haven't got the time." she said, growing rather serious.

The air around them seemed to change as she expelled a bit of her magic power. Aiden was frightened a bit. He thought Erza was strong, but now he could tell that Yamato was much stronger than her, no doubt thanks to her lacrima implant. He felt a hand on his shoulder and looked to his right, seeing Wendy's smiling face.

"Let's not give up yet. She's testing us, and we can't fail." she said.

"Right. So let's give it everything we got, right from the beginning." he said, his body glowing a bright sapphire. Wendy mimicked his actions, both of them entering their Drive forms. Yamato glanced at the two, sensing a lot of magic power from them. Her eyes widened in shock.

" _Magic boosting spells, and that's not even all of their magic. This is just a fraction, just how strong did these two get?"_ she thought to herself.

Aiden ran forward first, forcing the woman to brace for impact. She didn't even see Wendy zoom past him until she was literally in front of her. She crossed her arms, taking the brunt of the impact.

"Sky Dragon's Crushing Claw!" she chanted. A funnel of wind burst from her foot, the blades cutting into Yamato's skin. Wendy kicked her chin, sending her flying up a few feet.

"Hellfire Dragon's Leg Strike!" Aiden chanted, slamming his fire coated leg into the woman. She slammed into the back wall, the stone breaking on contact. She grit her teeth, feeling some slight burns on her skin. She smirked, pushing herself out of the stone.

"Very good, speed and power has definitely increased. But that isn't enough to defeat me." she said. A magic seal appeared under their feet, streams of violet black acid shot from them, causing the two teenagers to scream in pain.

"Poison God's Toxic Spikes. Any step you make will only debilitate you more." she said, slamming her foot into the ground, hundreds of tiny purple spikes grew from the ground, surrounding the two dragon slayers. Aiden grit his teeth, his body tingling from the poison. He was panting a bit as it starting to take effect.

"We need to figure something out Wendy." Aiden said. She nodded, swiping her hand in front of herself.

"Dark Ecriture: Wings!" she chanted. Wings sprouted from their backs, lifting them off the ground. Aiden smirked, shooting forward, his entire body coated in blue flames.

"Hellfire Dragon's Sword Horn!"

"Poison God's Halberd!" Yamato chanted, throwing a poison coated kick at Aiden.

The two attacks met in the middle, causing a violent explosion, throwing the three mages back. Aiden grit his teeth, as the tiny spikes dug into his skin. He slammed his fist into the ground, setting the entire cavern floor on fire. Purple and blue smoke slowly towered into the air as each of the spikes was burned away.

"Huh...that's one way to get rid of that. You've got tenacity, a quality all Fairy Tail members seem to have." Yamato said, brushing some soot off her body.

"I've got to admit, I'm having a good time, but we can't waste anymore time here. The other teams must have gotten past this point already." Aiden said.

"I doubt it, anyone who could get past Erza would be a miracle, and I wouldn't mess with Mira or Gildarts either. Trust me, we're not moving from here for at least another half hour. Maybe less if I feel like going all out on you." she said, giving them a wink. Aiden glanced at Wendy, giving her an nod. She closed her eyes, raising her arms into the air, body glowing brightly.

"Fast Winds that run the heaven, Stout Arms that tear the heavens, Strong Armor that protects the heavens! Arms and Armor, Vernier! Enchant!" she cried. Aiden burst forward, literally flashing in front of Yamato. His fists burst into flames as he started punching at the woman, increasing his speed.

"We're not giving in yet! Hellfire Dragon's Flurry of Dancing Flames!" he cried, quickening his punches. He planted his foot firmly on the ground, delivering a final punch right to Yamato's jaw, which sent her flying back. She slammed into the ground, completely dazed. She sat up rubbing her jaw.

" _His speed is amazing...no doubt thanks to Wendy's stat boosts. Those two really do make an interesting pair."_ she thought to herself. Her body glowed brightly as she turned into poisonous mist. Aiden and Wendy stood back to back, eyes darting in all directions.

"I think it's cute that you two fight so well together. You've been getting closer lately, will I be expecting kids soon?" Yamato asked, her voice coming from all directions.

"What? Get real, we're too young for that." Aiden snapped. He already knew she was trying to get them flustered. Wendy was blushing brightly, but she wasn't going to let the older woman get too her. Yamato chuckled, her body reforming atop a giant boulder. She had several white mushrooms in her hands, along with a few other things.

"You know why I picked this place for my trial? It's because it's filled with all of these mushrooms, and this thick pasty moss. These items in my hands happen to be poisonous. Do you know what happens when I ingest massive amounts of poison?" she asked.

"Oh shit." Aiden muttered, backing away from the woman. He and Wendy watched as she took delicate bites from each morsel in her hands, she licked her fingers afterward, reaching for her waist, where a violet bottle sat. She pulled the cork out of it and drank its contents.

"Ah, you could say...I have a fire in my belly." she said.

She closed her eyes, focusing on the new power flowing through her. The area started shaking, as she released all of her magic power at once. With a shout, the magic burst from within, surrounding her body. Her hair had gone from a dark violet to a dark black color. The area around her face had turned purple, and she had gained various purple markings around her arms and legs. Her arms seemed to have been covered in thick purple material, almost forming gloves. Her legs had been covered by the same material, which was glowing an ominous violet color. She opened her eyes, which were glowing a vibrant purple.

"Just like you Dragon Slayers have Dragon Force, we God Slayers have a special form as well." she said, literally floating off the boulder.

"God Force, the strongest state a God Slayer can achieve. They say a God Slayer that enters this form has the power of a God." Wendy said. Aiden swallowed hard, facing the woman in front of him.

"I'm not letting some silly gimmick defeat me. So give us everything you've got Yamato, we aren't backing down!" he cried. She smirked, disappearing from sight. She flashed in front of him, grabbing him by the neck. She held him up, squeezing his throat.

"That's what I wanted to hear you say." she said ominously.

"Hellfire...Dragon...Scales." Aiden choked out.

His body burst into flames, covering his all of his skin in thick flaming sapphire scales. Yamato hissed as she was forced to drop him. Wendy took her chance, delivering a fierce kick to the woman. She burst forward, driving her knee into her chest. She rose her arm above her head, a thick funnel of wind forming at her elbow.

"Sky Dragon's Lance!" she cried, slamming her elbow into the woman's back. The funnel burst through her body, making her scream in pain. Yamato grit her teeth, grabbing the girl by her neck and throwing her into the air, taking a deep breath.

"Poison God's Bellow!" she chanted, unleashing her breath attack. The spiraling funnel of poison had grown twice in size, due to Yamato's God Force. Wendy howled in pain as the attack slammed into her. She slammed into the cavern ceiling, her skin turning a sickly purple as the poison seeped into her body. She fell to the ground, poison smoke drifting off her form.

"Hellfire Dragon's Lava Plume!" Aiden chanted, slamming his hands into the ground.

Yamato turned around, gasping as she was enveloped in a thick funnel of sapphire flames. Aiden grit his teeth, panting a bit. The poison coursing through his system was really doing a number to him, but he wasn't about to bow down to her. Yamato burst through the flames, driving her poison coated knee into his chin. She grabbed his arm, slamming him into the ground. He squeaked, the air having left his lungs. She picked the teenager up, throwing him into Wendy who had been struggling to stand.

"Face it, you two are done. You put in a great effort, but it won't be long until that poison brings you down." Yamato said. Aiden grit his teeth, clawing at the ground. His body was littered with cuts and scratches, some oozing blackish red blood. He forced himself to his feet, facing his opponent. He held his hand out, helping Wendy to her feet.

"We're not giving up! We've been through too much to call it quits!" he said.

"Aiden it's alright. Sometimes it's alright to admit defeat, there's no shame in that." Yamato said.

"Heh, that's right. There's no shame in tapping out, so why don't you do me a favor and throw in the towel already? Can't you see you can't go on anymore?" he asked.

"Get real, look at which one of us is winning!" she said firmly. Aiden shook his head, glancing at his girlfriend, who looked ready to drop. She gave him a nod.

"Let's go." she said.

"Right." he said.

Both of them burst forward, running as fast as they could. Yamato kept her eyes on both of them, not knowing what they were going to do. They both slid to a stop, placing their fists into their open hands. Her eyes widened in shock.

"No way...she learned maker magic?" she cried out in surprise.

"Fire/Wind Make: Shuriken!" they chanted in unison. Throwing their hands forward, a stream of fire and wind shuriken flew at the Poison Goddess. She spun on her heel, sending globs of poison out at the attack.

"Poison God's Acid Spray!" she chanted, destroying as much as she could of the attack. She didn't even see Wendy until it was too late.

"Sky Dragon's Palm Strike!" she chanted, driving her hand into Yamato's chest. She gasped in pain, being sent flying back, right into Aiden's attack.

"Hellfire Dragon's Leg Strike!" he chanted, slamming his flaming leg into her back, sending her flying forward. Yamato dug her hand into the ground, forcing herself to a stop. A purple magic circle appearing under her feet.

"I have to finish it here. I don't know if I can actually defeat them." she muttered. She channeled her magic into the circle, throwing her head up.

"Metsujin Ogi!" she cried out. Her body glowed a brilliant violet, her magic power bursting from her very body. Aiden and Wendy got into a defensive stance, not knowing what she was about to do. They all watched as millions of glittering poison stingers appeared around them, all aiming at the Dragon slayers. Yamato opened her violet eyes, snapping her fingers.

"Rain of Poison!" she chanted.

The stingers shot forward, whizzing loudly as it zoomed at the two dragon slayers. They didn't even flinch, waiting for the attack to hit them head on. The stingers exploded on contact, sending sand and rocks in all directions. Yamato panted a bit, wiping some sweat from her brow. She had to admit, they were good, especially if they had driven her into using her God Force. As the dust cleared however, she noticed that the two mages had disappeared. She glanced up at the cavern ceiling, seeing all of the poison stingers sticking from it. Her eyes widened, seeing the glowing purple magic seal.

"No...no!" she cried.

"Dark Ecriture: Deafness, Blindness!" Wendy chanted, slamming her palm into Yamato. She normally wouldn't use those enchantments on anyone, but if she wanted to win, she had to use everything she could think of. Yamato's heart started racing. Her hands reached for her eyes, everything had gone dark, and she couldn't hear anything, not even her own voice.

" _What's going on? What is this?"_ she thought fearfully.

"Now Wendy!" he cried, holding his hand out. Wendy nodded, taking his hand tightly in her own. They activated their magic, allowing both elements to blend into one. A large funnel of fire and wind started forming around them, with such intensity that lightning started crackling in the air.

"Elements of Fire and Wind, combine into one and aid us in this dance of flames and destruction." they chanted in unison.

Yamato grit her teeth, unable to see or hear anything, all she could do was throw acid in every direction, hoping to hit the two mages. Her sense of smell wasn't as developed as she had wanted it to be, but she could tell the air was moving away from her by how the oxygen was moving. She swallowed hard, mentally bracing for impact.

"Twin Fang: Hellfire Sky Dragon's Hurricane!" they chanted, holding their arms outward. The large spiraling storm above them shot forward, spinning with great speed. The enchantments on Yamato finally wore off, her eyesight returning to her, just in time to see the attack heading toward her. She just stared at it wide eyed, a smirk on her face.

"You win." she said, seconds before it hit. It made contact, a loud explosion shaking the entire area. It was so great, that even the other trial goers felt it, stopping for a few seconds to figure out what it was.

Aiden and Wendy dropped to the ground, completely spent. That last attack had taken the last of their magic. They just lay there, panting in each others arms. Both of them were tired, sweaty and hurt. They heard a loud thud, and looked up, seeing Yamato laying on the ground in a heap. The purple marks on her body disappeared, returning her to normal. They heard the grate blocking their path slowly opening, slamming into the cavern ceiling with a loud bang.

"We did it...we did it!" Aiden cried joyfully.

"Yatta! We did it! I knew we could do it, I love you!" Wendy cried, peppering Aiden's face with kisses. He chuckled, hugging his girlfriend tightly.

"We did it sweetheart, we beat Yamato! Thank you...thank you, thank you!" he said, capturing her lips in a kiss, pulling her on top of himself. He hugged her tightly, loosing himself in her lips and in her intoxicating scent.

"Ahem...if you don't mind, save the baby making until after the trials are over." Yamato said, standing in front of them, clutching her bleeding arm. They pulled away from each other, groaning a bit in pain.

"Ow...are you alright Yamato? We didn't hurt you too much right?" Wendy asked.

"Just my pride. You two did absolutely great and you have proved yourselves as S-class capable. It's a shame that only one of you could become an S-class, because you both deserve it. Go ahead, the base camp is through that gate. But before you go, here." she said, pulling two auto-injectors from her pack.

"They neutralize my poison. I spent weeks developing an antidote to my own toxins so I wouldn't have to hurt people. You can't die while on Tenrou Island, but I don't want you to have lasting damage." she said. Aiden nodded, pulling the cap off the injector. He hissed a bit as he stabbed it into his thigh, feeling the antidote enter his system. He felt a million times better. He helped Wendy to her feet after she was done with hers.

"Thanks so much Yamato. You were a wonderful opponent, and an even greater sister." he said, hugging the woman. Wendy followed suit, hugging her tightly. Yamato smiled warmly, hugging the two teenagers back.

"Master Roubaul would be so proud of you. No...I'm sure he is proud of you, where ever he is. Don't fail the old man, give it your all." she said.

"We know...we'll give it our all, for him and the rest of Cait Shelter. Let's go Wendy, destiny awaits us!" he cried, grabbing his pack.

"Do you think we could take some time, I want to kiss you some more." Wendy said, following after the boy.

"I suppose so...but I didn't bring any condoms so let's just stick to kissing." he said. Yamato rolled her eyes, shaking her head.

"Ah, to be young again." she said. Her breath hitched a bit, her head snapping in the other direction. She licked her lips, placing her hand on her chest.

"I must be feeling things...I better go report to Master." she said.

xxx

Yuna grit her teeth, reloading her guns for the umpteenth time. She and Mest had taken one of the battle paths, leading them toward Gray and Loke. The Ice Wizard and Celestial Spirit had proven themselves many times, forcing her to change armors constantly. But she wasn't about to let her training go to waste. Her guns clicked empty, and she jumped to the side, dodging another ice spear.

"Face it Idol girl, you aren't beating us." Gray said.

"That's what you think! Requip: Sweet Lolita!" she cried. This had been the only armor she hadn't used against them yet. She twirled her scythe in her hands, aiming it at the two young men. Mest stood behind her, eyes drifting between the two. She jumped forward, swinging her scythe at the two. They jumped back, avoiding the attack.

"Ice Make: Floor!" Gray chanted, placing his hands on the ground. Yuna grit her teeth, her feet having been frozen to the ground. Loke jumped at her, slamming his fist into her chest. She cried in pain, slamming into the ground, scythe flying out of her hand.

"Quick Gray, get him!" Loke said, the ice mage nodded, racing toward Mest, holding an Ice sword above his head. He slammed it into Mest, sending him flying back into a rock. He groaned in pain, passing out from the attack.

"That's all she wrote. Give up Yuna, or else we won't go easy on you." he said, pointing the tip of the sword at the white haired idol. She grit her teeth, her face turning into a grin. Her body glowed brightly as she expelled her magic outward. She stood up, grabbing her scythe from the ground. She twirled it around her hand, resting it on her shoulder.

"There's no way I'm giving up. Mest may be down, but I'm not giving in, I'll make him an S-class wizard." she said. Loke flashed behind her, slamming his light coated fist into her head. Her scythe fell to the ground as she fell unconscious. He sighed with relief, the gate to the next area opening up.

"Man, that was a lot harder than I was expecting. I didn't think she would be that strong." he said, glancing at the Ice mage.

"She's been training with Erza, what do you expect? Let's get out of here, before they wake up." Gray said, walking toward the exit. Loke looked back at the two mages, a frown on his face.

"You know...I find something really weird about Mest. He's supposed to be really strong, but he lost rather fast." He said.

"Yeah, now that you mention it he did go down really quick. He got a lot farther last year."

"That begs the question, who did he have as a partner last year? Every time I think about it, I just come up with a blank."

"Same here...I don't think it's selective memory either...hmm."

Yuna groaned, her eyes fluttering open. She sat up, holding her head in pain. She looked around, eyes widening. Gray and Loke were gone, which meant she had been defeated. She grit her teeth, slamming her hand into the ground.

"Dammit...I couldn't beat them. I'm such a loser!"

"Hey, don't be so hard on yourself."

She looked up, seeing Mest standing before her. He held his hand out, helping her to her feet.

"I failed you Mest...we were supposed to make it to the next round, but I wasn't strong enough."

"Nah, that isn't it. It just wasn't meant to be...I wasn't giving it my all...but you, you've grown strong since you joined Fairy Tail. It's kind of a shame not to see you on stage anymore." he said. She blushed, brushing her hair out of her face.

"Yeah, I still enjoy singing, but being in a guild is more fun than that. Still, I trained so hard only to loose...it shows just how much I have to learn." she said. She requipped out of her Lolita armor, changing back to her normal attire.

"Well, I guess we should go to the bast camp...although there is something else that caught my attention. Master Makarov said that this place is special right? Any reason why?" he asked.

"Um...isn't it because Mavis Vermillion's grave is here? She's the first master so this would be a special place."

"I would have thought so too. But Tenrou Island is a special place, it can't be located on any map. No matter what kind of magic you use, that girl was really special, which means Fairy Tail might be hiding a secret. Wanna take a look around?" he asked, a grin on his face.

"I don't know if we can do that...I mean what if we get in trouble?" she asked.

"I doubt they would mind. Only Fairy Tail members can be here, and as far as we know, we're Fairy Tail members. Come on, I saw some pretty flowers on the way here." he said, walking out of the cavern. She sighed, running to catch up to him.

"I guess a little look isn't so bad."

xxx

"Jesus Shit, son of a bitch!" Aiden cried, as he slammed his flaming fist into a giant creature, sending it flying back. After leaving the cavern, he and Wendy had wondered through the woods trying to find the next area. Sadly the wild life seemed to be rather interested in them as well. The large creature ran off, finally giving them some breathing room. He wiped some sweat from his forehead, panting a bit.

"Man, this heat is really troublesome isn't it?" he asked, glancing at his girlfriend. She gave him a nod, kneeling in front of some flowers. They were pink in color, and seemed to glow a bit.

"Aren't they pretty?" she asked.

"Yes, but we can't dawdle anymore." he said.

She nodded, running up the path, catching up with him. She placed her hands behind her back, the soft breeze had picked up, cooling them off a bit. She had actually put her dress back on, not wanting to keep walking around in her swimsuit. Thankfully they had found a stream earlier, and they had taken a quick bath to cool off.

The two of them arrived at the designated spot, finding a few others there. Natsu seemed to be sitting on his own, his head in his hands. Cana and Lucy were talking too each other, while Gajeel and Levy sat on a stone shelf above them, the Iron Dragon didn't look too happy. Lucy looked up, a smile on her face.

"Hey you two, glad to see you made it." she said.

"Hey guys, how were your battles?" he asked.

"They were pretty challenging. Natsu and I went up against Gildarts, he was a total monster!" Happy said, glancing at the brooding teen.

"Me and Lucy fought Freed and Bixlow, they weren't as tough as we thought." Cana said, a smirk on her face.

"What about you two? You don't seem too happy." Aiden said, glancing at Levy and Gajeel.

"We got a Serenity Path. It was smooth sailing for us." Levy said.

"Easy for you too say, I wanted to kick someones ass!" Gajeel growled in anger.

"Who did you two end up fighting?" Lucy asked, noticing the scratches and cuts on their skin. Even though Wendy had healing magic, she hadn't been able to heal all their injuries yet.

"We fought Yamato, and she did not go easy on us." he said.

"Whoa, you kids fought an S-class?" Gajeel asked. Aiden smirked, his fist bursting into flames.

"Hell yeah, and it was totally awesome. Yamato went full force, she even went into God Force, but our joint attack too her down without much issue. I've got to say, I've gained a lot of respect for her. She definitely lives up to her name." he said.

"Sup chumps!" Phoebe cried, entering the clearing. Iona walked in after her, still wearing her orange swimsuit. She had tied her hair into a ponytail, and was covered in a light sheen of sweat, though she was fanning herself with a fancy paper fan.

"Phoebs, what's good? Did you fight anyone?" Aiden asked, holding his fist out. The girl bumped fists with him, wrapping her arm around his shoulder.

"Let me tell you a quick story. So there we were, walking down path F, when we run into...nothing. We got a fucking Serenity path and it was boring as shit." she said.

"I do admit it wasn't my best choice, but I thought saving our magic for a later event would be worthwhile. After all we haven't a clue about our next challenge." Iona replied.

"Oh, well I guess that's okay. Wonder if Yuna made it out alright?" Aiden said.

"No, she didn't. Those two are sleeping." Gray said, as he and Loke emerged from the forest.

"So, you got a battle path then?" Lucy asked.

"Mhmm...I have to admit, that Idol is pretty strong, and really cute." Loke said, a grin on his face. He chuckled dryly from the glare Aiden was giving him.

"Hmm...alright, you two are here...wait where are Juvia and Lisanna?" Wendy asked.

"No clue...probably still fighting." Lucy theorized.

"Ah, you're all here...very well...you all did great on reaching this far." Makarov said, appearing next to the teams.

"Wait...so if your here that means everyone else failed?" Phoebe asked.

"Don't sell us short yet little girl. We're still kickin!"

The Sudden arrival of Elfman and Evergreen startled them all, as the man's booming voice echoed through the woods.

"You guys look like a train hit you...who the hell did you fight?" Aiden said.

"Um...we got Mira's path..and she almost wrecked us, but thanks to my quick thinking, we were able to beat her." Evergreen said, a grin on her face.

"Really? How did you do that?" Lucy asked curiously.

"Uh...A real man doesn't discuss what happens in private." Elfman said, dismissing the question.

"Well, it seems as if you have all passed the test. Three teams have been eliminated. Sadly, Erza was the one who fought Juvia and Lisanna and they didn't make it past her. With that being said, everyone here will now begin the second phase of the exam." Makarov said, catching their attention. The man turned to face them, a smile on his face.

"You're next task will be finding the grave of the first master, Mavis Vermillion. If you do that, you will be given your next task." he said.

"Is that all? Come on Gramps that's too easy." Natsu said, clenching his fist. The man sighed, shaking his head.

"You've got six hours to find it, those that don't make it, fail the exam. Is that enough of a challenge for you?" he asked.

"Alright, so we have to find the grave before sundown, simple enough...we aren't going to lose!" Aiden said firmly. Natsu chuckled, glancing at all of the mages standing before him.

"Okay, Cana, Gray, Iona, Aiden, Elfman, Levy, only one of us will become S-class, and it's going to be me!" he exclaimed.

"Ha, I'm not going to get beaten by a wimp like you." Gray said firmly.

"Challenge accepted, we already beat my big sis...there's no way we're loosing to you!" Elfman replied.

"We're gonna fight tooth and nail for this Natsu, so don't start crying when I get handed that title!" Aiden said.

"Hehe, see you there. Come on Happy!" he cried, racing into the woods.

"Let's go Wendy, maybe if we find a good tree we can etch our names on it." Aiden said, running in the opposite direction. The girl waved at her friends, following after her boyfriend. Makarov watched them ago, a smile on his face.

"This is certainly going to be an interesting exam, that's for sure." he said firmly.

xxx

"There, we're slowly approaching Tenrou Island."

Ever since that premonition, Carla had been uneasy. She didn't voice her concerns to Wendy, knowing full well that her friend would worry. The last thing she wanted was for Aiden to drop out of the exam for a silly vision. She just couldn't shake the feeling of despair that she had gotten. She held the map tightly in her hand, her amber eyes focused on the island.

"Carla, are you sure it's okay to be here?" Pantherlily asked, glancing over at the white haired girl. Unlike her, he couldn't go into his battle form for long periods of time. He had wanted to get an armlet that would allow him to keep his transformation, but he hadn't been able to find one. She nodded, tearing her eyes away from the odd looking island.

"I'm sure the master won't mind. We're not here to interfere anyway...it's just...I can't shake that feeling." she said.

"Could it be your clairvoyance?" he asked.

"It might be...it's just..something that Mest said left me unsettled. To my knowledge, Mystogan was a very secretive man, so him having a pupil makes absolutely no sense. Yuna bought it easily since she didn't know him that long, but I'm sure Aiden know's he's lying."

"So, you don't believe Mest even knew Mystogan?" Pantherlily asked.

"I don't...he would always put people asleep when he was around, most likely to protect his identity." she replied.

"Hmm...that does sound a lot like my prince. It does make sense, he said he traveled alone for most of his journey in this world. He wouldn't have a need to get an apprentice."

The two exceeds touched down on the sand, allowing their wings to disappear. Carla placed her map in her pack, panting a bit due to the heat. She looked around, finding a path not far from where they were. She took a whiff of the air, catching the scents of her friends. She decided to follow them.

"There's something else you aren't telling me, is there Carla?" Pantherlily asked, looking up at the girl. She bit her lip, giving him a nod.

"It wasn't just Mest's loyalties that worries me. It's also what I saw in my vision...there was a lot of pain and suffering...Natsu and Cana were crying..and there was that boy too. I'm worried, for my teammates and my friends." she said.

"They'll be fine, they have proven themselves capable of handling anything in their path. Let's just find the Master and speak with him, he needs to know about Mest." he said firmly.

Carla nodded, the uneasy feeling still weighing heavily on her mind. She didn't know why, but she felt a weird twinge in her heart, like something bad was about to happen. She prayed that it wasn't so, but often times, bad things happened to good people, and there was no stopping it.


	49. Tenrou Arc: Phase 2 Enter Grimoire Heart

**A/N: A new chapter commeth!**

 **Well, I have got to say, today's episode of the Walking Dead was really good. They took the comic route and nailed everything perfectly, but I have to say I am sad at how everything happened. I can't wait to see Season 8 this October, the fucking war is going to be intense!**

 **Now, coming back to Fairy Tail, this is going to be chapter 48 of the story. This chapter is going to being the war of Fairy Tail vs Grimoire Heart. There's going to be some interesting exposition along with a few other thing, including a fight at the end, so I hope you like it and let me know how I did.**

 **I just finished Chapter 50 and will be starting 51 soon, and I've got to say...Holy shit, what a ride this arc has been. I'm loving it so much more than Edolas, and you know how much I detest that arc. I truly don't hate it, but writing for it was a pain in my ass, something I should have avoided, but I shall stop complaining about arcs past. It's going to be an emotional fight, and don't worry, I shall provide some tracks for said fight. It shall hopefully make the experiance of the battles a bit better, after all what's a fight without some tunes to listen too?**

 **Anyway, I'll leave you with this chapter...hope you all like it..**

 **Song of the Day: Can You Feel My Heart by Bring Me The Horizon.**

 **This is such a great song. I've always loved singing to BMTH and this is my top favorite song from the Sempiternal album. I hope you guys like it too, I guess it sets the mood for Fairy Tail, since it's a guild all about having heart.**

Tenrou Arc

Chapter 48

Phase Two: Enter Grimoire Heart

His legs burned and ached, pleading for him to stop. But he wasn't going too. He didn't know how long he had been running for, an hour at most? With a few breaks in between, but he had spent most of the time trying to get away. The wildlife on the island was relentless, no matter how fast he ran, how far he ran, the large Pig like creature wouldn't stop following him. He grit his teeth, glancing over his shoulder. He let out a yelp, almost tripping on a root. He quickened his pace, avoiding all of the big rocks in his path.

It had started rather easily. He and his girlfriend were looking for Mavis's grave, as per his exam. He had found a good sized tree and decided to use his fire to carve their names into the bark, like those cheesy romance flicks. But what he didn't know was that the tree he had chosen was actually a large Pig mole, and now it had been chasing him in retaliation.

Wendy had been run off the path a long time ago and he hadn't been able to go back for her, so he only hoped she was alright. He took a deep breath, making a mental choice. He would have to take the creature down. He slid to a stop, only to fall backwards into a pit. He screamed as he slammed into the sides of the rocky wall, falling through the pit until he hit the ground. He groaned in pain, seeing nothing but lush greenery and blue skies.

"Fucking shit! Everything on this island is trying to kill me!" he cried out, slamming his fists into the dirt. He stood up after catching his breath, grabbing his discarded pack. Thankfully the Pig Mole had wondered off, but now he was lost and unable to reach the top part of the island. He frowned and turned round, looking at the worn down path.

"Maybe this one will take me to the grave." he said, walking down it. He was limping a bit, having hurt his leg on the fall. Without Wendy's healing magic, his injuries would take longer to heal. He was thankful for the Tenrou Tree's blessing, without it he would probably have died a while ago.

As he walked, he couldn't shake off the feeling that he was being watched. All of the animals scurried away as soon as he passed, only a few brave Tenrou Squirrels were able to get close to him. He smiled at the docile creatures, tossing pieces of his lunch at them.

He stopped mid stride and glanced over his shoulder. The wind blew a bit hard, sending dry leaves in all directions. He took a whiff of the air, but didn't find anything. He swallowed the lump in his throat, feeling a shiver go down his spine. He let out a breath he didn't know he had been holding and kept walking.

"Easy Aiden, you're just psyching yourself up. Being alone sucks, but you're a big boy." he said, making himself chuckle.

He didn't realize just how much he depended on his friends. He had grown used to Phoebe being near him, along with Wendy and Carla, and now that he was alone, he was scaring himself. He kept walking down the path, seeing the incline head of him. He ran to the top of it, eyes widening.

Before him lay an abandoned town. The stone buildings had long since crumbled, being over taken by nature. Large trees grew out of some of the buildings, moss covering the walls of the northern buildings. There was a broken down building that seemed to stand over all the other ones, though it was much in the same state as every other place.

"Master Makarov never said anything about a town being here." he muttered. He felt a tug on his pant leg and looked down, seeing a few Tenrou Squirrels sitting next to him, one of them pointed to the large building, as if they wanted him to go in there. He shrugged, tossing the last of his sandwich at them. He fixed his scarf and continued walking down the path.

Aiden had been in destroyed and abandoned towns before. It was always an eerie feeling, as if the people were still living there. It had been a bit of a challenge for him to go back to Shamo Village after so long. His search for survivors had ended with Yukino, as he hadn't found anyone else who had survived. He had been meaning to visit Angel in prison to tell her about it, but real life got in the way of it. He stopped in the middle of the village, looking at the buildings.

No doubt they had been beautiful in their hay day. They all looked like comfortable places to live. One building still stood, mostly undisturbed by nature, the town library. It was as if someone had put a magic spell on it so nothing happened too it. He tested the doors, but was unable to get them open. Frowning, he jumped down from the steps, walking toward the large building at the back of the town.

It had a large red mark on it, or at least that's what he saw it as. The paint had long since peeled away. To him it looked like a half moon, or a reptile of some sort. He looked around, seeing a worn wooden sign laying on the ground. His eyes fell over the name, a low hum escaping his lips.

"Red Lizard, I think I heard of that guild...didn't think this was where it was located." he said to himself. He looked up at the worn steps, and decided to check it out. He still had plenty of time to find Mavis's Grave. After all, this place could also hold a clue for it's whereabouts.

The doors slowly creaked open as he got to the top, something he found odd. He stepped into the building, seeing the dilapidated state it was in. the tables were broken and the wooden chairs were eaten away by termites. The bar was also destroyed, and he smelled the remains of ash. No doubt, this place had been set aflame before, the scorch marks on the wood and rock had been a clear indicator. He walked further into the guildhall, using his hand as a torch. Once he reached the center of the building, the doors slammed shut. He jumped a bit, looking over his shoulder.

"Alright, this is creepy." he muttered.

He noticed a light blue glow coming from his guild mark, and he found it a bit odd that it was glowing. He looked around, hearing the creak of a floor board. He turned around, hearing shuffling sounds to his left. He threw a fire ball at the bar, shattering the unbroken bottles that had been placed on the shelf. He heard a small squeak, seeing a white rat racing from around the bar. He chuckled, shaking his head.

"This place is getting to me. Damn rats." he said.

"Tell me about it, I've been dealing with those for awhile now."

His eyes widened and he turned around, taking a few steps back. He glanced at one of the support beams, seeing a pair of olive colored eyes looking at him.

They belonged to a young girl, who had long brown hair tied into ponytails with red ribbons. She was wearing an orange halter top, that reached down past her waist. She was wearing a tan colored skirt, with black leggings and brown boots. She was looking at him, a shy look on her face.

"I uh...wasn't aware that there were people living here." he said firmly.

"Not a lot of people come here...do you...need something?" she asked.

"Directions to Mavis Vermillion's Grave would be nice...but first tell me who you are, you know...non Fairy Tail members aren't allowed on Tenrou Island right?" he asked.

"I'm well aware of that...I was here before you arrived. In order to reach the Grave, you need to head out of town and head East. You'll come to a river, follow it North and then cross it when you get to the falls, there's a path that leads to the grave." she said.

"Thanks." he said simply. He turned to leave, only to hear the girl move. She seemed to have gotten brave enough to stand away from the support beam. She wasn't much younger than he was, a year at most, and she was almost taller than him, though he figured her boots gave her a few inches.

"Would you like to know more about Mavis?" she asked. He glanced at his pocket watch, noticing two hours had passed. He shrugged, turning to face the girl.

"I guess, I have some time before I need to find the grave...but how about you tell me your name, so I can address you properly." he said.

"Right...my name is Zera...I'm one of the Fairies of Creation." she said.

"A what?" he asked.

"Nevermind, that part isn't important. What's your name?" she asked, looking away from him.

"Aiden Flame, future S-class mage of the Fairy Tail, it's a pleasure meeting you Zera. Not a lot of pretty girls like exploring ruins you know." he said, giving her a smile. She blushed a bit, not looking up at him.

"Um...well...I guess I'll tell you more about Mavis. She's...she was a very special person. With her words alone, she had the ability to gather people, she would be able to make friends out of even the toughest of enemies. She was a sweet girl, and a friend to anyone and everyone in Fairy Tail." she said.

"Wait...you sound like you know her, but that can't be possible, as she's been dead for a hundred years...wait...are you a spirit?" he asked.

"Sort of...you could say I'm stuck in a state of limbo. The Tenrou Tree protects those that live here, so those who die on the island and loose their body live on as souls. Most of us have passed on, but since I was so young, my soul is still bound to this land." she said.

"Oh I'm so sorry. Here I am being rude and intruding on your home." he said.

"No no, it's okay. The exam has been held here for as long as I can remember, anyway...we used to live here, Mavis and I. I'll admit, I wasn't very nice to her...but one night, Blue Skull attacked our guild, Red Lizard. That night, my physical body died, but my soul lived on, and she was able to use her magic to strengthen it, creating an almost lifelike illusion. Years passed, and we eventually met the future founders of Fairy Tail."

"Warrod Sequin, Yuri Dreyar and Precht Gaebolg." Aiden said, earning a nod from Zera.

"Yes, a lot of things happened, and eventually I had to return here. But I did know a lot of what Mavis was doing. She became a talented tactician, making herself known as the infamous Fairy Tactician. That brought even more fame to the guild, eventually she passed on and her grave was made here, on her favorite spot to read. The grave is special, it holds something that will strengthen your bonds with everyone else in Fairy Tail, those who are worthy, will receive more than just a blessing from Mavis." she said.

"More than a blessing huh? I'm not sure I'm worthy of that then...I'm not the most spotless individual." he said.

"It doesn't matter, whatever you did before joining Fairy Tail doesn't mean anything to Mavis. If she thinks you are worthy, she will give you her blessing. I've held you up long enough, you should go." she said. He nodded, spinning on his heel.

"Um...if you'd like to tag along, you can." he said.

"Oh no...I'm not that good with people. You're a lot closer to my age so you're easy to talk to." she said, glancing away from him. He chuckled, shaking his head.

"You remind me of my girlfriend, she used to be really shy too, but she became a social butterfly...or at least more like a social butterfly." he said.

"You have a girlfriend? She must be really sweet...again I'm holding you up."

"Right...it was nice meeting you, and thanks for sharing that information about Mavis. I feel like I understand her and the guild a lot better now." he said, reaching for the door knob.

"I..have a request for you...please...save us." she said.

"Huh?" he asked, glancing back her.

"Mavis is in danger...I can't explain but...after the exams are over, meet me in Magnolia Town, in the Fairy Tail guildhall, I will explain everything then...you have to save us." she said. He nodded, concern washing over his face.

"I promise...I'll be there."

He swallowed hard, leaving the Red Lizard guildhall. He took a deep breath, running down the stairs, he looked around, finding a path that lead into the woods, remembering Zera's directions, he took off into the woods, hoping to find the grave before the others did.

 _xxx (Earlier) xxx_

"We've received word from the reconnaissance team. It seems all of the core members of the Fairy Tail guild, including the S-class mages are present on the island."

"Interesting...so it seems this war will be a lot more fun than I had previously anticipated." came the voice of the Ice Dragon Slayer, as he was glancing at Ultear.

"Master Hades, how shall we proceed?" the Time Mage asked, glancing at the man who was hidden in the shadows. He leaned forward, revealing the face of an old man, he wore a patch over his missing right eye, and was wearing a metal headgear on his head.

"Zeref has been located on the island, and it seems Fairy Tail has become unfortunate. We will pave the ground with the blood of the Fairies and proceed as planned." He said.

"Hahaha, I can't wait for this. I'm going to burn them all to a crisp!" came the voice of the Flame God Slayer, Zancrow. Brandon hissed under his breath, a bit of cold steam escaping his lips.

"As if, you couldn't burn a single person even if you were trying." he said. The blonde haired man glared at him, hand glowing with black flames.

"You think so, I have more power in this finger than all of those mages combined!" he said.

"Which is why they sent Azuma to check things out instead of you, really powerful. So scary." Brandon said, taunting the man. He grit his teeth, hand clenched in anger.

"Settle down you two. We mustn't fight against ourselves."

"Shut up Rusty, don't get involved in this!" Zancrow snapped angrily.

"He can try to take me on if he wants, in the end he'll make another piece for my collection." Brandon countered.

"That's enough! We are in the presence of the guild master, set a good example for all of the soldiers." Ultear snapped, ceasing arguments between the two men. Hades chuckled a bit, shaking his head.

"It's alright Ultear, let them blow some steam, we need them to be limber when we drop down on Tenrou Island. Caprico, are the troops ready?" He asked, glancing at the Goat man.

"Indeeed, all of the soldiers are ready to go." he replied.

"Alright then, when we receive word from Azuma, lead the soldiers into battle. Take down any Fairy Tail member, and don't leave anyone alive, Zeref will belong to us. Grimoire Heart will rule the new Grand Magic World!" Hades said firmly, earning nods from his pupils.

 _Meanwhile_

"Ugh...I cannot believe this." Wendy muttered, as she put a hand on her tattered dress. She and Aiden had been taking a romantic path through the island, only for a gigantic Pig Mole to race after them. True he did etch a heart on its back end, but it didn't need to chase them all over the island.

She had found a path in the woods and followed it, leading her toward the bluffs. The fresh sea air was a welcome sight for her, and she felt like she could breathe again. She looked around, seeing a small patch of flowers. She smiled, kneeling in front of them.

"Wow, these flowers are so pretty. I'm sure Aiden would like them." she said. Her boyfriend had some very peculiar tastes, one of them being flowers. The two of them had planted plenty in the gardens as the mansion, though he didn't talk much about them. She heard footsteps behind her and looked over her shoulder.

"Wendy, hey!"

"Hi Yuna, what are you doing here?" the Sky Dragon asked. She jabbed a thumb over her shoulder, pointing at Mest, who was busy looking around.

"Since we lost the challenge, we decided to explore the island. I know we were supposed to head to the base camp, but this place is too beautiful to pass up. Besides, exploring is in my nature!" she said happily.

"Yeah, you get to see some pretty amazing things. I'm sorry that you two lost, heard you went up against Gray and Loke."

"Yeah, those two were no joke. Even with my fighting prowess." Mest said firmly.

"What are you doing here? I thought you and Aiden were in it to win it?" Yuna asked.

"We are, but we got separated awhile ago. I'm trying to find my way to the base camp, maybe he went there or passed through it." she said.

"Oh, I get it. I sort of lost our map, so we're just wondering around. I'm sure Erza or Mira will come looking for us eventually." she said. The two of them suddenly stopped, glancing toward the center of the island, where hundreds of small birds shot out, flying high into the sky. Wendy swallowed hard, placing her hand on her chest.

"Did...you feel that?" she asked.

"Feel what?" Mest asked curiously.

"Yeah, I didn't feel anything. Man, whatever scared those birds must have been huge." Yuna said, shielding her eyes with her hand.

" _No way...they didn't feel that dark magic? It was so powerful...I need to find Aiden."_ Wendy thought to herself.

" _Heh, no way...I knew Fairy Tail was hiding a massive secret...but Zeref being on the island? I'm gonna get a promotion with this information. But do I report now?"_ Mest thought to himself, glancing at the two girls. Yuna had been busy looking out at the ocean, but Wendy hadn't moved an inch. He bit his lip.

" _The Sky Maiden...she certainly felt that attack...I can't let her know I felt it too."_

"I wonder what these flowers taste like!" he suddenly said, taking the bouquet from her hands, and shoving it in his mouth. Wendy let out a surprised yelp, eyes wide in shock.

"Mest! You're supposed to smell the pretty flowers not eat them!" Yuna cried, shaking her head.

"What's wrong with him?" Wendy cried out.

"I'm not entirely sure." Yuna said firmly. The two of them heard a sudden explosion, and turned their eyes to the sky, seeing a glowing red orb high in the air. Yuna looked at, curiosity etched on her face.

"Uh...do you know what that means?" She asked, looking at Wendy, who shook her head.

"No, I was never told what the flares meant...it's red..so I'm assuming it isn't anything good."

"Mest, do you know what that mean?" Yuna asked, pointing to the flare.

"Um...no?" he replied.

"Wendy! Yuna!"

Wendy jolted a bit, quickly turning around. She was surprised to see Carla flying toward her, with Pantherlily in her arms. She landed on the ground, allowing her wings to disappear. Pantherlily instantly jumped out of her hands, landing in front of Yuna.

"Get away from that man, he's dangerous!" the black exceed said.

"Huh...what are you talking about Lily?" Yuna asked curiously, glancing between the man in question and the exceed.

"This guy has been lying since day one. He isn't Mystogan's pupil, the fact of the matter is he's not even a Fairy Tail member!" Carla snapped, pointing at the man.

"What are you talking about? My name's Mest Gryder...I'm friends with Mystogan, remember?" he asked. Almost faster than he could blink, a giant black fist slammed into the rock behind him. He glared at Pantherlily's battle form, now extremely nervous.

"Tell us who you really are, my Prince never had a pupil in Earthland. It's also obvious you aren't from Fairy Tail, as you didn't know what the flare even signified. Who are you really?" he asked firmly.

"Lily, do you really need to go this far?" Yuna asked, clearly confused.

"Ugh...see, this is why I told you not to trust him! But you two didn't listen! Where's Aiden?" Carla cried, looking around the area.

"Somewhere on the island, would you mind telling me what's going on now?" Wendy asked firmly, turning to face Mest, a firm look on her face. The man chuckled, shaking his head.

"Looks like the jig is up. And I was so looking forward to that promotion." he muttered. Pantherlily looked at him curiously. Yuna grit her teeth, summoning one of her guns into her hand. She stood next to Pantherlily, aiming it at the man.

"Alright, talk! Who the fuck are you?" she asked angrily.

"Me, I'm not one special, just a member of the magic council. I'm here looking for dirt so I can shut Fairy Tail down. But I found something else, something so much better than anything else." he said. Wendy grit her teeth in anger, the air around her becoming a bit sharp. She was about to attack the man, only for her to stop the attack. She glanced over her shoulder, eyes widening at what she saw.

"What?"

Mest seemed to notice it too, because he flashed away, stunning Pantherlily who quickly turned around. He appeared in front of Wendy, wrapping her arms around her small body.

"No, Wendy!" Carla cried, reaching her hand toward her.

"Get down!" he cried, teleporting away, just in time to avoid a towering plume of flame. Pantherlily flipped out of the way, summoning his wings. He held Yuna protectively in his arms, the girl looking very confused. Carla shot into the air, having avoided the attack entirely.

"Show yourself!" Mest shouted, looking in all directions. A chuckle suddenly filled the area, and it seemed to be coming from a nearby tree. They all watched as a face appeared on it.

"Very good, I wasn't expecting someone to actually notice my presence." he said.

"You're a real coward, attacking a little girl, really?" Mest snapped, standing up. Wendy huffed, brushing her dress off.

"I'm not defenseless you know...but thanks." she said, earning a nod from the man. Lily and Yuna landed on the ground, the white haired idol aiming her gun at the tree.

"Why don't you come out of that tree asshole? Show us your face." Mest taunted. The man chuckled, stepping out of the tree.

He was a tall man, with dark colored skin, and brown hair. He was wearing a tribal outfit, with light tan being the main color. He had a firm look on his face, arms crossed with disdain. He didn't seem to pleased with the outcome of his attack.

"Very good, I didn't think you could tell my presence. I suppose I should introduce myself, my name is Azuma." he said firmly. Mest gasped, eyes widening in shock.

"Azuma of the Great Tree, one of the Eight Kin of Purgatory." He said.

"Eight Kin, Grimoire Heart?" Wendy asked curiously.

"A dark guild...what could they want here?" Carla asked curiously.

"This island has something that we want. The dark wizard Zeref is here, but our mission isn't just to acquire him. It's also to eliminate Fairy Tail." He said firmly.

"You think you can just waltz onto our island and threaten us? You got another thing coming!" Yuna said firmly, pulling the hammer of her gun, her grip tightening on the firearm.

"As if you can eliminate me. You aren't a worthy opponent for me, just so you know, the rest of the Kin are preparing to invade the island. If you value your lives, you'll leave...as if we'd let you." he said, giving them a smirk.

"The whole guild is coming?" Pantherlily muttered, teeth firmly grit. Wendy swallowed hard, getting a bit nervous.

"Man, this is even better than I thought. Taking down Zeref and Grimoire Heart in one fell swoop, I'm sure to get a promotion now. Thankfully I brought that fleet of warships." he said. Azuma smirked, glancing over his shoulder.

"Oh, you mean those warships?" he asked, moving to the side, revealing the fleet of Council ships. A second later they exploded, sending wooden planks and debris in all direction. The mages all gasped in shock.

"All of those people...you're a coward!" Yuna cried angrily. Azuma smirked, brow raised in curiosity.

"You talk big game little girl. Such a shame too, I used to love listening to your music." he said, holding his hand out. Pantherlily raced forward, slamming his fist into Azuma's chin, sending him back a few feet. The man didn't even look phased. He continued on with his attack, as if nothing had happened.

"Bleve!" he chanted. A plume of flames burst from his hand, enveloping Pantherlily. He growled in pain, but powered through the attack, punching the man across the face.

"Damn, if only I had a sword." he muttered, wiping his lip.

"You hit pretty hard for a cat...but it isn't enough to take me down." Azuma replied.

"We can't let him fight up there alone. Wendy, I need your help." Yuna said, earning a nod from the Sky Dragon.

"Go, I'll handle the support." she said.

"Are you insane, you two can't fight Grimoire Heart. They'll kill you all!" Mest cried out.

"They can go ahead and try, but they aren't going to defeat Fairy Tail! Stout Winds that Tear the Heaven, Arms, Fast Wind that Runs the Heaven, Vernier!" she chanted.

"Amazing, this is what support magic feels like?" Pantherlily cried. He grinned, shooting forward with great speed. Azuma narrowed his eyes, sending out hundreds of explosions at the black cat, who dodged them all with ease. Yuna raced forward, body glowing a bright gold.

"Requip: Sweet Lolita!" she cried. Jumping into the air, she pulled her Sweet Scythe back, throwing a slash at the brown haired man. Azuma easily caught it, forming an explosion in his hand. She cried in pain, being launched back several feet.

"You're wide open!" Pantherlily cried, delivering a fierce kick to the man. He took the brunt of the impact, being sent back several feet. He shook his head, crossing his arms.

"You're both weak. Not even worth the effort." he said.

"Stop taunting us, you're going down!" Yuna snapped angrily, pulling her scythe back. The blade glowed a bright blue color as she swung it forward, sending a crescent blade of energy at him. He easily blocked it, batting it away.

"Mest, stop standing there. Do something!" Wendy snapped angrily.

"What do you want me to do? There's no way we can defeat him!" he replied. She shook her head.

"You can teleport right? Can you help me, I'll take care of the rest." she said. He followed her train of thought, a smirk on his face. He wrapped his arms around her body, flashing out of sight. Azuma pushed Pantherlily and Yuna back, leaving himself wide open. Mest and Wendy flashed behind him.

" _I got one shot at this. So take it, Sky Dragon's Roar!"_

"You are all fools. Tower of Flames!" Azuma chanted, his arms snapping out. A large towering flame burst from his hands, enveloping the Fairy Tail mages. They all howled in pain, being launched back several feet.

"Pathetic, is this Fairy Tail's fighting force? Children and Cats?" Azuma asked, glancing at all of the mages. He jumped out of the way, avoiding Yuna's scythe. She was panting a bit, her body littered with scratches. Her armor glowed brightly, disappearing into her Space pocket.

"You forget, I'm still here. I trained with the Fairy Queen, and there's no way I'm going down without a fight!" she said firmly. The man smirked, crossing his arms.

"Alright Idol girl, show me what you've got."

xxx _Earlier_ xxx

"Ugh...is it just me, or did it get hotter?" Aiden muttered. The squirrel on his shoulder chirped, shaking its head. He had easily made friends with the squirrels, mostly because he fed them, but they seemed like the friendliest critters on the island.

He had been following Zera's directions for the better half of an hour, and had yet to find the grave. He was sure the girl wasn't lying, that and perhaps he got lost along the way. He sighed, wiping some sweat from his brow. He glanced up at the sky, which was still bright blue. He had some time before sundown. He just hoped no one else ran into him, or reached the grave first.

The squirrel on his shoulder suddenly jumped to the ground, running away from him as fast as it could. He watched it go, a look of curiosity on his face. That's when he noticed all of the trees around him wilting and dying, the leaves started falling, turning into ash in mid air. He glanced around, getting into a battle stance.

"What the hell is going on?" he muttered to himself. He started running, following the directions Zera gave him. He ran into an open clearing, the sound of the waterfalls not far from where he stood. He heard footsteps and immediately turned around.

There was a young man walking into the clearing. A black haired young man, that looked exactly like the one Carla had described. He had a scratch mark on his cheek, and seemed to be crying. He looked up, gasping a bit.

"No...what are you doing here?" he asked quietly. He seemed stunned at Aiden's appearance. The young man grit his teeth, igniting his fist.

"I could ask you the same question, who are you and what are you doing on Tenrou Island?" he asked firmly.

"Please...I mean you no harm, Aiden."

His brows furrowed at the sound of his name. How the hell did this young man know him? He had never met him in his life. Aiden took a step forward, but the man held his hands up.

"Please, don't come any closer. I don't want to hurt you." he said.

"Then tell me who you are, and how do you know my name? Answer me!" he cried. The man fell to his knees, a black wave swirling around him. The entire clearing seemed to die in that instant, something that scared Aiden.

"Please...run away Aiden, I don't want you to die." the man said.

Aiden wanted to know who this man was, but he couldn't approach him. He didn't know what it was, but that black wave of magic felt familiar. He could tell it was deadly. He quickly turned around, running in the opposite direction. He ran as fast as he could, running out of the dying clearing. He tripped on a root, falling into the river. He quickly stood up, racing into the forest. He hid behind a large trees, hundreds of meters away from the young man. He finally took a breather, looking at his shaking hands. He felt something hot on his face and reached up to his cheek, feeling the fresh tears.

"Why am I crying?" he asked, clearly confused. He glanced around the tree, but didn't see anything. He couldn't even feel the man's presence anymore. He reached for his belt, pulling out one of his gate keys.

"Open, Gate of the Unicorn: Monoceros!" he chanted. A loud whinny filled the air as the Unicorn raced through the gate. Ever since meeting the spirit, it had adapted their contract. It now had a leather saddle on it, along with some saddlebags filled with supplies. Aiden climbed aboard, taking a hold of the rains.

"Let's go!" he said, Monoceros lift itself up to his hind legs, before racing off into the woods. He didn't know how long it had been, but he finally burst into another clearing. He pulled the unicorn to a stop, both of them looking around.

The clearing was rather large, and had tree roots growing in all directions. He looked up, seeing the trunk of the giant Tenrou Tree that rose several hundred meters into the air. His eyes fell onto the base of it, seeing a small structure. Several pillars had been created there, and it had some green moss on it. Atop it sat a headstone, with Mavis Vermillion's name on it, along with the mark of Fairy Tail. Sitting at the base of it was Master Makarov, who was instantly pulled from his meditation.

"So, you are the first one to arrive. Congratulations on passing the second trial." he said.

"Master, there's a guy on the island. I don't know who he is, but he's really strong. He destroyed an entire clearing." he said, dismounting from the Celestial Spirit, who disappeared into the Spirit world. The man stood up, looking right into his eyes.

"Nonsense my boy. This island is off limits to everyone who doesn't bear our mark. It is hidden from plain view, that's why no one knows it's location." he said confidently. Aiden looked over his shoulder, shuddering a bit.

" _There's no way Master couldn't have felt that guy. There's a lot of magic power here, that's probably it."_

"Well, since you have passed Phase Two of the exam, it is time for you to move onto Phase Three." he said, pointing to the grave.

"Our First Master, founder of this guild, rests right here. Her spirit, love and dedication to our guild is transcribed into this special shrine. I would like for you to pay your respects to her. Once you receive your blessing, I shall tell you what what you must do next." he said. Aiden nodded, slowly walking toward the grave. He knelt before it, bowing his head respectfully.

"Hello Mavis...I'm Aiden Flame...it's good to meet you. You've created a wonderful guild, one that I'm proud to call my home. Thank you...thank you for everything...I feel like I found my place to be. It wouldn't have been possible without you." he said happily.

" _I promise...I don't know what's going to happen to you, but I will help you. I made a promise to Zera, and I never break my promises. I'll protect you and everyone in this guild."_ he said mentally. He didn't want Makarov to hear that last part. He noticed a bright light form around the head stone. He looked up, seeing the small gap between the pillars was glowing a bright gold.

"Whoa...what's going on?" He asked, glancing back at the master, who only smiled at him.

"It seems like Mavis is granting you her blessing. Go on, place your arm in that gap." he said. Aiden nodded and stood up, slipping his arm into the hole between the pillars.

" _I hope you keep your promise to us Aiden. I'll hold you to it!"_

"Did you hear that?" Aiden asked, glancing back at Makarov.

"Hear what my boy? I haven't heard anything." he said. Aiden glanced back at the grave, seeing the glow intensify. When he pulled his arm out of the hole, he noticed the glowing red mark on his arm.

The mark resembled that of Fairy Tail, and seemed to wrap around the top of his hand, and around his wrist. The wings on the fairy were more defined, along with the tail. There were small runes circling the mark, spelling out some words, in a language he didn't understand.

"What is this? I feel a warm magic coming from this mark." he said, his eyes focusing on the glowing red mark he had just received.

"You've received her blessing. Fairy Law, one of the three Fairy Magics...though this one is a single use spell. It takes years of practice to learn it, but since you've gotten her permission to use it, you might be able to learn it on your own."

"Fairy Law...I'll treasure this always. Thank you Mavis." he said, glancing at the sky, a smile on his face.

"Well my boy, since you've finished Phase Two, it's time for the final Phase of the exam. On this island is a special relic, one from a legendary collection, you should know it as a Gem of Avalor...this one is named the Magenta Diamond. Your task, find this gem and bring it to the West side of the Island, and present it to the special shrine dedicated to our first Master's Best Friend. Complete this by tomorrow morning, and I will name you S-class." he said firmly. Aiden nodded, shaking a bit.

"I won't fail you master." he said, heading toward the exit of the clearing. He needed to find Wendy, knowing full well this next task would be harder than the previous one. As he was leaving however, he heard a loud pop, a crimson light filling the area. He looked up, eyes widening.

"A flare?" he asked.

"Condition Red, there are enemies on the island." Makarov said. Aiden looked at him, eyes wide.

"It's that black haired man I told you about. His magic killed an entire clearing, we have to stop him." Aiden said.

"I believe it's something else, but I will look into the matter. For now, the exam will be put on hold. Head to the base camp and meet up with the rest of the guild. I will take care of it."

"Maybe I should come with you, just in case." he said.

"I'll be fine on my own my boy. You must make sure everyone else is alright, so please do as I ask." he said. Aiden sighed, giving him a nod.

"Alright Master, I'll head to the base camp. Be careful." he said, racing into the woods, heading toward the general direction of the camp. Makarov sighed, glancing back at the grave.

"Master Mavis, I'm sorry for allowing enemies onto our holy land. I shall take care of it post haste, I hope you can forgive me." he said firmly, leaving the clearing.

xxx

Yuna grit her teeth as she stared down her opponent. Her friends had passed out from that one massive attack, and she had barely survived it herself. Facing an opponent this strong on her own normally wouldn't be something she would consider, but they were invading Tenrou Island, and she wasn't going to let that happen.

"You're a rather interesting person, able to go into trees. I've never heard of that type of magic." Yuna said. Maybe if she made conversation, the man would talk about his magic specialty. He smirked, sending some explosions her way. She easily dodged them, jumping too and fro.

"Nice try, trying to get me to talk. I suppose since you are going to die, you deserve to know my magic specialty. It's called Great Tree Arc, a lost art. It allows me to control trees and bend them to my will. I can create explosions from thin air and destroy anything in my path." he said, sounding rather proud of his magic.

"Interesting, but your magic is only useful if you have trees near you." Yuna said, her body glowed a brilliant gold as she Requipped into her Baby Metal Armor.

She strummed her guitar, sending a loud sound wave at the man. He blocked his ears, forcing his eyes shut. Yuna hit a high note, causing the ground around them to rumble from the attack. The tree behind Azuma burst into smithereens, destroying it completely. All of the trees in the area met the same fate, clearing the bluffs of plant life.

"By removing the trees you have eliminated one style of fighting. But that doesn't remove my ability to make you explode. Bleve!" he chanted.

"Repel Wave!" Yuna cried, strumming a sharp C on her guitar. Both attacks met in the center, causing a loud explosion. Yuna jumped out of the way, requipping into her Songstress Armor. She opened fire at the Tree mage, who launched more explosive orbs everywhere.

"Guns Magic: Tornado Shot!" She chanted, launching a massive twister at Azuma. The man easily dodged it, crossing his arms as in disappointment.

"You aren't a good opponent. I'm not even breaking a sweat. Burst Claw!" he chanted, launching several growing roots at the girl. She grit her teeth, jumping away from the roots. She tripped over one, falling to the ground. She howled in pain as all of the roots exploded, sending her flying back into a boulder.

"Damn it...that one hurt." she mumbled, her body glowing as her armor disappeared. She stood back up, brushing her shirt off. Her body was littered with scratches, and her body hurt, but she wasn't giving up yet. Azuma sighed, taking a deep breath.

"Well, you've lasted longer than I thought you would. A singing prodigy and an excellent mage, Yuna is definitely full of surprises." he said firmly.

"Don't you dare say that name. Only my friends call me Yuna, you may call me Peyton! Remember it as the name of the girl who kicked your ass! Requip: Sweet Devil Armor!" she chanted. Golden light burst from her body, swirling around her very form.

The new outfit consisted of black frilled bra, with light pink buckles on it. She was wearing an armored black top, which left her shoulders bare, the collar being a light pink in color. It had long sleeves with matching pink cuffs and butterfly shaped buttons. She was wearing an armored layered skirt, which was black in color and had pink ruffles.

She wore a pair of see through stockings, with pink garterbelts. Finally, she was wearing a pair of black leather boots with pink heels. Her hair had been tied into twin tails, with black and pink butterfly hair clips. A pair of devil wings sprouted from her back, an aesthetic part of the armor itself. Her entire body seemed to glow as her magic and defenses rose.

"I've been saving this armor for a strong opponent, and it seems it's time has come." she said, holding her hand out. A beautiful long sword appeared in her hand. It was silver in color, with a butterfly shaped hilt, which had a pair of devil horns coming from the middle of the blade. She ran forward, the sword glowing brightly.

"Element of fire, heed my call! EnFire!" she chanted. Her sword burst into flames as she swung it, slashing Azuma across the chest, his body bursting into flames. He jumped back, brushing the fire off easily.

"Your power has increased...you might be a challenge after all." he said.

"I'm not just going to lie down. Erza taught me that no matter how tough the fight is, I should never give up!" she said firmly. He chuckled, shaking his head.

"The Fairy Queen has taught you well, but it won't be long before she dies on this island. Burst Claw!"

"Enchant, Haste! EnThunder!" Yuna cried.

Her body glowed purple as she zoomed forward, dodging all of the exploding tree roots. She jumped into the air, Lightning crackling from her sword. She slammed it into Azuma, sending him flying back. She threw several speedy slashes at him, the man dodging each one with ease. She smirked, jabbing her sword at his face, slashing him across the bridge of his nose. His hand flew to his face, feeling the blood oozing from his new cut.

"Well shit...that's a first." he said, a smirk on his face.

"Don't under estimate Fairy Tail." she said, a firm look on her face. He snapped his fingers, several thick roots wrapped around the girl, raising her into the air. She grit her teeth, as they squeezed the life out of her.

"You were a tough opponent, but I'm through playing with you. Consider yourself lucky, you might not make it to my top ten list of worthy foes, but at least you're on it." he said.

Yuna grit her teeth, she saw spots in her vision, but she wasn't about to give up. She held her left hand out, summoning one of her guns. She took aim at Azuma, pulling the trigger. He easily dodged the bullet, which exploded behind him. He shook his head, tightening his roots on her. She groaned in pain, loosing her grip on her weapons. She fell into unconsciousness, her body becoming limp. Azuma tossed her aside, glancing back out to the ocean.

"Targets have been neutralized, feel free to send reinforcements." he said, speaking into his communication lacrima. It wouldn't be long until the island was filled with his guild mates. With that, he moved on, walking deeper into the island.

Aiden ran through the woods, trying to find his way into the base camp. Thanks too all of the winding paths on the island, he had once again gotten lost. He came to a stop next to a large tree, looking at it closely. He nodded and propelled himself onto the high branches, climbing his way to the top. He brushed aside some of the leafy branches, now being able to look into the ocean. His eyes widened as he saw the airship approaching the island. He swallowed hard, seeing the mark painted onto the front.

"Grimoire Heart...so...our time has come, hasn't it Brandon?" he asked himself.

"It would seem so, little brother." the man in question muttered, glaring at the island. He knew his brother was on it, most likely waiting for him. He smirked, knowing his fight against his brother would be the best one yet, and he would be the winner, he would make sure of it.


	50. Tenrou Arc: A Battle of Ice and Fire

**A/N: Hey all you people! Hey all you people! Hey all you people will you listen to me?**

 **I just wrote a chapter, no ordinary chapter, it's a chapter full of sibling rivalry~**

 **This is the chapter of the biggest fight in all of Fairy Tail, the time has come for Aiden to be put to the test, and I hope you guys are ready for the fight, because I'm excited to be bringing it to you all. I may be over hyping everything, but I just love how this chapter turned out, and I just hope you like it too.**

 **Although, I have to say it's going to be a Two Parter, so don't get mad at me when you get to the end, just leave your thoughts reviews and comments and I will answer any questions you may have. Chapter 50 is definitely going to be the longest chapter of this arc, and it's going to be really emotional and a tad fucked up.**

 **So, without further ado, here's Chapter 49 of the Hellfire Dragon Slayer. Enjoy it!**

 **Song of the Day: Footsteps in the Snow from the Final Fantasy XIV sound track.**

 **This is the first song that plays while you fight Shiva. Since Brandon is the Ice Dragon Slayer, I thought he needed his own badass theme and this is definitely it. If you want to be fully immersed in it, I recommend you play this in the background while reading this.**

Tenrou Arc

Chapter 49

A Battle of Ice and Fire

Aiden slowly made his way through the woods. Knowing now what enemy he would be facing, he decided to tread carefully. Various explosions had rocked the area, one particular one releasing a massive amount of magic power. He had been worried that it was his master, but knew the old man could handle himself. He had to make it to the base camp, to meet up with everyone else, but knowing the situation at hand, they were most likely fighting. Worry washed over him as he thought about Wendy and the rest of his teammates. He had been so focused on the exam that he didn't bother finding them. He hated himself for it, and made a mental note to apologize to them.

He walked into a clearing, thick trees towering high above him. The ground was covered in moss and dry leaves. It was deathly quiet, and he didn't like it. He started walking across it, only to stop at the sound of rockets. He glanced up, seeing a figure high above the island. Several golden orbs rained down on the clearing, all of them holding foot soldiers, armed men wearing white masks with Grimoire Heart's mark on them. They all chuckled and laughed as they surrounded the young man.

"Well lookie here, a little boy and he's on his own." one man said.

"I've been dying to fight someone. Let's see if the Fairies are truly strong."

"You're screwed kiddo, don't make it hard on us."

Aiden's eyes drifted back and forth, glancing at everyone around him. There were at least forty guys around him, all of them holding various magical weapons, swords and staves. He didn't see any facial features due to the mask, but he could tell some of them were women, from scent and body shape alone. He loosen the straps of his pack, allowing it to disappear into his requip. He cracked his knuckles, getting into his Maker Stance.

"You've picked the wrong kid to mess with." he said firmly.

"Get him!" the leader shouted, racing at Aiden. He smirked, dodging the sword swipe, easily getting behind him.

"Switch Style: Fire Make Sparrows!" he chanted.

The magic seal burst to life, hundreds of sparrows flying out from it. The man howled in pain as hundreds of explosions slammed into his back. He dodged another sword swipe, grabbing the man's wrist. He drove his flaming fist into his chest, tossing him into a few others. He dropped to the ground, avoiding another sword swipe. He swung his flaming legs around, trails of fire slamming into his assailants.

"Blue Flames, no way...it's him!" one woman cried. Aiden stood back up, blue flames surrounding his entire body. His eyes were glowing a brilliant red, he smiled the fire around his face turning ominous.

"The Blue Flare of Fairy Tail!"

"So, it seems you've heard of me. I'm usually not one to mess with the small fry, but you fucks picked a bad day to invade our holy land. Fire Make: Explosion!" he chanted, forming a giant swirling orb in front of himself. He threw it at the ground, willing it to explode.

The soldiers howled in pain, flying in all directions. He had taken out twenty or so, but they were quickly replaced. He hissed, taking a few steps back.

"You guys piss me off. Switch Style: Fire Make: Dragon!" he chanted, slamming his hands onto the ground. A loud hissing roar filled the air as the flaming serpentine dragon came from the magic seal. It hissed loudly, flaring it's nostrils, sending flames in all directions.

"Go Jimmy, kick their asses!" Aiden said, creating several Hell Hounds around him, all of them pawing the ground.

The large dragon roared and shot forward, slamming its tail into the opposing mages, sending them flying in all directions. The Hell Hounds raced in, pawing and clawing at them with their flaming bodies. Aiden smirked, that familiar rush flowing through his veins. He suddenly stopped, jumping to the right to avoid a surprise attack. White magic seals appeared under each of his creatures, making them all disappear.

"What the hell?" he muttered.

"So, the Blue Flare managed to defeat all of the foot soldiers, did he?" a voice said. He glanced around, seeing all of the defeated mages crawling out of the clearing. Standing high above him, on a tree branch was a woman, a few years older than him.

She had long dark violet hair, reaching down to her mid back. She was wearing a battle suit of various colors, white and black being the most prominent. She had a firm look on her face, as she held an orb at her finger tips. Aiden swallowed hard, eyes firmly on the woman.

"I recognize you...you were part of the Magic Council weren't you?" he asked. The woman chuckled, shaking her head.

"I was merely an interloper, keeping them distracted while we achieved our plans in the darkness. But it seems your guild has become troublesome for our own. You did well in taking out the foot soldiers, but that's as far as you'll go." she said.

"You talk big game, but I'm not letting some pretty girl kick my ass." he said, placing his hands together. She smirked, walking to the edge of the bough she was standing on.

"You're brother was right, you are rather cute. But I'll make sure to wipe that smirk of your face." she said. He hissed angrily, fire bursting from his fingers.

"Fire Make: Explosive Shuriken!" he cried, throwing the large shuriken at the woman. She looked rather unphased as she held her hand out, a white magic circle appearing before it. The attack seemed to disappear, leaving only wisps behind.

"What the hell?" he muttered.

"Time is a wonderful thing isn't it? Most of the time it runs in a linear path, but often times there's a little snag that has to be fixed. Controlling the time of spells and non-living objects is my specialty." she said. His eyes widened in shock.

"Arc of Time. A Lost magic." he said. She jumped down from the tree, landing in front of him. By now all of the defeated soldiers had left, muttering things about how "Ultear" was going to murder the boy.

"Maker Magic is rather useless wouldn't you say? Sure, you can use your imagination to create attacks, but they are all powerless against time." she said firmly. He broke into a sprint, his entire arm bursting into flames.

"If I can't use my maker magic against you, then I'll just get physical. Hellfire Dragon's Iron Fist!" he shouted, throwing a punch at her. She easily dodged it, sweeping her leg into his chest. He grit his teeth, running at her again.

"Arc of Time: Luminous Minutes." she chanted, throwing her orb at him. Aiden howled in pain as it slammed into his body, literally stopping him from moving. He tried to punch the orb, but no matter how many he destroyed, more kept coming at him.

"Had enough?" she asked, as if pausing her spell. Aiden grit his teeth, wiping his mouth.

"I'll admit, this magic is something interesting. A forbidden lost art, but as a dragon slayer I practice the same type of lost magic. I'm not going easy on you." he said firmly, his body bursting into flames. Ultear sighed, rolling her eyes.

"If you say so. Arc of Time: Flash Forward!"

"Hellfire Dragon's Flurry of Dancing Flames!" Aiden countered.

This time he was prepared for the assault, as he broke into a speedy dance, punching all of the lacrimas that were coming at him. Ultear seemed rather impressed with his ability to sense where they would come from. He smirked, bursting forward through the lacrima, landing a solid punch to her face, sending her flying back. He jumped into the air, pulling his arms back.

"Fire Make: Hammer!" he chanted, slamming the flaming hammer into the woman. She slammed into the ground, stunned for a few seconds. He landed a few feet away from her, panting a bit.

"I expelled more magic than I should have. I can't waste time here." he muttered. Ultear stood up, brushing herself off. His eyes widened in shock, seeing she barely had any injuries.

"It's been awhile since I was actually punched in the face. I sort of missed the feeling." she said.

"Christ, just how strong are you?" he asked.

"Everyone on Tenrou Island receives the blessing of the Tenrou Tree, as well as a boost in magic power. You should know this seeing as you bear the crest of Fairy Tail. I'll let you in on a little secret." she said, taking her glove off. His eyes widened as he saw the crest of his guild on the back of her hand.

"Grr...get rid of it." he said angrily.

"If you want me to get rid of it, then wipe it away with your own magic." she said, giving him a smirk. He burst forward with great speed, catching her completely off guard. He slammed his knee into her chest, grabbing her face. He slammed her into the ground, increasing his flames.

"No one insults Fairy Tail, not on my watch!" he shouted in anger. Ultear remained calm, summoning her orb. She slammed it into his gut, sending him flying back. Ultear stood up, light burn marks on her face.

"I should stop taking mages from your guild for granted. You win, I'll wipe your mark from my hand...I don't need this islands blessing to kill you." she said, using her magic to force the mark off her skin. Aiden stood up, rubbing his stomach.

" _This bitch is tough...whoever taught her this magic, taught her well. She's showing confidence with her art, something that takes years to even get."_ he thought to himself. His hands were shaking a bit as he stood there, glaring at the woman. She looked at him, brows furrowed.

"You're shaking...no...are you scared of me? The mighty Blue Flare is scared?"

"Scared, me? Of an extremely hot girl kicking my ass? Please, I'm more nervous than scared." he said firmly.

"Teenage boys are so easy to fight, honestly the only thing they got is sex on the brain. Isn't that Sky Dragon satisfying you? Or are you too pure to do the deed?" she asked.

"Hey screw you, my sex life isn't your business!" he cried, pointing a flaming finger at her.

"Quite right, it's not like it matters to me. Sorry, but I've got things to do, so I'll end this here." she said, holding her arms above her head. Millions of lacrima appeared around them, all of them glowing brightly. Aiden grit his teeth, his eyes wide as he saw them all.

"Oh my god...there's no way I can destroy that many." he muttered.

"Goodbye, Blue Flare!"

xxx

"Are you alright Wendy?" Yuna asked, helping her friend to her feet. The blue haired girl nodded, leaning against her friend.

"I'm fine...I wasn't expecting another God Slayer to be here though." she said.

"I hope Natsu can handle the fight. I'm scared." Happy said, worrying over his friend.

"He'll be fine, Natsu is strong. Just believe in him Happy." Carla said cheerfully, hugging him and Lily tightly against herself. The blue exceed smiled happily.

"Grimoire Heart is here for Zeref, that means he's here on the island. We have to find the master and tell him." Wendy said.

"That's like finding a needle in a haystack. There's no way in hell we'll find him, especially in this place." Yuna said. She was still angry at having lost her fight with Azuma. If she could find him, she would wipe the smirk off his face.

"But we have to try...we need to find Aiden, he would know where the master is." Wendy said.

"He's probably fighting with the rest of the guild. Let's just make it to the base camp and hope Mirajane, Yamato and Lisanna are alright." Yuna said.

The three of them suddenly felt a shiver go down their spine. That's when they noticed the temperature had significantly dropped, so much so that it was snowing. Yuna swallowed hard, looking around the forest. All she saw were trees, all of them glittering with ice and snow. She bit her lip, glancing at her friends.

"I don't like this you guys." she said.

"Me n-neither. Let's t-turn back." Wendy said, shivering from the cold.

"Oh, who said you get an option to leave? Once you enter my domain, you'll become nothing more than a statue for the collection." a firm voice said. They looked behind them, seeing a snow white haired young man standing there, arms crossed. He had a smirk on his face, his vibrant red eyes glowing a bit.

"Oh no, it's him!" Happy cried.

"Nice to see ya again furball. Ice Dragon's Needles!" he chanted, holding his hand out. Millions of freezing icicles shot at them, launching them back hundreds of feet. They all slammed into the ground, which was covered in ice. They tried to stand up, but found it extremely difficult to do so. The man skated in, twirling into a stop.

"So, it's nice to meet you, sister-in-law! I've already met the furball, mind introducing me to the rest of your pals?" he asked. Wendy grit her teeth, glaring at the man.

"Brandon, you're his brother aren't you?" she asked angrily.

"Bingo baby, right on the money. I gotta say, little bro knows how to pick his women. I could fuck your brains out, but sadly I'm not into prepubescent girls with small tits." he said.

"Hey fuck you, my boobs are bigger than your brain!" Wendy cried angrily.

"Calm down, he's trying to get you worked up." Yuna said, summoning one of her pistols. She shot at the ground, the fire bullets melting all of the surrounding ice, allowing them all to stand.

"He's strong, I can feel the magic coming from him." Pantherlily said, assuming his battle form. Brandon tilted his head in curiosity.

"Cats that can fight? Interesting, you'll make a fine specimen for the collection." he said. He held his hand out, a magic seal appeared before him.

"Ice Make: Blizzard." he chanted. The Fairy Tail mages crossed their arms, trying to brave the fierce blizzard trying to knock them back. Happy tried to reach for Carla's leg, but was sent flying back through the woods.

"Happy!" she cried, reaching for him. Brandon flashed in front of her, slamming his ice coated fist into her face, sending her flying into a tree, where she remained, her body half frozen into it.

"Carla!" Wendy cried. Pantherlily moved forward, throwing several speedy punches at him. Brandon smirked, doing a reverse handspring.

"Ice Make: Spikes." he said, hundreds of spikes shot out of the ground, slamming into the black exceed. His magic spent, he returned to his regular form. Brandon smirked, throwing a kick at him, sending him flying back.

"Three down, two to go. Come on, at least make it fun, that useless excuse for a brother actually made me sweat." he said. Wendy grit her teeth in anger.

"Fast Winds that Run the Heaven, Vernier! Stout Arms the cleave the Heaven, Arms, Strong armor that protects the Heaven, Armor. Sky Drive, enchant!" she shouted. Her body literally burst with magic power, as all of her boosting spells enveloped her body. Yuna felt the magic for the first time, feeling stronger. She smirked, requipping into her Sweet Lolita Armor.

"No one insults our friends. Cleaving Chocolate!" she chanted, swinging her scythe at the man. He caught the blade easily, dispelling the magic around it.

"That's a stupid name sweetheart, let me show ya a fierce one. Ice Dragon's Ice Beam!" he chanted, blasting the girl with a powerful beam of ice. Wendy drove her knee into his back, wind bursting through his body.

"Sky Dragon's Diamond Knee Strike!" she chanted, sending him flying forward. He slammed into the ground, easily standing up, planting his arm into the ground.

"Alright little girl, let's dance. By the time I'm through with you, Aiden won't even look in your direction. Ice Dragon's Roar!"

"Sky Dragon's Roar!" Wendy countered. Both attacks met in the center, causing an explosion of wind an ice, sending snowflakes in all directions. Brandon burst forward, placing his hands together.

"Ice Make: Rosen Krone!"

"Wind Make: Turbine!" Wendy chanted, slamming her hands into the ground. As if she were lifting up a blanket, she snapped her arms forward, the tower of wind slammed into the ice attack, breaking it into small fragments of ice. Brandon smirked, flashing behind the girl. Her eyes widened in shock.

"Guns Magic: Flamethrower!" Yuna chanted, pulling the trigger of her gun. The blazing bullet slammed into Brandon, enveloping him in a powerful tower of flames. Wendy jumped back, almost slipping on the ice. Yuna shivered a bit, her Songstress armor didn't offer much coverage from the ice.

"He's tough." She said, switching her empty magazine for a new one. Wendy backed away, just in time for the Ice Dragon to dispel the flames.

"What a bore, his flames are hotter than this. I suppose their alright, for a little girl like you." he said.

"Why are you here? Are you truly here for Zeref?" Wendy cried out, earning a laugh from the man.

"Zeref? I could care less for that useless piece of shit. No, I'm here for him, for seven years I've been waiting. For seven years I've been training, all for the day where I could finally kill my brother, just like I killed our sister and our parents!" he said, raising his hands above his head, a giant storm cloud forming above them.

"It will rain blood, the blood of the Fairies intermingling with the wrath of the Demons, children and adults alike will be frozen in fear! I will kill all of you and bathe in your blood, and when he finally shows up and sees what I did to his friends, we'll fight. We'll fight until neither of us can move, and I'll be able to take his last breath with my own two hands!" he said, breaking into laughter. His eyes were glowing a fierce red, the snow and ice swirling around him.

"Wendy, we've got to get out of here!" Yuna chanted.

"There's no time! He's going to kill us regardless, we need to fight!" Wendy replied.

"This is the end, Ice Dragon's Snow Storm!" he chanted, throwing the disk of swirling clouds at them. Ice and snow seemed to flow out of the ground, forming large spikes out of the ground. The two girls grit their teeth, crossing their arms to block the brunt of the impact. Their eyes widened as a towering plume of light burst in front of them, melting the ice entirely.

"Water Basilisk's Raving Rapid!"

From the light burst a torrent of acidic green water, slamming into the Ice Dragon Slayer, sending him flying back into the rocks, which all melted around him. Wendy and Yuna glanced back, seeing their friends standing behind them.

"You know, anyone who talks shit about my bro is someone worthy of getting their ass kicked." Phoebe said, cracking her knuckles.

"Target acquired, it seems our holy land is being blemished by demons." Iona replied, her blank stare ever present.

"Iona, Phoebe!" Wendy cried out, almost wanting to hug the girls.

"We were passing through and felt the cold. We just got done destroying an army of foot soldiers. What are the odds we would run into you girls?" Phoebe asked.

"Second to none, but now that we're together, it's time to destroy this douche bag. Let's bring back Team Flaming Skies, and meet up with our leader." Iona said, a smile on her face.

"Good to have you back, let's go!" Wendy said, placing her hands together.

"Ile Arms, Ile Amor, Ile Vernier! Enchant!" Wendy cried, slamming her hands together. Glittering winds swirled around the four girls, powering them up further than before.

"Whoa...I feel much stronger than before." Yuna said.

"These enchantments are stronger versions of my supportive magic. They last longer and hit harder, but we won't be able to use them alone. We'll have to hit him with everything we've got. Let's prove to the guild that Team Flaming Skies is worthy of being S-class. Dark Ecriture:Wings"

"Hehe, I love the way you think Wen. My turn!" Phoebe cried, shooting forward. She pulled her fist back, brilliant sunlight swirling around it.

"Solar Punch!" she cried, uppercutting the Ice Dragon. He flipped in mid air, placing his hands together.

"You'll regret that! Ice Make: Lancelot!" he cried, forming a giant lance of ice. Phoebe ducked to the side, the ice scraping her hip. She grit her teeth, barely avoiding a tree.

"Water Basilisk's Breath!" Iona shouted, unleashing a powerful torrent of green water. Brandon smirked, holding his hand out.

"Ice Make: Super Freeze!" he cried, forming a giant wave of ice. The water started freezing over, only for the ice to melt. He jumped out of the way, staring at the ground where he had stood.

"My water is laced with acid, preventing it from freezing. You'll have to try harder than that!" Iona said proudly. A giant fist of ice burst from the ground, slamming into her face. Brandon shot forward, kicking her back into a tree.

"Challenge accepted girlie!" he cried.

"Sky Dragon's Wing Attack!"

"Chocolate Wind!" Yuna cried, swinging her scythe as hard as she could. The two attacks melded together, slamming into Brandon. He grit his teeth, jumping high into the air.

"I think I should stop playing around with you. Ice Dragon's Avalanche!" he shouted, a large magic seal appeared before him, unleashing a powerful wave of snow and ice. Wendy screamed in pain as she tried to avoid it. Yuna reached for her, only for her to be slammed into the ground by the attack. Brandon landed on the ground, dusting himself off.

"What a bother...I'm not even breaking a sweat, but the exercise is nice." he said. He took his coat off, tossing it aside as it had been shredded from the fight. He held his arms thick white scales forming over them. His muscles bulged a bit as his pores expelled a cold wave of steam. A thick white mark ran down the side of his face, as his crystalline fangs grew in size.

"What is that?" Phoebe asked, shivering a bit.

"He's a second generation dragon slayer, one that has a lacrima in their body. He can go into dragon force at will." Wendy said, digging herself out of the snow. Yuna stood up, her armor disappearing from her body, making her shiver. She glanced back at Pantherlily and Carla, the two of them still having passed out from the fight.

"We're in for a tough one, that's for sure." she muttered. Brandon walked forward, about to attack when he caught a familiar scent. He grinned, a smirk on his face.

"He's close. You best run while you can bitch, if you get in my way even you'll fall to my cold ice." he said, breaking into a sprint, racing away from the Fairy Tail mages.

"After him quick...he's going after Aiden, we can't let him attack." Wendy cried, running after the Ice Dragon Slayer.

"I'll stay here with Carla and Lily, you three go." Phoebe said, earning a nod from Yuna and Iona. Both of them were ready to fight and they weren't going to let their friend die.

xxx

"Infinite Sphere!"

Aiden braced for impact, watching the zooming lacrima shooting toward him. He closed his eyes, waiting for the attack, but it never came. When he opened his eyes, he saw hundreds of glowing magic circles in front of him, all of them sucking in the orbs. They all disappeared, forming a large one over Ultear. Just like that, the lacrima rained down on her, striking her entire body in an endless assault.

"Looks like I arrived just in time."

Aiden glanced over his shoulder, seeing his sister standing behind him. She was no longer wearing her cloak, rather she was wearing her own battle suit. It was sleeveless, leaving her arms exposed. She was also wearing black gauntlets on her hands. The suit itself was black in color, and made out of glossy leather. She wore thigh high leather boots with a thin heel. Her hair, normally in twin tails, was actually down. She flicked her wrist, tossing something at Aiden. He caught it, noticing it was a pouch. Inside were two gems, the Red Ruby and the Magenta Diamond. She stood beside him, glaring at Ultear, who was struggling to stand up.

"I'm sorry, I would have arrived sooner but traveling through space is harder than it looks." she said.

"Kurumi...you're here...you're here." he said, almost dropping to his knees.

"Don't rest just yet, our opponent is a tough one. Ultear Milkovich, daughter of Ur Milkovich. A prodigy in magic, she was born with high reserves, even as a child she was held in high regard. Many experiments were conducted on her, testing her limitations. Eventually she ran into Master Precht Gaebolg and was taught in the Arc of Time Magic." Kurumi said.

"Precht Gaebolg...no way, the Second Master of Fairy Tail is..."

"The current master of Grimoire Heart, shocking isn't it?" Ultear asked, brushing herself off. She had a few bruises on her body, but seemed capable of fighting.

"Goddamn traitor! Mavis entrusted the guild to him out of the kindness of her heart, and her love of Fairy Tail, and this is what he decides to do? Train people to be evil?" Aiden cried angrily.

"You speak of things you don't understand boy. This world of ours isn't perfect, there is much grief and struggle, our lives were destroyed. But once we unseal Zeref, we will be able to travel to the Grand Magic World. All magic originates from the Dark Wizard. Only he will lead us to the path of righteousness!" she chanted.

"The only path you'll be having is to an early grave! Arc of Space: Distortion!" Kurumi chanted. A magic seal appeared over Ultear, a wave of energy washing over her. She looked at her hands, seeing them become distorted.

"You think by distorting the space around me I won't be able to attack? You are sadly mistaken. Arc of Time: Growth!" she chanted. The trees around them started growing massively, the roots bursting from the ground. Aiden jumped out of the way, dodging several roots. One of her lacrima slammed into his shoulder, causing him to fall forward.

"Damn it." he muttered, taking another lacrima to the back. Kurumi shot forward, her hands glowing a bright white. She punched Ultear in the face, sending her flying back. The woman dug her feet into the ground, shooting several lacrima at her.

"That won't work on me. Arc of Space: Infinite Portal!" she chanted, opening hundreds of portals in front of her. The lacrima sailed into them, only to be shot back at Ultear.

"You can't bend space without bending time, and that's where I've got you." Ultear replied, using her magic to destroy the portals. Kurumi grit her teeth, glaring at the woman.

"You made the Time of my portals unstable, forcing them to close. I give you credit, you know what you are doing."

"Of course, one can't bend space without distorting time, just like you can't bend time without distorting space. Our magic is practically the same, which is why you can't defeat me!" Ultear said. Aiden slammed his fist into her face, sending her back into a tree.

"You talk too much." he said. Ultear grit her teeth in anger.

"I see a future where you are lying dead by my hand." she said ominously, forming another lacrima. He grit his teeth bracing for impact. The attack never came, as a cold wave of air rushed into the clearing. Ultear smirked, looking toward the treeline.

"He's here...you're end is nigh." she said happily. Aiden grit his teeth, glaring at the tree line. Kurumi stood beside him, her focus unchanged. From the trees burst Brandon, landing in the clearing with a loud slam, cold steam rushed through the area, freezing all of the falling leaves in mid air.

"There you are, little brother. Our time has come, oh and it looks like our sister has brought tea, wonderful!" he said.

"Brandon." Aiden muttered, his voice free of emotion. Ultear smiled, calling her orb back to her hand. She stood firm next to Brandon, glaring at the two mages before her.

"The time has come, your future is forfeit." she said.

"Leave." Brandon growled, glaring at the time mage.

"Huh?"

"I said leave bitch, these two are mine." he said angrily.

"But Brandon, you cannot take them alone. The girl uses a Lost art, you won't stand a chance against them!" Ultear said. Brandon's hand wrapped around her neck, lifting her off the ground.

"You're mission is to find Zeref, not to lollygag here with them." he said.

"But...you can't...fight...alone." she choked out. With a flick of his wrist, he threw the woman toward the rocks. She cried in pain, falling to the ground in a heap. He stood in front of her, a swirling storm of ice in his hand.

"Don't you dare stop me bitch. You and I may have fucked in the past, but that doesn't mean I truly love you. My heart is as cold as ice, and sadly you don't fit the bill. Do fulfill your mission, before I freeze you from the inside out!" he said, his wrists burst with ice as a thick scythe formed from them. He slashed at her back, sending blood in all directions. Ultear clawed at the ground, tears in her eyes.

"I...thought you...loved me?"

"Sorry babe, but I don't have time for love." he said. Ultear stood up, struggling to stay standing. She grit her teeth, glaring at the man.

"You'll pay for this." she said, racing out of the clearing.

"Good riddance, she wasn't even that good at sex...well I guess if you spend all your time playing with yourself, you wouldn't be very good." he said.

"How dare you...a man doesn't disrespect a woman. You don't hurt them, and you definitely don't use them for your sick kicks!" Aiden said, hand bursting into flames. Brandon grinned, his eyes glittering a bright crimson.

"Oh, and you know about love? You're fourteen aren't you? Well actually you aren't...you're much older than that, and frankly that's something that never settled well with me." he said.

"Huh? Have you lost your marbles man?" Aiden asked.

"He's trying to confuse you. Focus on the matter at hand, taking him down. I've been waiting seven years for this time, it seems it has finally come." Kurumi said, holding her hand out. Her eyes snapped open, glowing a brilliant violet.

"Arc of Space: Stellar Strike!" She chanted. Three large portals opened around Brandon, pillars of light bursting from within. He smirked, dodging the attack entirely.

"Ice Make: Blizzard!" he chanted, sweeping his arms. Aiden crossed his arms, icicles grew from his elbows, but they instantly melted thanks to his fire.

"Still just as cold as I remember, but this time I'm not falling for your tricks! Hellfire Drive." he chanted, his body bursting into flames. He raced forward, channeling all of the fire to his hands. He threw them forward, a large magic seal appearing before him.

"Fire Make: Brynhildr!" he chanted.

From the magic seal burst a plume of blue flames, that shot right at Brandon. He smirked jumping over it, only for it to follow him. It enveloped his entire body, the heat searing his skin. He howled in pain as the fire turned into a giant towering armor set. With a snap of his fingers, Aiden detonated it, a large explosion ringing through the area. He panted a bit, gritting his teeth.

"You're expelling too much magic, he'll gain the upper hand!" Kurumi warned. Brandon shot forward, his body enveloped in ice. He smirked, as he spun around as fast as he could.

"Ice Dragon's Graboid!" he cried.

Large jaws came from the front of the ice, along with several sharp pillars. It dug into the ground, tunneling under them. Aiden closed his eyes, trying to listen from where it was going to come from. He turned around, sending a plume of fire behind him. Brandon burst from the ground, shooting the ice at Aiden. He howled in pain as several icicles pierced his skin.

"Heh, even my ice is no match for your fire." he said. Kurumi raced forward, throwing several speedy punches at him, all of them glowing with white light. Brandon smirked, catching her fist, he threw her into the air, holding his hand out.

"Ice Make: Blender!" he chanted, creating a cylinder of ice around Kurumi. She howled in pain as the blades dug into her skin. She gave a loud shout, breaking the ice around her.

"Arc of Space: Spacial Rend!" she cried, sweeping her arm forward, creating a blade of pure spacial energy. It struck Brandon hard, enveloping him in the pink energy. He grit his teeth, powering through it.

"Just how strong is he?" Aiden muttered. Brandon smirked, throwing his head back.

"Seven years of training does wonders on you doesn't it? That puny Earth magic our father bought me didn't stand a chance. I was conditioned in the coldest areas on the planet. And when I was ready, I had an implant in my body. I have five Ice Dragon Lacrima in my body. There's magic in my hands, my legs and my chest! I am the Ultimate Dragon Slayer!" he shouted. His body glowed brightly as he expelled a massive wave of ice magic. The entire area froze over, being covered in clear whitish blue ice. Aiden shivered, struggling to stand.

"Five lacrima...that's insane. That amount of dragon magic...he shouldn't even be human anymore." Kurumi said.

"That's right, I shouldn't...but my magic is artificial. I have the power to hunt a dragon without the limitations of it. I'll never turn into a dragon, I haven't the need of a dragon seed, that would only serve to hold me back." he said. Aiden slammed his fist into the ground, his flames melting the ice around him.

"Shut up, don't you dare mock me! Artificial Dragon magic can't compare to the real thing. I was trained by Atlas Flame, the Hellfire Dragon, and I'm not going to let his name be sullied by the likes of you!" Aiden shouted in anger, flames bursting from his cheeks and wrists.

"Heh, you talk big game little bro, but you don't have nearly enough magic power. And I can do this." he said, once again forcing himself into dragon force. White scales appeared over his body as his arms turned into dragon like claws. The area around his face glittered brightly with scales. His hair became whiter and his teeth glittered brightly.

"Face the wrath of the Ultimate Dragon Slayer!" he shouted, another wave of cold air sweeping the clearing.

"Aiden...you mustn't give up. The gems...I had you collect them for a reason...they hold vast magic power...this is but one of the uses." Kurumi said.

"You never told me who "He" was. It isn't Brandon is it?" He asked.

"No..the foe you are facing is not the reason why the gems were collected, but that's why there's five. Each one is a level of magic...use it wisely." She said, standing up. She formed a square out of her arms, her index and middle fingers touching the palm of her right hand.

"Oh sacred power of space, grant us your divine power. Distort those who wish to cause us harm. Arc of Space: Spacial Severance!" she chanted.

"That won't work on me!" Brandon cried, bursting forward.

He held his arm out, ice forming a sharp blade. He threw it forward, a claw of ice forming at the end of his hand. Aiden sat shell shocked as the two mages collided. Drops of frozen blood dropped to the ground in front of him. His eyes widened in shock as he saw his brother standing before him. He had driven his ice arm straight through Kurumi's body and was holding her up right. He smirked, tossing her body aside.

"Looks like she wasn't up to par with my new strength." he said, looking at the frozen blood on his arm. Aiden stared at Kurumi, watching as blood pooled around her body, slowly moving toward him. His hands became soaked in the crimson liquid. His lip quivered, tears falling down the sides of his face.

"KURUMI!" He screamed, throwing his head to the heavens. From the clearing burst Wendy, Yuna and Iona, who slid to a stop. They all looked shell shocked.

"A-Aiden."

The young man looked down, seeing her smiling face. She coughed up some blood, reaching her hand to cup his face. She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath.

"I'm not your sister...I never was. She wasn't either, but she loved you like she was. You...have to fight...face this adversity head on. She was the one who taught you, to ride that tail wind. Even though I wasn't real...you showed me I could be. My time is up, and it's you who needs to move forward."

"Kurumi, hang on. We can heal you, Wendy's here...she can save you." he said.

"A catalyst without a soul..there's no salvation for me. Lost Magic has it's taboos, and the Arc of Self Preservation was one. Magic Power, taking the shape of the person who cast it. Separation of the soul and the human body, I'm just an empty husk, who doesn't deserve to live. I could always dream. And in my dreams, I saw you. I hugged you, I played with you, and you loved me back...Aiden...why is it that we can never be happy? Why...are the skies silver?" she asked.

"I don't know..but you can't die. I just got you back, your my sister no matter what...please..don't leave me!" he said.

"You have them now. Fairy Tail is your family, their your brothers and sisters, you seemed to be fond of that barmaid...she may not be Kurumi, but she's capable of being your sister. Erza Scarlet, Yamato Sakatonaka...don't you see it, your surrounded by wonderful sisters and brothers...brothers who aren't as despicable as this one. Even though I'm not her, please...at least tell me you love me." she said.

"I do love you sis, no matter what you are, you will always be my sister. Please Kurumi, hang on!" he said. She smiled, looking up at the sky.

"Silver Skies, just like that night. The last night I saw you alive...take care of yourself Aiden Flame. You were a wonderful little brother." she said. Her body fell limp, a brilliant white light enveloping it, as she slowly disappeared, turning into pure magic power.

"What a bore...I should have just finished her off while she was talking...that would have been funny. No wait...I should have frozen her, then she would still be here..damn, there goes my shot at getting a new dart board." Brandon said, absentmindedly. Aiden stood up, driving his flame coated fist into his face, sending him flying back several meters. He panted for breath, glaring at the man, eyes crimson and soaked in tears.

"How dare you! How fucking dare you?" he shouted. Brandon stood up, wiping his lip.

"Ah..that stings...you actually managed to burn me." he said. Aiden reached into his pocket, pulling out the Red Ruby from within. He held it tightly in his hand.

"You said I can turn these into power, let's see if it's true." he said, taking a bite from the gem.

It was rather hard, but he was able to bite through it. He took another bite, and another and another until he had eaten the entire gem. He let out a violent roar that shook the entire island, a towering plume of blue flame bursting from within. He felt himself start to change, the same scales grew from around his eyes, his arms turned more draconic, and his fangs grew out. His hair grew in length, bursting into flames as thick blue flaming scales grew from his back. He dispelled the flames, staring at his brother who just stood there in shock.

"Well, looks like you actually aren't useless after all." he said.

"Aiden...we wanna help." Wendy said, racing out of the clearing.

"Don't, get out of here right now. Things are about to get hotter than hell, and I wouldn't want my Sky Dragon to get hurt." he said, his voice sounding a bit deeper than before.

"Is this truly the power of a dragon?" Yuna asked, staring at the two men before her.

"Dragon Force, the ultimate state a dragon slayer can enter. Fucking scum bags." Iona said. She blushed sheepishly, muttering an apology to Aiden, though it didn't seem to bother him. Wendy sighed, giving Aiden a kiss on the lips.

"After these trials are over and we get Grimoire Heart out of here, you and I are going to have some alone time. I don't care what Carla says."

"I'm looking forward to it babe. Now go, get to the base camp and gather everyone up, this trial split us up, but we'll need all of Fairy Tail's power to defeat Grimoire Heart." he said.

"Will do, come on." Wendy said, racing out of the clearing, followed by Iona and Yuna.

"Colorful friends you've got there. Seems like your a walking bitch magnet, after I'm through with you, I'm going to make them my slaves, starting with that hot piece of ass you got for a mate. Maybe I can make the idol sing for me while I fuck her."

"Keep talking, I'm going to make you swallow your own teeth. I'm gonna shove my foot so far up your ass your body will be turned inside out!" he shouted, expelling a vibrant plume of flames. Brandon smirked, unleashing a cold wave of icy mist from his body.

"Let's Dance little brother, I want to know what it's like to dance on the blood of our sister!" he said, racing at the younger teen, fist raise. Aiden howled in anger, fist covered in hellfire. Both attacks met in the middle, causing a massive explosion of Ice and Fire.

xxx

"Is everyone alright? Don't worry about repairs for now, just secure the island!" Lahar cried, taking a look at the area. All of the ships had been destroyed but thankfully no casualties were apparent. He grit his teeth, glancing back at Tenrou Island.

"Right, prepare to invade Tenrou Island. Men who can hold a sword get ready for battle." he cried. A light filled his vision and he glanced down, seeing his partner Doranbolt.

"Is everyone alright?" he asked.

"Doranbolt...what happened to you? You look like you were put through the wringer." he said.

"I was. Here I am, looking for something to shut down our target when I get caught in a three way war between Fairy Tail, Grimoire Heart and Zeref. It just blew up in my face." he said firmly, standing back up.

"Are you serious?" Lahar asked.

"I am. Is the communication lacrima alright?" he asked.

"It is, it wasn't damaged in the blast, and thankfully no one was hurt." he said.

"Good, we need to inform the council of this, perhaps we can give them assistance." he said, glancing back at the island.

"You do know what will happen here right? The Grand Master isn't going to lie down. Three high profile targets in one place, it would be too much of a shame to let that chance pass." Lahar said, looking away from his partner.

"Wait...you mean they'll fire Etherion, they can't do that?"

"Grand Doma isn't as unwilling as the previous council members were. He will put his foot down if need be."

"But we can't fire at them, Fairy Tail is on the island, there are kids there." Doranbolt cried out angrily. Lahar sighed, looking directly at his friend.

"If I'm ordered to execute them, I will. Now, will you inform HQ, or should I?" he asked. Doranbolt grit his teeth, a loud roar suddenly filled his ears. He glanced back at the island, seeing a towering plume of blue flames coming from the lower island. He bit his lip, his heart racing.

"Aiden...he's fighting right now...just like the rest of Fairy Tail...I can't let them all die." he muttered under his breath. He turned back to his friend, giving him a nod.

"I'll inform the council. Perhaps I can stop Etherion from being fired." he said firmly.

"Very well, the lacrima is in the Captains Quarters, I shall take you to it." he said. Doranbolt nodded, glancing back at the island.

" _Hang on just a bit longer guys. I'll buy you all the time I can."_


	51. Tenrou Arc: The Hellfire Dragon

**A/N: Joyous Day! Today marks the day that Chapter 50 is being posted! This is a massive mile stone for me, I'm halfway to 100 chapters!**

 **I honestly don't know how long I plan to make this, but since my goal is one million words, I assume it'll be around a hundred chapters. I'm going to up my ante and write 35 page chapters so I can add to the word count. I'll make them all as exciting as the last!**

 **For this chapter, you'll all get to witness the finale of Aiden's battle with Brandon of the Eight Kin of Purgatory. Truths will be revealed and a lot of other things are going to be taking place, so I hope you like it all. I spent a long time writing this particular chapter. Since it's the Fiftieth one, I wanted to make it special, and what way to do that than to end it with the biggest battle to date?**

 **I would like to say thanks to all of you for being loyal readers. You're the reason I do this, and I strive daily to make the next chapter better than the last. It has been hard here and there and I've had to put on stop on other things to continue this story, but as long as I'm happy and all of you are happy reading this, then that's what matters.**

 **Massive thanks to RedBurningDragon, and Chance Green G King for always being supportive. You guys always encourage me with reviews and keep my hopes up, so I'll dedicate this one to you.**

 **Shout out goes to WarMachine375 for also being a loyal reader.**

 **In the wake of this chapter, I will be taking a day or two off of posting so I can work on the finale of the Tenrou Arc and the Prelude of the x791 arc. Man, I can't believe I'm already half way into the Fairy Tail series, just a month ago I was posting the Fogbound Lake chapters and now I'm already nearing the Grand Magic Games, it's crazy how much a story can change in the course of a month.**

 **Sadly, a lot of thing is getting cut out of this story since some of it has become taxing. I had to cut out the last Gem of Avalor hunt because of this, since I didn't have any ideas, same with a few other story arcs that just didn't fit with the overall plot of the story. I will discuss them at some point in detail so you all know what ideas were swimming in my head.**

 **I might make some cross over arcs as well, I've been thinking up ideas for a Hyperdimension x Fairy Tail cross over. The thought of Aiden destroying an Ancient Dragon from the Hyperdimension in a single blow is what really brought along this arc. He's a Dragon Slayer, and to the CPUs of the Hyperdimension, Ancient Dragon's are tough foes, so seeing their faces when he Hellfire Dragon Iron Fist's an Ancient Dragon in the face and utterly kills it makes me laugh.**

 **I've also thought up ideas for a cross over arc with Star vs the Forces of Evil. Star having Inter-dimensional Scissors is mostly the reason for this. I think it would be an interesting cross over, seeing how Aiden deals with the villains of her dimension, only to realize they're utter cake walk compared to what he's faced. These are just ideas so I might build upon them later on.**

 **Welp, enough with the rambles, commence the chapter!**

 **Song of the Day: Dragon Force from the Fairy Tail soundtrack.**

 **Come on guys, do you honestly expect there to be a battle between two Dragon Slayers and not have this song playing in the background? Who the hell do you think I am?**

 **Points to whoever gets that reference...**

 **(Metsujin Ogi): Translated, this means God Slayer Secret Art**

 **(Metsuryu Ogi): Translated, this means Dragon Slayer Secret Art**

 **(Guren Bakuenjin): Sapphire Orchid: Exploding Flame Blade**

Tenrou Arc

Chapter 50

The Hellfire Dragon

Her entire body shook when she heard that loud roar. Magic power was being thrown around, making the entire area hum with ethernano. Still, Yamato wasn't going to give up. That towering plume of flame, she knew it was Aiden, only one person in the world had blue hellfire, and that was her friend. She had been busy exterminating the foot soldiers, and making them see true fear. Up until a few minutes back, she had been at the base camp, helping Levy and Lisanna with Gajeel and Mira. Seeing those two in such a state burned her insides. Who had the gull to hurt her friends and family?

Grimoire Heart was a strong opponent, even after all of those years they still managed to strike fear into everyone they saw. They were the leaders of the Balam Alliance for a reason. She hadn't faced Oracion Seis, and had only scratched the surface with Grimoire Heart. She could only hope they never faced the elusive Tartaros guild. She quietly moved through the brush, making sure not to take heavy footsteps. It was apparent that more injured people were on the island. She hadn't heard from Master Makarov in awhile, and the teams of Lucy, Cana, Gray, Loke, Iona and Phoebe hadn't checked in yet. She was worried that they had been caught in the battle.

She arrived in a new clearing, the third one she had passed. It looked undisturbed, as far as she could tell, but there was a high trace of ethernano there. Someone had fought and released massive amounts of magic power. Looking around, she noticed all of the vegetation had turned to ash. The trees were barely alive, without a single leaf on their branches. It was something that scared her to her soul. Her eyes widened and she jumped to the side, avoiding a plume of black flames. She landed on the ground, glaring at her opponent.

"You impudent little bitch. I have had enough with your guild, to be beaten by a dragon hunter, and now for you to dodge my attack? You really don't want to piss me off."

The man before her was littered with scratches and burns. Long spiky yellow hair, a weird looking outfit with barely any armor on it, and the black mark that signified his alliance with Grimoire Heart. The black flames and the scent he had, it was apparent. She stood up, clenching her hands.

"A Child of God, you must be the Flame God Slayer, Zancrow." she said calmly.

"You've heard of me? I guess we can skip the introductions then." he said, his body being enveloped in flames. Yamato hissed in anger, allowing her poison to flow around her. His eyes widened.

"Black Poison...no, the Viper Princess? Such a high profile target and she's all mine!"

"Don't talk like you own me. I'll never bow down to the likes of you!" Yamato growled. She held her arm out, forming a giant ball of poison. She threw it forward, aiming it at the man.

"Poison God's Tantamount Destruction!" she howled. Zancrow laughed maniacally, jumping out of the way. The ball of poison exploded, sending the blackish violet smoke in all directions.

"Sorry honey, but it'll take more than that to defeat me!" he said, holding his arm back. His flames morphed into a giant scythe, which was glittering with bright black flames.

"Flame God's Scythe!" he shouted, swinging the attack at the woman. She jumped over it, flipping in mid air.

"Very good, but your god flames don't hold a candle to my god poison. Poison God's Halberd!" she chanted, forming a giant spear of swirling poison. She threw it forward, striking the man head on. He burst into laughter, sweeping his arms around. His fire came in contact with the poison, causing it to explode.

"I've got to say, your poison is pretty tough, but not as tough as my flames. Prepare to die bitch!" Zancrow cried, jumping into the air. Yamato braced for impact, blocking his kick. She surrounded herself with poison, absorbing all of the hits the Flame God was throwing at her. He slammed his leg into her chest, sending her flying into the ground. She instantly stood up, forming a magic circle in front of her.

"Poison God's Bellow!" she cried, unleashing her breath attack.

"That won't work on me! Flame God Bellow!"

The attacks collided, causing a massive explosion. The shock wave tore apart the already dead trees turning them into ash. Yamato wiped her lip, glaring at the Flame God.

"Well, this is rather fun but I don't have time to waste. I have to find Zeref before it's too late! But I'll make sure to kill you first." The man said, raising his hands above his head. Giant jaws of flame formed over his hands.

"Flame God's Supper!" he chanted.

"Metsujin Ogi!" Yamato cried, placing her hands together. Blackish violet acid started swirling around her body, forming a giant swirling whirlpool of it. Zancrow stopped in his tracks, confused by the attack. Yamato spun on her heal, forming a ball out of the acid.

"Acid Rain Storm!" she chanted, willing the ball to explode. Zancrow howled in pain as the acid rain washed over his body. Yamato raced at him, driving her knee into his jaw, knocking him unconscious. She sighed, shaking her head.

"He was already weak from battle, why would he even bother fighting?" she muttered. Normally, she would inject her antidote into her opponents, but this time she wasn't going to bother. Grimoire Heart attacked her holy land, and she wasn't going to let them get away with it.

xxx

The two dragon slayers clashed in the center of the clearing, fire and ice flying in all directions. Punch after punch and kick after kick, it seemed as if they were evenly matched. Brandon smirked throwing an ice coated punch to Aiden's face, hoping to send him back and get some leg room. The Hellfire Dragon pushed through it, grabbing his arm and punching him back with a flaming fist. He drove his knee into the older man, flames bursting from them.

"Looks like we're evenly matched." Brandon said, rubbing his chest after the last attack. Aiden hissed, the fire around him seemed to be humming with power. The very ground shook from even the smallest flames. Was this the true power one of those gems held?

"It would seem so, but I'm not going easy on you asshole. Not after what you've done!" he cried, fire burst from his feet, launching him forward. He spun around, flames swirling around him.

"Hellfire Dragon's Sword Horn!" he howled.

"Ice Dragon's Rampart!" Brandon countered, placing his hands on the ground. A giant wall of ice formed in front of him, towering hundreds of feet in the air. Aiden slammed into it, unable to burst through. He grit his teeth, kicking off the wall.

"Face it, my ice is too cold for your puny flames to melt!" Brandon said, releasing another cold wave of icy mist. Aiden clenched his fist, taking a deep breath.

" _He's trying to psych me up. I can't let him do that."_ he thought to himself. Aiden ran to the opposite side of the clearing, the ice on the ground melting with every step he took, creating towers of blazing steam. He jumped up into a tree, grabbing onto the branch.

"What the hell are you doing?" Brandon muttered, unimpressed with what he was seeing.

"Taking care of business. Fire Make: Apollo's Bow!" he chanted once he reached a high branch. The glittering blue bow of fire formed in his hands. He pulled the string back, flames swirling in front of him.

"So that's how you want it, alright. Ice Make: Orion's Bow!" Brandon chanted, slamming his hands together.

He created a beautiful bow of ice, which glittered brightly in the setting sun, a large arrow of ice sat on it, aimed at Aiden. Both of them released the arrow, sending them flying into the field. They met in mid air, exploding on contact. Aiden burst through the smoke, arms behind his back.

"Hellfire Dragon's Wing Attack!" he growled, slamming his arms into Brandon. The man howled in pain as he was sent flying back, the large wings of fire bursting into a giant pillar of flame.

"Hahaha! You'll have to try harder than that!" Brandon cried, a blizzard wiping away the flames. Aiden grit his teeth, crossing his arms. In a flash, Brandon was in front of him, his wrists glittering with ice.

"Ice Dragon's Wing Scythe!"

"Fire Make: Decoy!" Aiden quickly chanted, throwing the fire on the ground. Brandon sliced it right in half, causing it to explode. Aiden took a deep breath, glaring at his older brother.

"I'm not letting that happen again!" he said.

"Very good, it seems you remember the repercussions of my attack. But you'll still have to try to get me. I haven't even broken a sweat!"

"Looks like I'll have to change that." Aiden replied, increasing his fire power.

"You don't scare me! Ice Make: Blizzard!"

"Fire Make: Heat Wave!" Aiden countered, slamming his hands together.

The intense heat clashed with the Blizzard instantly turning it into steam. Aiden grit his teeth, his eyes looking in all directions, he knew his brother would take advantage of the new smoke screen. He crossed his arms, turning in time to block the punch thrown at him. His forearm started to freeze as the ice magic encircled them. Aiden smirked, taking a hold of Brandon's arm.

"Hellfire Dragon's Roar!" he shouted, aiming his breath attack point blank at the man. The plume of flames sent the man flying back, sending him through the brush and into various trees. Aiden burst after him, fire shooting from his feet. He jumped above him, crossing his hands, keeping his index and middle fingers pointing out.

"Fire Make: Anchor Shot!" he shouted. Flames burst from the magic seal, taking the shape of a giant anchor. Brandon slammed his hands together, ice bursting from his fingers.

"Ice Make: Shield!" he cried out.

A thick wall of ice formed in front of him, just in time for the anchor to hit him. He was sent flying back, skidding along the ground, the ice shield breaking underneath him. He slammed into a tree, which broke apart under his weight. Aiden landed before him, panting a bit. He glanced up at the sky, seeing the swirling clouds above him. The air had changed, picking up intensity, it wasn't long before he felt drops of rain hitting his skin, though they hissed as they instantly turned into steam.

"Looks like a storm is brewing." he muttered under his breath. Brandon smirked as he stood up, grabbing the broken tree, he threw it at the fire mage with ease.

"I just love a good rain storm, I can easily turn it into glorious snow!" he said.

Aiden punched the tree, breaking it apart with his flames, sending broken pieces of wood in all directions. The area around them had changed, they were near some rocky bluffs now, over looking the forest below. The rain had significantly picked up, though around Brandon the droplets of water instantly turned into snowflakes.

"I'll admit, you are rather strong. But you aren't strong enough to defeat a Fairy Tail wizard." Aiden said confidently. Brandon smirked, a chuckle escaping his lips.

"So, you think Fairy Tail is going to be your salvation? What makes this guild different from the seven others you tried out?" he asked.

"Our heart and conviction is turned into power. I haven't been here long but they've taught me wonderful things. Friendship, love and family, things that we all truly desire. Fairy Tail has offered me what I longed after, and even in the wake of Cait Shelter, I can say I have finally truly found my home. And I'm not letting you destroy it!" he said, placing his hands together.

"Oh, so Mermaid Heel wasn't enough? What about Blue Pegasus and Titan's Nose? Were those three guilds sub-par? Or is it because you don't have to balls to admit they suck?" he asked. Aiden burst forward, flames bursting from his elbow. He let out a shout as his fist shot forward, breaking the speed of sound.

"Hellfire Dragon's Iron Fist!" he shouted, slamming his fist into Brandon's face, sending him flying over the cliff. He raced forward, jumping after him.

"This is the end for you! Ice Dragon's Icicles!" he shouted, thick glittering spears of ice shot forward, slamming into Aiden's body, though thankfully his thick scales prevented him from feeling too much pain. Aiden kicked off the rock, propelling himself forward.

"Fire Make: Chain Saw!" he shouted, holding his hands above his head. A thick blade of fire formed in his hands, the thick chain spinning so fast it was barely visible.

"That puny blade will serve no purpose! Ice Make: Rocket Launcher!" Brandon shouted, slamming his fists together.

Ice blasted from his joined hands, speeding toward the chainsaw. The attack connected, exploding in Aiden's hands. He howled in pain as the ice and fire covered his hands. He slammed into a rock that was jutting out, falling through some trees. He hit the ground hard, the air leaving his lungs. He felt water around him and noticed he had fallen into a swamp. Brandon landed in the water, a loud splash echoing through the area.

"Damn, I was hope that blew you up!" he said, a grin on his face. Aiden sat up, his fire bursting from around his body, so much so that the water around him started to boil. Brandon frowned, snapping his fingers, the pond instantly froze, imprisoning Aiden in it. He grit his teeth, willing his flames to melt through the ice.

"Don't bother. As I said before my ice is too strong for your fire to melt, and you know why? It's because of those lacrima implants. Each one powers my ice magic to new levels, so much so that not even the strongest of flames can melt it. It's a beautiful thing." he said.

"You talk a lot of shit, but you don't have what it takes to back it up." Aiden said, breaking out of the ice. He stood up, wiping his lips. His hair was soaking wet, but that didn't seem to bother him much.

"Do you know what I'm going to do after I defeat you? I'm gonna gather up your little pals. Then I'm going to freeze their bodies solid, from the inside out. I'm going to make you watch as all of your friends turn into statues of ice, their horrified expressions forever seared into your mind. I'll leave the girls for last, I'll shoot my ice so deep into their bodies that they'll scream in pleasurable agony. And when they're all dead, I'll freeze you last, making sure your eyes remain open, so you can forever stare at their corpses!" he said.

"You monster! You we're never this way...why...what made you change so much?" Aiden shouted in anger, his arms bursting into flame. Brandon titled his head, licking his lips.

"What made me change? You see I never changed, I was always this way. You could say it happened when you showed up on our door step. This isn't a surprise to me but...well it'll be a surprise to you. You aren't my blood brother. You were adopted into our family."

"Huh?" Aiden said, his eyes wide. His face was white as a sheet, Brandon smirked, glancing up at the sky.

"That's right. Meredy and Lawrence, they weren't your parents...that bitch Kurumi wasn't your sister, and I'm not your brother. You are nothing but an orphan, a baby who was left on our door step. No that's not right either. You just showed up one day out of the blue, knocking on our door." he said.

"No, that's not true. You're just saying that to confuse me!" Aiden said.

"No, I'm not. Here's the proof right here." he said, tossing him a lacrima. Aiden caught it in his hand, his magic instantly activating it. In his hands appeared some papers. He looked the first one over, eyes widening.

"A-Adoption papers?"

"Mhmm...all of them are legal. You aren't part of the family, you are just Aiden, a fire dragon has been who thinks he has what it takes to defeat me. The funniest part is, you believed Kurumi was your sister, hook, line and sinker. That face you made when I killed her again in front of your eyes was precious. How does it feel knowing I killed someone meaningless to you? Someone who isn't even blood related to you?" he asked, a cold mist pouring from his pores. Aiden grit his teeth, burning the papers in his hands, throwing them aside.

"I don't care if Meredy and Lawrence weren't my parents, I don't care that Kurumi isn't my sister. They are my family, they took me in and gave me a home! And you destroyed it all!" he shouted, running forward. Brandon snapped his fingers, freezing the water over. Aiden tripped, sliding across the ice. He panted a bit, glaring at the man before him.

"Face it, even in Dragon Force you are running out of magic. It's taking more to keep it up then it is not to. It won't be long until you're completely out of magic." he said. Aiden slammed his flaming fist into the ice, breaking the entire field around him. He stood up, slamming his fist into the man's face.

"I don't need magic to defeat you! I'm capable of doing it with or without magic!" he shouted.

A loud rumble started shaking the area, it seemed as if the entire island was moving. Aiden looked over his shoulder, glancing right at the Tenrou Tree. His eyes widened as it started breaking apart. The giant tree was breaking apart, its towering form started falling, it was slow at first, but just like that, it slammed into the ground, shaking the entire area. He felt his magic significantly wain, as if a great amount of it had been stolen from him. His flames died down a bit, and some of the scales on his face disappeared. He dropped to his knees, feeling extremely dizzy. It was as if his magic had forcefully been sucked out of his body. He looked up glaring at his brother.

"Well, looks like you'll have to prove that you can fight without magic." he said.

"What did you do? Who destroyed the tree?" he asked.

"What? You assume it was me? Please, I don't have the strength to pull that off...maybe Azuma did it. But that's beyond the point, that guy might get his hole punched soon, so it's my duty to take you down before he does." he cried, running forward. Aiden howled in pain from the massive hit, being flung back into the trees. He jumped out of the way to avoid a kick. He grabbed Brandon's leg and swung him as hard as he could, throwing him with all his strength.

"Hellfire Dragon's Crushing Fang!" he cried, swiping at his face with flaming fingers. Brandon grabbed his hand, throwing him into the woods.

"Ice Dragon's Glittering Frost!" He cried, throwing his hands forward, sending a large orb of ice at him.

Aiden jumped out of the way, the orb slamming into the ground below him. It exploded, the the force of it sending him flying through the woods. He slammed into the ground, sliding through the mud. Aiden stood up, only to take an ice hammer to the chest. He burst through the tree line, slamming into a rock.

"Oh fuck." he muttered, clutching his head. He saw some blood on his hand, most likely a cut on his skin. He stood up, looking around, seeing a destroyed camp ground, along with some beat up looking tents.

"Oh no...the base camp." he muttered. Brandon landed in front of him, looking at the area.

"Well lookie here, we seem to have found some friends of yours." he said, pointing to the tents. Gajeel, Mira, Elfman and Evergreen were laying there, unguarded. He could feel some magic power not far from where they stood, his friends were defenseless.

"Don't you dare come closer!" he said firmly, gritting his teeth.

Brandon slamming his foot on the ground, several spikes shot out of the ground, forcing Aiden to dodge them. Brandon smirked, jumping in front of him, with a grunt he slammed his ice coated foot into the teen, sending him flying into to the ground, stopping shy of falling into a large crater. He felt his magic disappear a bit, returning him to his normal form. He tried standing up, but was clearly spent. Brandon walked over to his friends, a smile on his face.

"Whoa check it out, sleeping beauties. Who should I freeze first? The Sexy Fairy Model Mirajane? Or the true Queen of the Fairies, Evergreen? Maybe I should turn Black Steel Gajeel to dust, or turn Elfman into the greatest Ice Beast ever known to man. Oh the possibilities."

"Don't you dare fucking touch them!" Aiden said, forcing himself to stand.

"Let's play a game. I'm thinking of a number between one and four, guess correctly and I won't freeze Evergreen's face off." he said, grabbing the unconscious woman from the ground. He placed his hand near her face, a cold mist coming from his finger tips.

"No please..she hasn't done anything to you. Leave her out of this!" Aiden said.

"Wrong answer." Brandon said, pressing his finger into the woman's face. She groaned in pain as her cheek started to freeze.

"4!" Aiden cried out.

"You got lucky punk." he said, pulling his arm back. He drove his ice coated fist into Evergreen's back, ice forming around her body. She howled in pain from the sudden attack.

"Stop!" Aiden cried.

"Whoops, I forgot to say something. Since the tree got busted up, your divine protection is gone, along with your magic. So this shit is actually pretty deadly." he said.

"I swear to Christ, if you do anything to hurt Evergreen or any of my friends, I will fucking kill you!" Aiden said, flames bursting from his wrists. Brandon's eyes widened in shock.

" _That can't be possible. His magic should be gone, why is it increasing? Heh, as long as I got this bitch, he's stuck in that rough spot."_ he thought to himself. He felt something moving, suddenly feeling a sharp pain in his crotch. His eyes widened when he saw the smirk on Evergreen's face.

"Fairy Machine Gun: Leprechaun!" she chanted, blasting him with glittering light. Brandon howled in pain, letting the woman go.

"Thanks Evergreen, you just gave me an opening. And I'm not going to waste it! Metsuryu Ogi: Guren Bakuenjin!" he shouted. Flames burst from his finger tips, wrapping around his body forming a giant glittering phoenix. Brandon howled in pain as the attack slammed into him, sending him flying back. Aiden fell to the ground, panting for breath.

"I did it...I got him." he muttered.

"Mind explaining why the fuck my face is numb?" Evergreen snapped, glaring at the fire mage. He chuckled, rubbing his neck.

"Sorry, it's a little collateral damage. I'll get Wendy to heal you when we can." he said.

"So, you think that was enough to take me out?"

Aiden's eyes grew wide when he heard the voice. Brandon sat up, a smirk on his face. He didn't even look phased by the attack, not a single burn or scratch was on him. Aiden grit his teeth, his shoulders shaking in fear.

"How?"

"Like I said buddy boy. The tree is down, and your magic is gone with it. No attack magic will be enough to defeat me. I am the ultimate dragon slayer!" he shouted, the air around the camp become colder, all of the rain instantly turning into snow.

"Who the hell is this guy?" Evergreen asked, shivering from the cold.

"Well Aiden, I believe the lady asked a question, answer it." Brandon replied.

"He's my brother...one of the Eight Kin of Purgatory." he said. The woman gasped, seemingly unable to understand what she had heard. She grit her teeth, reaching for her glasses.

"One of the Kin huh, then I'll just take care of him." she said, lowering her glasses, her eyes glowed a brilliant gold. Brandon yawned, crossing his arms.

"What are you gonna do, glare at me to death? Please do something that can actually hurt me. If not, I'll do something like this!" Brandon said, literally turning into icy mist. He reappeared in front of the woman, driving his ice coated fist into her chest.

"Evergreen!" Aiden cried, the woman slammed into a boulder, the ice around her freezing her to the rock. She groaned in pain, trying to move only for her to see her arms and legs frozen to the rock.

"Well, I wasn't able to turn our sister into a dart board, but this one will do." he said, forming an ice dagger in his hand. He threw it, almost hitting her face.

"Brandon stop, do whatever you want with me but don't hurt her! She's done nothing to do you!"

"Oh on the contrary, you Fairies have done quite a lot to me. Taking down Lullaby, stopping Ultear from reviving Deliora, destroying the R-System, taking down Oracion Seis, do you honestly believe those transgressions will go unpunished?" he asked, forming more daggers in his hands.

"Fairy Tail did the right thing! All you want to do is destroy the world, and for who, for what? So you can live in your Grand Magic World, do you know how many people will die? Do you honestly believe Zeref will listen to you?" Aiden shouted angrily.

"Zeref doesn't concern me! And neither does the Grand Magic World, all I want in my world is to see the ones I hate bleed from every pore in their body. I want to see them all turned into statues. I have the power to freeze anything I want, I have the power to rule this pathetic world! I can easily take down Grimoire Heart and take over this puny world, and I'll start by plunging Fairy Tail into the depths of hell!" he shouted, throwing the daggers at Evergreen. The woman gasped watching all of them flying at her. Aiden raced in front of her, using his body as a shield, he grit his teeth in pain as each dagger pierced his back.

"Aiden." Evergreen muttered, surprised the boy had saved her.

True, they had never interacted much, or even held a solid conversation for more than a few minutes, but the fact that he would shield her with his own body, it made her happy to know someone so young held such conviction. The ice slowly started to melt as his body temperature started to raise.

"I made a promise to Master Mavis, that I would protect everyone in this guild. And I never break my promises." he said firmly, turning to face the man. Brandon smirked, tilting his head in curiosity.

"So you actually think you can defeat me? With what magic power, there's none of it left on this island. Unless you plan to siphon it from that bitch behind you!" he said.

"Who the hell are you calling a bitch you brute?" Evergreen snapped angrily.

"What are you talking about, I have enough magic power left." Aiden said, drawing the Golden Beryl from his pocket. He took a bite out of it, his teeth breaking the gem apart. He took another bite from it, his eye twitching a bit from the taste.

"You're an idiot, even those stupid gems fall prey to the loss of magic. You won't be able to get enough to defeat me!" he said.

"I don't need enough to defeat you, I just need enough to activate this." he said, holding his hand into the air. The fairy on his hand started glowing a brilliant gold color. He placed his hands together, holding them above the other, a brilliant golden light forming in the center of it.

"What...no way...is that Fairy Law?" Brandon asked.

"Where the hell did you get that?" Evergreen asked.

"I passed phase two of the trial. Mavis granted me its use, and now I'm going to use to protect my friends. I'm going to give you to the count of three, to get your ugly, yellow, no good kiester off our island, before I sear your ass with this light. One.."

"Aiden don't...Fairy Law isn't that simple to cast. The more people that are on the island, the more the effects harm the user." Evergreen said.

"Two."

"Go ahead asshole, give me your best shot." Brandon said.

"Don't...there's an entire guild of enemies on the island, all of them stronger than any other mage we've faced before. For every strong mage you take down, you'll loose a year of life. You can die from this!" Evergreen cried out, trying to reach for Aiden, but the ice was stopping her.

"You don't seem to understand Evergreen, I don't care if I loose years of my life. I'm a dragon slayer, half human, half dragon, we're practically immortal once we reach our maturity. Loosing a couple years of my life won't bother me. So long as I can save you and everyone else. Three, you're time is up!" he said, slamming his hands together.

"Aiden no!"

"Hahahahaha, this is the strength I wanted to see...the conviction, it's going to be so great when you see all of your friends die!" Brandon shouted, his psychotic laughter filling the clearing. Aiden's eyes snapped open, a magic seal glowing in them.

"I invoke, Fairy Law!" he shouted, throwing his hands into the air. The golden magic shot into the sky, the clouds swirling above them. A magic seal appeared over the island, showering it with golden light. Aiden grit his teeth, feeling his body ache and twist with pain. He would use every ounce of magic in order to cast this spell, even if it killed him.

His eyes widened as he felt something slam into the side of his head, throwing him to the ground. The magic seal disappeared, along with all of the light it had brought. His hand was glowing brightly, magic power drifting from it.

"You goddamn idiot...can't you see that shit'll kill ya?" Gajeel snapped, glaring at the fallen dragon slayer. Aiden's shoulders shook, tears falling from his eyes.

"Why...why would you stop me? I don't want you to die...I don't want to see my friends die." he said.

"It ain't about us dying kid. We aren't going to bow down to the likes of him, do you think casting that spell would have done anything? The only thing that could have happened was you dying. And I can certainly say the Maiden wouldn't be happy to see you dead." he said, standing up from his makeshift bed.

"Gajeel is right...we've faced so much more than this before, we didn't bow down then and we won't do so now." Mira added, standing next to the Iron Dragon.

"Urk...A real man lives for his friends, not dies for them." Elfman added. Aiden bit his lips, tears falling from his eyes. He reached a hand to wipe them away, but it only proved futile. Thunder boomed above them, and lightning crackles through the sky.

"Well, what a touching family moment, but you don't know what you have stepped into. You're guys are all in deep shit, and that little show of power, that's a big no no. I'm going to shut this shit down!" Brandon said, holding his hands out. A magic seal appeared before him, a powerful blizzard coming from it. They all braced themselves, taking the brunt of the impact.

"What is this guy, his ice is so cold." Gajeel muttered.

"I can feel my muscles start to freeze, this isn't good." Mira added.

"He's...a dragon slayer..the artificial kind, he has five lacrima implants." Aiden said, struggling to stand.

"Five? That's insane!" Elfman cried.

"Insane but effective...hmm..I was having a hard time deciding who I was going to freeze over, but I guess I'll start with the hottest piece of ass here. Mirajane Strauss, prepare to become my latest collection piece." Brandon said, bursting forward, his arms crossed. Large scythes of ice burst from his wrists. Aiden burst forward, pushing Mira out of the way. He caught Brandon's hands, the scythes slicing through his palms. He howled in pain, his blood freezing on contact. He growled in anger and pushed him back.

"I'm not letting you kill anyone. Not Mira, not Evergreen, no one! So you better start packing, because I'm going to kick your fucking teeth in." he shouted in anger.

"How can you still stand, you have no magic left in your body. Not even a sprinkle, that Fairy Law took it out of you. Heh, no matter...I'll just kill you all right here and now." he said, holding his hands above his head. The air grew three times as cold as before, all of it swirling into a single point above the man's head.

"Metsuryu Ogi!" he chanted, a grin on his face.

"Get outta here guys, this attack is stronger than anything else he's thrown at me." Aiden said.

"No can do kid, if I'm gonna die, then I'd rather see it coming." Gajeel said.

"A real man protects the women, that's our duty." Elfman said, pulling Evergreen and Mira behind him, much to their dismay. Aiden shook his head, bowing his head in defeat. There was no way they would leave.

"You might kill us, but that isn't going to stop our friends from defeating you. Wendy is out there, so is Yamato, and Natsu and Erza...they'll see us, they will find you, and they will kill you." Aiden said firmly.

"Hey, as long as they come for me, it'll make freezing them all the more easier. Goodbye little brother, such a shame I couldn't freeze you for my collection. Glittering Storm: Diamond Dust!" he said, willing the ball to explode.

Ice and snow swirled around them, a the winds having picked up. The storm was intense, so much so that Aiden couldn't see anything in front of him. He grit his teeth, standing firm against the storm. He felt his arms and legs start freezing, almost as if it was forming a layer of ice over his skin. His heart started racing, as he felt his heart rate slowing down.

" _I can't...my arms are...frozen...is this how I'll go?"_

His eyes suddenly widened in realization. He remembered what Brandon had said. His body was devoid of magic, and it hadn't started filling up, due to the Tenrou Trees absence. He had no magic left at all, even with the gems, but if he took another form of magic into his body, there was a chance that he could win. If he can do it with God Iron, he could do it with ice. He nodded to himself, opening his mouth.

"That's all she wrote huh? What a waste, I actually lost a good amount of magic from our little tussle. I can finally say this, Rest in Peace, you good for nothing waste of life." Brandon said. His eyes widened when he saw all of the icy mist disappearing. All of the ice itself seemed to be flowing back, all of it was heading towards Aiden who was sucking it into his mouth.

"No...no! You can't do that!" he shouted in anger, as the young man ate the last of his magic attack.

"You said it yourself, without magic power, I became a catalyst for another type of magic. It wasn't the first time I did it, god iron doesn't meld well with dragon fire, but dragon ice is a different story." He said.

His wrist burst into flames, but they had changed completely. Instead of a sapphire blue, they were more of a whitish blue in color, and seemed to be solid. Aiden's blue hair became a bit lighter, looking almost like ice. His arms were coated in glittering white scales, his hands looking draconic in shape. It was as if he had entered Dragon Force and yet, it was entirely different. Fire burst from around his body, glittering brighter than before, almost as if it was made of ice.

"What did you do?" Brandon growled, ice forming from his hands.

"I needed magic, so I took yours. And now, you're going to face a whole new type of monster. One that will make the devils cry. You took something dear to me before my eyes, and now I'm taking it back." he said firmly.

"You think you got what it takes, well I won't let you!" Brandon shouted. Aiden ran forward, dodging all of the icicles the man launched at him. He smirked, slamming his hands together.

"Frost Fire Make: Brutal Sanction!" he growled. From his hands emerged a giant morning star, which glittered brightly. The flames had solidified, with a thick coating of ice over it, the fire still burning strong. He slammed the mace into the man, sending him flying back. He shot into the air, his hands bursting into flames.

"Hellfire Frost Dragon's Breakdown Fist!" he shouted, slamming his fist into the ground. It literally burst with ice and fire, tall spikes sprouting from every direction, forming thick walls around them.

"What is this power? Did you seriously turn your fire into ice?" Brandon shouted, sending more icicles at him.

"Wrong, I didn't turn my fire into ice. My hellfire burns with righteousness and power that people can't even understand. Your ice could never be melted by it due to the darkness of your heart and your magic. But by combining them, I have created something entirely new. Fire so cold, it freezes anything it touches. Hellfire Frost Dragon Slayer Magic."

"That shouldn't be possible. You can't eat elements other than your own, it'll kill you."

"I'm sorry, but you seem to have forgotten something very important. My name is Aiden Flame, Son of Atlas Flame, the Hellfire Dragon. And I'm...a Fairy Tail Wizard!" he shouted. He took a deep breath, channeling every last ounce of magic into his mouth. The ice cold fire and glittering eyes flowed into his mouth, magic sparks bouncing off his body.

"I'm not loosing to the likes of you. I'll show you everything I've got, I'll kill you, I'll kill you all!" Brandon shouted, expelling his magic power, making the entire area rumble and shake. Thunder boomed above them, as the falling rain turned into snow.

"Hellfire Frost Dragon's ROAR!" Aiden shouted, unleashing the massive dragon roar. The frost fire burst from the young man's body with great power, enveloping the entire field in front of him. The ground burst from the power of the attack, the entire island rumbling from its power.

Brandon could only watch as the attack headed toward him. Instead of a magic blast of ice and fire, he saw something else entirely. A giant dragon, standing behind Aiden, a giant creature that towered high above them, flames covering its entire body. It grinned widely, its eyes glowing an ominous crimson.

The massive attack slammed into the man, sending him flying into the spike wall. His magic power vanished, as he used the last of his magic on the attack. He fell do his knees, panting for breath. He looked up, eyes widening at the sight before him.

His attack had sent Brandon flying back into the wall of Ice spikes, several of them piercing right through his body. He was just hanging there, bleeding from every hole he had gotten. His face was white as a ghost, eyes widened in absolute fear. He glanced at Aiden, a smirk on his face.

"So...you did it...you got your...revenge. Does it...feel...good?" he asked.

"I didn't get revenge on you. You needed to be stopped, and I did it. I hope you can find it in your heart to atone for everything you've done...I'll have Wendy heal you, but after that you're going to a place where not even the dragons will shit on you." he said, standing up. Brandon smirked, giving the teen a grin.

"I don't think so." he said, biting down on something. The effect was instantaneous. He started convulsing, foam coming from his mouth. He held his hand out, a crystal ball in his hand.

"You're...reward...use it...wisely...thanks for...freeing me, little brother." he muttered. His body fell limp, the crystal dropping from his hand.

"So, even in the end you took the cowards way out. You always were a coward, Tomoki. Even though you've done so many horrible things...I still love you." Aiden muttered. He felt a sudden rush of magic entering his system, the warmth flowing through his body. He glanced back at the Tenrou Tree, it was still destroyed, but it seemed whatever was blocking their magic had finally been taken care of.

"Aw damn it...I killed someone else." Aiden cried, tears falling from his eyes. He felt someone wrap their arms around him, and looked up, seeing Mira's smiling face.

"No you didn't...he died of his own accord. You were going to have him healed and he chose not to. Besides, anyone who threatens to kill your family is justified. Just rest, you're severely injured." she said.

"H-Hey Ever, I have a question." he said, gaining the woman's attention.

"What's up?" she asked curiously. He gave her a grin.

"You touched his dick didn't you, was it bigger than Laxus's?"

"What? God even when you're beat to shit you are uncouth!" she snapped angrily. He broke into a quiet laugh, groaning in pain. He practically passing out in Mira's arms.

"Man, I didn't think he had that much power in him." Elfman said, watching as his sister laid their fallen friend down.

"He passed Phase Two of the exam and got Fairy Law, he's one step ahead of us. We can't let him one up us Elfman!" Evergreen said.

"Will you two forget the damn trial? We gotta focus on the shit on our door step. First off, tell me what happened to the tree!" Gajeel said.

"I dunno, I woke up and it was like that!" Evergreen snapped.

"It doesn't matter what happened to it, what does matter is that we need to find the others. Lisanna and Levy were here earlier with Pantherlily, I heard their voices, so we need to find them. I'll stay here with Aiden, Elfman, Evergreen, you go look for them with Gajeel."

"But what about you sis? We can't leave you here alone." Elfman said.

"Don't worry about me, I'll be fine." Mirajane replied, earning a nod from the muscle man. The three of them took off into the woods, hoping to find their friends. Just then, Wendy walked into the clearing, along with Lucy, Natsu, Happy, Carla and Makarov. They all looked shocked, especially seeing the man currently hanging from the spikes.

"Holy shit, is that one of the Kin?" Natsu cried, earning a nod from Mira.

"You just missed it, Aiden here got him. It was his brother, he was going to kill us all, all of the vile things he said...I can't believe he would threaten his brother's family like that." she said, glancing down at the young man. Wendy slid to a stop next to him, her eyes brimmed with tears. She was littered with scratches herself, and had changed out of her tattered dress, wearing a pink kimono instead.

"Oh Aiden...you look so injured." she said, hovering her hands over his body.

"Don't strain yourself child, we just got out of a nasty battle ourselves." Carla said, kneeling next to the teen, her hands also glowing.

"Let's just hope Gildarts can beat that guy." Natsu said, glancing over at Brandon. He noticed the orb on the ground and picked it up. He almost dropped it, just from how cold it was.

"That's cold." he said.

"What is that?" Lucy asked, also looking at the orb.

"It's an Ice Dragon Lacrima, that man gave it to Aiden as a reward." Mirajane said. Aiden groaned a bit, opening a single eye.

"Wendy." he croaked.

"Don't move, I'll be done healing you in a few minutes, you need to rest." she said firmly.

"You...look beautiful in that kimono." he said, making her blush.

"Now's not the time for that...you need to shut up...you idiot, fighting a man like that." she said, hovering her hands over his chest. She noticed the red mark on his hand, and took a closer look at it.

"Wait...it was you wasn't it? You were the one that cast Fairy Law?" she asked.

"Guilty...as..charged...listen...I need a favor...that lacrima...I want you..to implant it...right here." he said, pointing to the center of his chest.

"Are you serious? Adding something like that to your body can kill you, especially since it's not your element." Wendy snapped.

"No...I..ate...his ice...I have it now...just do it." he said. He forced himself to a sitting position, much to their dismay. He took a deep breath, glancing at Makarov, who had been placed behind him.

"Wendy...we aren't facing your average bad guys. Brandon took a lot out of me, I couldn't even defeat him in Dragon Force. That's one of the Kin, one. You've all seen or faced a couple of the others. I've faced two and they mean business. Imagine what their master is like." he said.

"I got some words for that fucker. He's going to pay for hurting Gramps!" Natsu said.

"You can't...not alone..not how we are. We need a team...the strongest mages in the guild. I'm beat to shit, but I'm still breathing, and as long as I am, I'm going to win this fight. I'll need every ounce of power I can get, as much as I hate to admit it, Brandon was strong. I'll need that lacrima if we want to win." he said firmly.

"It's gonna hurt like shit, you know that right?" Wendy replied, giving him a firm look.

"Then knock me out, a good solid punch to the face will do." he said.

"I'm not going to knock you out. You know I can't do that." Wendy said, a worried look on her face.

"Wendy, you can and you will. Just do it quick, it doesn't have to.."

Carla silenced him with a solid punch to the jaw, knocking him out cold. Everyone looked at her, and she gave them a shrug.

"He owed me for taking that brute on his own. Natsu, the lacrima." she said, holding her hand out. The Fire Dragon nodded, handing her the orb. She placed it on his chest, channeling her magic into it. She closed her eyes, challenging as much power as she could.

"Wendy, I need more magic." she said. The girl nodded, placing her hands atop Carla's. With a grunt, the two managed to push the orb into Aiden's chest, a brilliant white glow over taking his body. It died down a second later, making the sleeping teenager shiver a bit. Wendy looked him over, nodding to herself.

"His body accepted it, so he has two elements now." she said.

"Aw man, that's no fair. Fire and Ice seems really cool!" Natsu said.

"Ha, that's punny!" Happy added, making Lucy groan.

"Let's just rest for awhile...I'm beat."

"Don't let your guard down yet Lucy, there's still a Kin of Purgatory nearby." Mirajane said. She nodded, looking at the sky. She only hoped the clouds would clear up soon.

xxx

Zera swallowed hard, peeking through the open door of the Red Lizard guildhall. She could feel intense magic power all over the island. Even though she had been a spirit, she had managed to learn all sorts of things about magic. Being over a hundred years old also helped. Sure, she had been an illusion created by Mavis, but her soul had been placed in said illusion. It gave her the strength to manifest this form even after death. She felt horrible, like she was watching her home being destroyed, and there was nothing she could do about it. Lightning streaked across the sky, booming loudly. She yelped, shivering in fear.

"I never liked lightning." she muttered to herself.

"Neither did I."

Zera looked over her shoulder, glancing at the bar. There was a young woman sitting there, a smile on her face. Tan skin, long black hair tied in twin tails, and a crimson and green eye. She looked around her age, maybe a year younger. She gave her a bright smile.

"Yo, you must be the spirit of Tenrou Island, I felt your presence here and figured I should say hey." she said.

"Who...are you?" she asked.

"You made a promise with my brother right? So that he could save you? How exactly do you plan on meeting him, aren't you bound to this island for all eternity?" she asked.

"I..am..but with enough strength and conviction, even I can leave. Besides, I have Fairy Glitter with me, I can turn its power into a source of energy." she said, rolling up her sleeve, showing the girl the crimson mark on her arm.

"Hmm...how long will that last? Fairy Glitter is strong sure, but it won't be enough for you to actually make it to Magnolia, it's pretty far from here." she said.

"What other choice do I have? It's not like I can just create a body out of nowhere!" the girl snapped angrily. The black haired girl chuckled, holding her hand out.

"True, but I can. I'm just like you, my spirit was trapped in limbo for so long, but I was recently set free. I was able to create a vessel for my memories, to carry out a mission. In the end I failed, I wasn't strong enough to help my little brother with the threat that approaches us. Devils and Fairies are fighting on this sacred ground, and that's surely going to attract _him._ " she said.

"Him...you don't mean?"

"Indeed, the Black Dragon of the Apocalypse. Legend has it, he's been hunting Zeref for as long as anyone can remember. 400 hundred years have passed, and Zeref has been hiding, but now that he's here on Tenrou Island, it won't be long until the Black Dragon shows up. Which is why you have to help my brother complete his mission. He's consumed two of the gems, but if he gets the Magenta Diamond to the pedestal on the island, then you'll stand a chance of survival." she said firmly.

"Why is that? I've been to the pedestal before...the resting place of the Tenrou Jade. It's useless to us now."

"Indeed it is, but it's a catalyst for great magic power. It's dedicated to Mavis Vermillion's best friend, you. Zera, you are a Fairy of Creation, thus you have the power to save Fairy Tail. They're stubborn, and they're not going to leave the island. But you have the power to set the pieces in place. Fairy Sphere, the legendary magic of protection, lies within that pedestal. If you place the diamond there, and brandish its mark onto a worthy caster, this island will be protected." she said.

"Fairy Sphere...I didn't even know such a spell existed. Were you holding out on me Mavis? Or are you really as secretive as everyone makes you out to be?" she asked, expecting an answer from the girl.

"Mavis Vermillion was a great tactician, as such you would think she would have back up plans on Tenrou Island. Fairy Sphere is one of those plans, but it needs to be activated. Aiden has the gem, you need to place it on the pedestal to turn the switch on, after that the mark will be the final piece needed for it to work."

"Except I lack a body to do anything. Only people with high amounts of magic or those connected to the spirit world can see a spirit. I doubt they would even see me."

"Yes, but like I said before, I created a vessel...now it's time for your soul to rest inside it!" the girl said, holding her hand out.

A brilliant magic seal appeared before her, a great amount of magic pouring from it. Hundreds of magic bubbles appeared around Zera, surprising her quite a bit. All of them seemed to come together, taking the shape of a large bubble. The black haired girl lowered it over her, the bubble started glowing, shrinking to take her body shape.

"My time on this world is up...splitting my soul from my body took a toll on me, but now that my body has been destroyed, there's no way for me to return to it. I shall take your place as the guardian of Tenrou Island, and in my place you will join the world of the living. I bestow upon you my Arc of Space, use it wisely Zera, for it will greatly aid you." she said.

"But wait...what'll happen to you?" she asked.

"Me...I'll disappear forever...he doesn't need me anymore. He's surrounded by wonderful brothers and sisters. I shall return from where I came, from where you came from. A spirit that will guide the Fairies for as long as this place let's me. No one will be able to see me, but I'll always be there to guide them."

Zera felt overwhelmed. For so long she wanted to feel the wind on her face, the coldness of the rain, the heat of a fire, and now she was starting to feel it. The glow died down and she softly landed on the ground. She touched her face, feeling it's warmth. She felt her heart beating wildly inside her chest. She was alive, she was truly alive. She looked at her arm, seeing a black mark on her, looking almost like a flower. It seemed to extend from her wrist, wrapping around the entirety of her arm, forming a sort of swirl on her left bicep. She looked up, seeing the black haired girl slowly fading away.

"Wait...I didn't even get your name, who are you?" she cried.

"Me? My name is Kurumi...I'm Aiden's older sister...please...promise me you'll watch over him. Make sure he doesn't fall into the darkness." she said.  
"I promise...but what do I say?"

"He'll figure it out...you must make sure he doesn't come near the demons. If he does, I'm afraid something else will happen to him, something out of his control."

"Demons, you mean Grimoire Heart?" Zera asked. Kurumi shook her head. She gave the girl a firm look, saying the name of the enemy, just as a bolt of lightning streaked across the sky. Zera looked at her, shell shocked at what she had heard. The girl gave her a friendly wave, finally disappearing from their plane of existence. She swallowed hard, placing her hand over her chest.

"I need to find Aiden...I need to get that gem in place. If I don't...we'll all be in trouble." she said. She opened the door, racing out of the guildhall. For the first time in 98 years, she felt the cold rain on her skin, and even though she felt like reveling in the feeling, she knew it wasn't the time for it. If she didn't find him, then everyone on Tenrou Island would have much darker things to worry about.


	52. Tenrou Arc: Of Demon's and Fairies

**A/N: Man, after yesterday's chapter was posted, my views freaking soared! I'm so happy that you all liked that chapter so much. If that chapter was messed up, then wait until you all see what I have in store for the Eclipse Arc.**

 **So, this is going to be the chapter before the end. Tenrou Island is coming to a close, and man it has been a long ride. I'm so excited to start posting stuff with the x791 arc, since it's going to focus mostly on Aiden's character and magical development after gaining his new Ice Dragon Lacrima. He might seem overpowered, since he also has Fairy Law, but in my opinion, he isn't going to use all of that stuff in battles with people unless he truly deems it necessary. I mean Natsu has Lightning Flame Dragon Mode and he's only used it a handful of times. Yes, he's also going to be able to use Ice Magic now, thanks to his new element, but he's going to stick with Fire for now.**

 **Many of you were happy that I gave Zera an actual purpose in the story. I was so disappointed with Fairy Tail Zero, well that's not true...I love the story itself, but I was sad that Zera was an illusion the whole time. She's such a cutie, and she deserves her chance to shine. This time, she's the one going to be saving Mavis and protecting Fairy Tail, instead of the other way around. This is also going to make Mavis and Aiden become close friends, since they are sort of the same age, at least physically.**

 **I'm also not sure if she'll actively use Fairy Glitter. I think she needs more training for her to do that, and she has an affinity for fire magic, something that will allow her to bond with Aiden, since he's also a Fire mage. I think it's going to be a nice friendship.**

 **Well, we're almost at the end of this, and I just want to say thank you...to everyone who read and reviewed it. It lets me know that my abilities aren't being wasted. So, I'll leave you with this semi-final chapter for the Tenrou Arc.**

 **Song of the Day: Solo by Iyaz.**

 **I was just listening to this, so I guess it will be the song of the day.**

 **Bonus Song: Battlefield by Jordin Sparks.**

 **There, have some throwback music...byah**

Tenrou Arc

Chapter 51

Of Fairies and Demons

Aiden grit his teeth, he felt light twinges of pain where his new lacrima was. The combination of Fire and Ice had been something rather interesting. He didn't have full control of his new ice element, but he was able to enter Hellfire Frost Dragon Mode whenever he wanted, something that seemed to piss Natsu off. It did however consume a lot of magic, so he couldn't use it for long periods of time. His body was littered with scratches, his arms were wrapped in layers off gauze, along with his chest and one of his legs. Thanks to Wendy and Carla, his injuries had been significantly healed, but he had told them to conserve magic, knowing that the final battle was fast approaching.

Bixlow and Freed had apparently returned, having dealt with the man named Rustyrose, they had tossed him in the river on a raft, before laying down some defensive barriers. He had also heard word that Gildarts had returned to the island, so knowing that kind of monster was on the island was huge relief for Aiden. Yamato hadn't returned to camp, so he was growing worried about her, so much so that he wanted to search for her, but Mira had forced him to stay down.

Iona and Phoebe had also returned, after literally tossing all of the Foot soldiers they had found off the island. Apparently, Iona had used her magic to shove them all into the river, and then she made that river flow directly into the ocean. It seemed whether they lived or died was no concern of hers, something that made the teen frown. Then again, his brother was still laying dead nearby, so he didn't have the right to say anything. His stomach growled, though thankfully it was quiet. He took a deep breath, looking at the sky.

"I could use some fire right about now." he muttered.

"Same here, I haven't eaten any tasty flames since getting here. Other than that nasty crap that God Slayer was throwing around." Natsu replied.

"They have a God Slayer?" Aiden asked curiously.

"Yeah, and he's a total psychopath." Carla replied, crossing her arms. Thunder boomed again, causing Lily to scream in fear, though the masked it as a roar of anger instead. Aiden honestly found it adorable that he was scared of Thunder and Lightning.

"Okay, so now that we're all here, we need to discuss something rather important. It's about their master, he has to be taken down." Levy said, catching their attention.

"I agree with her, that bastard has to pay for what he did to Gramps." Natsu said, his look firm.

"Yeah, but we can't all jump the gun. All of us are beat to shit, have little magic left and are completely unprotected without the tree. We need to form a team, scrounge up whatever magic power we have left." Aiden said, forcing himself to stand.

"Careful, you're still really hurt." Mira warned, helping him up. He chuckled, shaking it off.

"I agree with Blue Flare, we need two teams, offense and defense." Gajeel said.

"I'm not that good of a fighter, so I can stay here to protect the injured." Lisanna said.

"I'll stay here with Freed to write more enchantments. We can't have any loose ends in the camp." Levy added.

"Alright, I'm not doing anything, so I'll go fight Hades." Wendy said firmly.

"Absolutely not! I will not let you go there and get yourself killed!" Carla snapped angrily.

"Calm your tits Carls, you aren't changing her mind. Besides, there's no way Aiden is going to let her die." Phoebe added, earning a glare from the orange haired girl.

"I shall go as well. I've only fought foot soldiers this entire time, so my true power as a Basilisk Slayer hasn't been shown. I am twice as strong in rainy conditions...so I can make use of the weather." Iona added.

"So that's three...Natsu is coming too, that's a given. What about you Lucy?" Aiden asked.

"Definitely. That man needs to pay for everything he's done to us!" she said.

"Okay then, we've got our team. If this is it then let's no wait anymore, we have to get the upper hand on him before it's too late!" Natsu said firmly.

"I guess this is it huh, there's no way I'm missing the final rumble. Count me in!" Phoebe said, high fiving Aiden.

"Oh uh...I'll go too." Pantherlily added, still shaking.

"Aw, he's scared of lightning, how precious!" Happy said, holding back his laughter. The black exceed glared at him, still shivering in fright. Aiden smirked, clenching his fist tightly.

"Alright then, no more lollygagging. From now on, we fight to win, or we don't fight at all." he said.

"The ship is on the east coast of Tenrou Island, we'll be able to reach it in twenty minutes. Follow me." Carla said, leading the way. All of the mages followed the white haired girl, heading into the forest.

"Do you think they'll be fine?" Levy asked.

"Indeed, they've shown great strength these last few hours. If anyone can defeat Master Hades, it's them. Let's work on these enchantments Levy, make sure not a single character is written out of place...this is the final line of defense for our friends."

"Right...leave it to me." she said firmly.

"I have something to tell you guys...it's rather important." Aiden said, catching the attention of his friends.

"What's up?" Natsu asked, glancing at the younger teen.

"Well...turns out my life was a lie. Meredy and Lawrence, they weren't my real parents. Apparently I just walked up to their door and they took me in. I for the life of me don't remember anything before meeting them. I always thought they were my parents." he said.

"Hey, it's alright. Whether they were your parents or not, what matters is that they gave you a home. You can't blame them for doing that...and you're finally free of that oppressive cloud of revenge. You're finally free." Lucy said, making him smile.

"Yeah, from now on, we'll be your family. So let the old folks rest in peace, they deserve it after all this time!" Natsu said.

"Thank you...I've never been so happy to be surrounded by such kind people. You're all my best friends!" he said, eyes brimmed with tears. Lucy blushed a bit, grinning brightly. Wendy took his hand, her warmth made him feel confident in himself.

"I'm also very thankful to have met all of you. This is a wonderful guild, if I we hadn't run into each other long ago, we might not be here right now. So thanks for everything Aiden." Iona said, her stoic face changing to a warm smile.

"Aw shucks, it was nothing. You've thanked me so many times before for this...let's just promise one thing, after all of this bullshit is over, let's make it to S-class together." he said.

"Pfft, you already got Fairy Law, you're pretty much S-class. It's so unfair!" Natsu cried.

"There's one more phase you know. After finding Mavis's grave, you have to receive her blessing, then you have to find the Magenta Diamond and take it to the pedestal dedicated to her best friend. I already have the gem." he said, drawing the pink diamond from his pocket.

"Whoa...so you totally are going to win." Phoebe said, looking at the gem in his hand. She was already beginning to wonder how much it would be worth. The amount of money she could get for it most likely exceeded everything she could possibly imagine.

"No, because I know where the grave is. I'll just take you there so you can get your blessings. After that, we'll all place the gem on the pedestal..if we all do it at the same time then Master will have to make us all S-class." he said, giving them a grin.

"I like the way you think Aiden...master never said we couldn't work together to find the grave. We should have done that in the first place." Natsu said.

"This trial tore us apart, but now we've come together to face adversity. We aren't going to bow down without a fight, Hades better watch himself. Because after tonight, he's going to wish he never messed with Fairy Tail!" Aiden said firmly.

"Aiden! Wait up!"

The young boy stopped, glancing over his shoulder. His eyes widened at the person behind him.

xxx

Yamato ran through the woods, being chased by a massive Pig Mole. Having faced so many enemies left her with little magic power left. She could easily take it out, but didn't want to risk loosing the last bit of magic she had left. She had been heading toward the shoreline, in order to intercept Master Hades, so she could take him out. Of course, that was a hopeful thought.

That man was stronger than Makarov, so she knew she wouldn't last long against him, but if she could get him with a lethal dose of her poison, the battle was as good as over. She tripped over a rock, slamming into the cold hard ground. She started sliding across the floor due to all of the mud that had gathered up. She ended up falling into a pond, thankfully avoiding the Pig Mole from finding her. She surfaced, quickly swimming to the shore.

"Goddamn it, at this rate I'll never make it to the shoreline." she muttered dryly, pulling herself out of the water. She felt a stinging at her stomach and saw the long cut across her chest, ending just below her naval. She grit her teeth, forcing herself to stand.

"Great, my perfectly smooth skin! Goddamn you Grimoire Heart!" she shouted, a lightning bolt striking behind her. She quickly turned around, looking at the smoking rocks behind her. She chuckled dryly shivering a bit.

"Alright, that was a thing." she muttered.

"Well, what do we have here?" a voice said, forcing her to look up.

There was a young man standing a top the rocky outcrop, glaring right at Yamato. He looked a few years younger than her, closer to Gray or Natsu's age. There was yellow lightning crackling around his body. He was wearing a black cloak, with a furry hem. He was also wearing a bright yellow muscle shirt, with matching black pants and boots. Yamato got into a fighting stance, glaring at her opponent.

"Who the hell are you?" she asked. The teenager grinned.

"No one special, I'm one of Grimoire Heart's lieutenants. My name is Surge." he said.

"Lieutenant Surge? Are you fucking kidding me? This isn't a game!" Yamato cried.

"What are you talking about? Wait...I know you, you're the Viper Princess aren't you?" the man asked, crossing his arms.

"Fairy Princess, I ditched the Viper part. But let's skip the formalities, you invaded our sacred ground, so it's time for you to go!" she said, pulling her arm back.

"Poison God's Halberd!" she shouted, the giant lance taking shape in her hand. She threw it hard, causing the man to jump over it, blasting the rock he stood on to smithereens.

"Interesting, but you aren't going to like my magic little lady. Lightning Make: Lance!" he shouted, slamming his hands together.

A brilliant yellow seal appeared before him, four sharp lances flying at Yamato. She jumped out of the way, hoping to avoid them only for her to be struck by the attack. She howled in pain, as the magic coursed across her wet body. She slammed into the ground, convulsing from the attack.

"Ah, don't you just love a good rain storm? I can use the water to abuse my targets." he said, walking toward the woman. She grit her teeth, willing her body into a thick mist. She drifted away from the man, making him look all over the field. She grabbed some mushrooms from one of the trees, along with some bark. She reformed her body, quickly shoving the items into her mouth.

"How rude, a lady shouldn't eat garbage." he said. Yamato swallowed hard, a grin forming on her face.

"It isn't garbage, the trees on his island are far and few in between. But currently we are standing in a field surrounded by Toxicodendron Diversilobum. For all of you small minded morons who don't understand that, it's commonly known as Poison Oak. I have an infinite supply of food, so you stepped into the wrong field, with the wrong woman to mess with. I've seen my friends getting injured and my master was brought to the brink of death. I am not a happy woman." she said, her body glowing a blackish violet.

"Poison Oak huh? Well that means I'll have to take you out before you power up. Lightning Make: Shower of Lightning!" he chanted, forming a large orb in his hands. It exploded, sending thick glowing lightning bolts at her. Yamato jumped out of the way, dodging all of the bolts with ease. She ran at him, her fist glowing an ominous violet.

"Poison God's Poison Jab!" she chanted, slamming her fist into his hip. He growled in pain, being pushed back several feet. Smoke drifted from the injury, which he instantly clutched.

"Hurts doesn't it? My Poison changes with the stuff I eat, this particular type of Poison Oak causes hallucinations, as well as an intense burning sensation in the affected area. It won't be long until it consumes your will to live." she said firmly, a poison mist drifting around her body.

"I'll say, you do know your stuff, as expected of a Poison specialist. You put Cobra of the Oracion Seis to shame."

"I never met the guy, so I can't compare myself to him. He was a worthy foe for my friends, so if we do cross paths I'll gladly fight him. But that matters not, right now what matters is your defeat." she said firmly, placing another piece of bark in her mouth.

"Lightning Make: Chain Scythe!" he shouted, flinging the glowing yellow weapon at Yamato. She ducked under it, avoiding the attack completely.

"Heh, you gotta try better than that." she taunted. The man smirked, pulling the chain. Her eyes widened as it came back at her, wrapping around her body. She shouted in pain as the condensed electricity coursed through her body.

"You got cocky Viper Princess, I can't believe Zancrow let himself get defeated by you. Oh well, he deserved his fate." he said. Yamato grit her teeth, breaking out of the chain, making them disappear into small crackles of lightning.

"What do you mean?" she asked, ignoring the burns on her skin.

"Hmm? Oh yeah, that bastard got his hole punched by Zeref. I don't know all the details but the main man took a hit from the Black Wizard's death magic, point blank too. I never liked the guy..so good riddance. If I defeat you though, I'll be able to get promoted to Eight Kin status." he said, a grin on his face.

"You make me sick. You shouldn't revel in your friend's death, you should me mourning him! Then again you dark guilds don't know the meaning of life or death. You need someone from the light too teach you!"

"And you think you'll be able to do that?" Surge asked, hands crackling with electricity. She grit her teeth, taking a deep breath. Lightning exploded above them, racing across the sky. She shook a bit, the cold wind making her shiver. Perhaps wearing a bikini to the island wasn't ideal, but it was too late for that now. Her eyes widened a smirk on her face.

"I can teach you what it means. If you let me." she said.

"Huh?" he asked. The woman smirked, lifting her bikini top, showing the man her breasts. His face flushed red, a torrent of blood bursting from his nose. She took that chance and raced forward, pulling her fist back.

"Poison God's Baneful Bunker!" she shouted. The poison around her hand solidified into a thick ball, with sharp needles coming out from it. With a shout, she drove it into the man's chin, sending him flying through the air. He grit his teeth.

"You fucking bitch, using your tits against me? You've got another thing coming! Lightning Make: Knuckle!" he shouted, sending a giant fist at the girl, her screams echoed through the area as she flew back, slamming onto the ground hard. She grit her teeth, her muscles spasmed with each new crackle of lightning.

" _Damn...even an under handed tactic like that didn't work. I feel dirty now, that bastard...he's going to pay for this."_

"Lightning Strike!" Surge shouted, summoning a giant bolt of lightning from the sky. It struck Yamato in the center of the chest, causing a massive explosion. She slammed into a rock, unable to move.

"Face it bitch, you're going to die here. Your precious tree is down, and your friends are all hurt, the Kin are down, but now it's time for us to step up. The others must be at your camp now, it won't be long until the blood of the Fairies runs cold with the rain the Devils have caused." he said firmly, hand crackling with lightning.

" _Goddamn it...move...Yamato...you..can't give in."_

"This is the end for you, enjoy your trip to oblivion!" he shouted, unleashing a massive bolt of lightning at her.

She grit her teeth, closing her eyes from the brightness. She expected the attack to be the end. A loud blast of lightning exploded in front of her, shaking the entire area. When she opened her eyes, she saw another figure standing in front of her, glowing gold with the power of lightning. He was wearing a long white cloak, bright yellow hair sticking up in all directions.

"Who the hell are you?" Surge asked, taking a step back.

"Don't you know it's not polite to attack pretty girls?" the new arrival asked. Yamato's eyes widened in shock. She recognized that voice...it belonged to someone she hadn't seen in a long time. She forced herself to stand, clutching the rock behind her.

"No...wait a minute...pfft, it really is you. The leader of the Thunder Legion, the one who got excommunicated from Fairy Tail. What are you doing here?" he asked.

"Taking care of business." he said simply. Without as much as a thought, he released a strong blast of lightning on the man, shocking the living day lights out of him. Surge's screams of pain drifted through the island, along with the sounds of lightning crackling. The attack finally ended and the man landed in a heap on the ground, completely spent. The blond turned back to face Yamato, a firm look on his face.

"I didn't think an S-class mage from the top guild in Fiore would let herself get taken out by this kook." he said.

"Hi Laxus...it's been so long." she said, a smile on her face.

"Yes it has...where's the old man?"

"Master Hades took him out, I haven't seen him since the trials started." she said, clutching her bleeding arm. He glanced toward the east, where the ship had been positioned.

"Head back to camp, I already took out the last of the lieutenants and commanders on the island, so you'll be safe. I'll go handle Master Hades...he needs to pay for taking out my Grandpa." he said.

"Okay...Laxus...be careful."

"Don't worry, I'll take care of it." he said. A bolt of lightning struck the ground before them, and just like that, he was gone. Yamato sighed, clutching her head. She grabbed some more bark and shoved it in her mouth. The last of her magic was spent, but she wasn't going to give up yet.

xxx

"Zera, what are you doing here?" he asked curiously. The brunette panted for breath, looking up at her friend.

"Aiden, who is this?" Wendy asked, sounding a bit rough. He looked at her, eyes wide.

"Wait...you can see her?" he asked.

"Uh yeah, we can all see her. Why wouldn't we be able too?" Lucy asked curiously.

"Hey, non-Fairy Tail members aren't allow on this island. I don't care if your a cute girl, I'll whoop your tiny little butt." Natsu threatened, hand bursting into flames.

"Excuse me, but I've been a member longer than any of this generation." she said, rolling down her right sleeve. A bright orange Fairy Tail could be seen on her bicep.

"This generation, what is she talking about?" Iona asked curiously.

"I can explain...everyone, this is Zera...she's master Mavis's best friend, and a spirit that lives on Tenrou Island." he said.

"Whoa, so you're actually dead?" Natsu asked, standing in front of the girl. She swallowed hard, her shyness kicking in. In a flash, she zoomed behind a tree, barely peeking from it.

"She's shy." Aiden added.

"I see that...but why is she here?" Lucy asked.

"Um well...I need help...I'm not just a spirit anymore...through some circumstances that I can't explain right now, I've been given a second chance at life. But I need the Magenta Diamond in order to help all of you, trust me I'll explain later. I know you need that gem but I need to.."

"Here take it." Aiden said, tossing the stone to the brunette, who barely caught it.

"What are you doing? We need that gem to pass the trial!" Natsu snapped.

"Don't worry about it, they'll be plenty of time for that bullshit later. Right now we have to focus on fighting Hades. I expect a full explanation later Zera." he said, giving her a wink.

"I uh...okay." she said. He nodded, turning back to his friends.

"Let's go!" he said, walking off into the woods. Zera looked at the gem in her hand, the bright pink glow filled her with warmth.

"I still remember the day we found this Mavis...I'll make use of it's strength, our guild isn't going to die. Not today." she said, taking off into the woods. She had to reach the pedestal as soon as she possibly could, if she didn't make it in time, everyone's lives would be in danger.

Aiden and his friends swiftly moved through the woods, the sound of the ocean waves becoming more apparent as they traveled. The blue haired boy slowed down a bit, glancing over his shoulder.

"I'm a little worried. I don't know if Zera has magic or not." he said.

"Trust me, she does. I sensed it in her, something fierce...she'll be fine." Natsu said, giving him a grin.

"Where are you guys goin?" a familiar voice cried out. From the treeline emerged Gray and Erza, both of them battered and bruised. They looked like they had battled a hundred people each.

"Gray, Erza...are you two alright?" Lucy cried, concern filling her voice.

"We're fine Lucy, a little tired but still kicking." Gray said, a grin on his face.

"It's good to see you guys." Aiden said, earning a smile from Erza.

"You as well...I sense a new power from you...you did battle on this island against your brother didn't you?" she asked. He sighed, giving her a nod.

"I did, but I persevered...It was a tough battle, but not as tough as the one we're about to have." he said. Phoebe and Carla activated their magic, healing some of the injuries the two had taken.

"We're about to fight Hades, we need all the help we can get, you in or out?" Natsu asked, earning a chuckle from Gray.

"I'm all over it. There's no way in hell I would miss a rumble with the bastard that hurt Gramps." he said.

"You can count me in as well. My armors are heavily damaged, but I still have a few capable of taking a few hits." Erza said.

"Good, we'll be able to gather enough strength to melt his face off. If he has a beard, I'm cutting it off." Iona said, earning a giggle from Phoebe.

"We're almost at the beach. Let's go." Aiden said, once again leading the charge.

It didn't take them long to make it to their new battle ground. Grimoire Heart's airship was huge, bigger than any ship Aiden had seen before. He tried comparing it in size to Blue Pegasus's Magic Bomber, but even that one paled in comparison. Standing at the bow of the ship was the man who had orchestrated the attack on Tenrou Island.

He was a tall man, with long white hair and an equally long beard. He had a firm look on his face, and was wearing a patch over his right eye. He was wearing a black cape with flames printed at the edges of it. He wore a long sleeved shirt, with a gauntlet over his left arm. He wore long black pants with matching boots. He stood firm, glaring at the mages that had just appeared before his ship.

"I never expected the Eight Kin to be taken down by Makarov's children. I had anticipated an easy win, but he's become a better master than I had thought. Since they are all so inept, I will just have to do their job for them. Play time for the Fairies is over." Hades said, grinning at the mages.

"So, you want the same fate as your master?" he asked, taunting them. They all remained quiet, glaring at the man, who just chuckled and turned around.

"If you think you can defeat me, then come forth and try, Children of Makarov." he said, flicking his cape as he walked.

"Hey, come back here old fart, give us a way up there!" Natsu shouted, shaking his fists at the man.

"We owe him one for Gramps." Gray said, crossing his arms.

"He'll get his soon enough." Erza reassured.

"So, if we can defeat that man in time, everyone will leave and the council won't have to fire at us?" Wendy queried, getting a nod from Lucy.

"Yeah, that's the plan. And if their ship is destroyed they can swim back." she said.

"What's this about the council firing at us?" Iona asked curiously.

"They plan to use Etherion to destroy the island. They want to get rid of Fairy Tail, Grimoire Heart and Zeref in one fell swoop, right now we sit on borrowed time." Carla replied.

"Why didn't you tell me this earlier?" Aiden asked, looking at Wendy. She shook her head, brushing some wet locks out of her eyes.

"I didn't think it was necessary to mention it. Besides I didn't want to worry you." she replied.

"The details aren't important right now, we can discuss this once Grimoire Heart has been taken care of." Iona said firmly.

"Before anything else, Happy, Carla, Lily, Phoebe, I got a mission for ya guys. I want you to find what makes this thing move and take it out of commission." Natsu said.

"It would be a bad thing if this started to move, at least for you two." Happy said, glancing at Aiden and Natsu.

"Don't worry, I'll cast my Troia spell just in case!" Wendy said, hovering her hands over their bodies, the glow of her spell washing over them.

"I think we've kept him waiting long enough! Let's go!" Gray cried out, placing his hands on the ground, a stream of ice shot at the bow of the ship, forming a giant stairwell of pure ice. The Fairy Tail mages raced forward, quickly climbing the stairs toward their final fight.

"Let's get in there and break stuff!" Happy cried, following after his friends.

"Let's just get in there as quickly as possible!" Lily cried, still shaking from the lightning.

"Remember, his strength surpasses our master. When we get inside hit him hard, and hit him fast." Erza said.

"Yeah, okay." Wendy replied.

"Don't worry, I won't stop until he's begging for mercy." Gray replied.

"That guy doesn't deserve any mercy!" Lucy said.

"We're gonna win this you guys, we got this in the bag!" Aiden added, a grin on his face.

"Oh yeah! We're putting him down, ready or not Hades, here we come!" Natsu cried, reaching the top of the stairs. He shot into the air, pulling his hand back. Hades was standing there arms crossed with a sneer on his face.

"I've got a message from Makarov, choke on it!" the fire dragon shouted, unleashing a plume of flame. Hades held his hand up, blocking the attack entirely.

"You've got to do better than that! Try again!" he taunted. His eyes widened as Gray and Erza appeared, both of them ready to attack. In the blink of an eye, Erza switched to her Black Wing Armor, pulling her sword back. Gray slammed his hands together, a giant sword of ice forming in his hands.

"Moon Flash!"

"Cold Excalibur!"

Both attacks hit home, sending the man several feet back. He had an angry look on his face, surprised that the attack had been enough to send him flying back.

"Fire Make: Launching Pad!" Aiden chanted, slamming his hands onto the wooden floor. Iona smirked, shooting high into the air with a blast of sapphire flames. She spun through the air, her legs started swirling with acidic water, forming a giant tail fin.

"Water Basilisk's White Fins!" she shouted, her attack striking Hades point blank. He dug his hands into the ground, pulling himself to a stop, holding a hand out, he shot a chain at Iona, wrapping it around her neck, with a single swing, he sent her flying back. She smirked, flipping him off.

"Open: Gate of the Golden Bull: Taurus!" Lucy cried, summoning the giant bovine. He hefted his battle axe high above his hand, slamming it down as hard as he could on the elderly Master. He growled in anger, glaring at the mages before him.

"By the grace of the wind may it strike fiercely, move swiftly and be free of all harm! Arms and Armor, Vernier! Enchant!" Wendy cried.

Aiden zoomed forward, allowing Erza and Gray to get ahead of him. The redhead growled, swinging her sword as fast and as hard as she could, hoping to hit the old man. Gray raced past her, slamming his ice blade at him. Hades shot from the smoke, launching another chain out, this time managing to grab Erza.

"Nimble lit scamp." he grinned, swinging her back into Gray. Aiden raced past them, grabbing a hold of Erza's discarded sword, fire swirling around the blade.

"Fire Make: Blazing Moon Flash!" he shouted, slashing the man across the chest, a plume of sapphire light bursting from the attack. Hades turned around, slamming his leg into Aiden, sending him flying into the large globe behind them. He looked up, eyes widened in surprise.

"Fire Dragon Wing Attack!" Natsu shouted, pure wings of orange flame swirling around the old man, who had been sent flying above them. He shot a chain at Natsu, grabbing him by the back of the head, swinging him back. Aiden threw the sword back at Erza, racing toward Hades, hands placed together.

"Frost Fire Make: Brutal Sanction!" he shouted, slamming the mace into the man's back. This gave Erza enough time to free Natsu, who was flying toward Gray, who slammed his hands together, forming a hammer of ice.

"Natsu, get in there!" he shouted, swinging the hammer forward with all of his strength. Iona took a hold of Wendy's hand, both of them taking a deep breath, while Lucy drew another key from her pouch, aiming it to the side.

"Water Basilisk's Breath!"

"Sky Dragon's Roar!"

"Scorpio!"

Water, Wind and Sand melded together, forming a thick funnel of magic power that swirled around Natsu's body. He let himself rotate with the attack, allowing his fire to burn from inside the funnel. Hades's eyes widened in shock.

"A Unison Raid?" he cried in complete surprise.

"Grr...Fire Dragon's Sword Horn!" Natsu shouted, slamming into Hades with all of the magic he had left. The man shot backward, flying into the giant globe on the other end of the massive ship. Large pieces of wood and metal fell on top of the man, burying him under all of the rubble. All of the mages stared at the spot where the man landed, all of them winded from the magic they had just spent.

"I feel dizzy." Aiden muttered, trying to remain standing. He wiped the sweat from his forehead, glancing at the dust cloud that had kicked up. He heard foot steps, his eyes widening a bit.

"I've often heard youngsters refer to their mistakes as "Life Experiences". But there is no experience to be gained, such as the case here. There only thing you've got to learn from this is that messing with me is going to end up taking you to the grave."

"Mother fucker." Aiden cried out, his shoulders shaking in fear.

"No way...that isn't possible." Lucy muttered.

"Come on, we poured everything we had into that!" Gray shouted, beside him Erza stood shocked as well, unable to understand the sight before her.

"His magic power is unreal. It's unlike anything I've seen before." Natsu said, sweat dripping from his face. Hades placed his arms behind his back, glaring at the mages before him.

"Since I'm all warmed up, it's time for me to get serious." he said, releasing his magic power. The entire area shook a bit, as the invisible force washed over the frightened mages. All of them had similar looks of shock and fear, even the ever stoic Iona had a look of fear in her eyes, something that almost never happened.

"Get ready!" Erza cried, her grip on her katana tightening.

From out of nowhere, Hades let out a violent scream, shaking the entire area. Aiden shook a bit, thinking it was nothing more than a battle cry or a scare tactic. He felt an invisible wave wash over him, from the corner of his eye, he saw Wendy's body glowing a brilliant white before disappearing entirely.

"Wendy no!" Natsu cried. Aiden just stood there, unable to comprehend what just happened. He felt something in him just snap. He tightened his fist so hard that his fingernails cut his palms, his crimson blood started dripping onto the ground as he turned to face Hades.

"Believe me when I say that was a mercy killing. From this point forth each of your deaths will be more brutal than the last." he said.

"What did you do to her?" Aiden growled in anger. He glanced at him, a smirk on his face.

"Ah, I can sense your pheromones boy. We're you her mate? This must be so hard for you. If you'd like I can send you to hell next, then you can be together forever." Hades said, giving the boy a grin. He took a step forward, his magic power flaring from his body, a cold mist drifting from his body.

"Hellfire Frost Dragon Mode." he said, crystalline blue flames burst from his feet, the entire area growing cold. Before he could attack however, he heard a voice above them.

"Wait, don't be reckless! I'm perfectly fine! She says with worry!"

"It's Horologium." Lucy said, looking at the clock spirit.

"Nice old timer." Gray said. Natsu sighed with relief, looking visible calm.

"My automatic danger timer activated, so I was able to rescue her in time." He replied.

"Really, don't take this the wrong way, but I think your danger detecting thingy needs an overhaul." Lucy said, sounding a bit angry with the spirit.

"My apologies, while you faced many dangers in the past, you're life wasn't at risk." Horologium said.

"I guess timing is kinda his thing." Gray added.

"So wait...if you were able to rescue Wendy, why didn't you take her clothes too?" Natsu asked curiously.

"As this was an emergency, I was only able to save her physical form." the spirit replied.

"So you mean to tell me, she's naked inside you?" Gray added.

"Ahh! She screams in embarrassment!"

"Hey Horologium, could you turn around for a sec? Just a second." Aiden said, a vibrant blush on his face. Iona slapped him across the face, shaking her head in disdain.

"No worries, I shall provide a change of clothes for her. However this is the only time I will be able to do this, I'm afraid you'll be on your own after this." the spirit said.

"We're just glad she's alright, thank you." Erza said.

"Yeah, no kidding." Aiden added, rubbing his face.

"Take care everyone, good luck." Horologium said, disappearing into the spirit world. Wendy landed back on the ground, wearing a new set of clothes. She glared fiercely at Hades, who had a look of mild amusement on his face.

"So, this is Makarov's Fairy Tail eh?" he asked curiously.

"What...are you saying you know Gramps?" Natsu asked, glaring at the man.

"He does, this son of a bitch and the master go way back. His records must have been removed from the guild, but he used to be one of us." Aiden said firmly.

"Huh? What are you talking about man? This guy could never be one of us!" Natsu cried angrily.

"The boy speaks the truth. If Makarov is Gramps, then you can call me Great Grandpa. I'm Fairy Tail's second master, I was the one who appointed Makarov as the third master."

"That's a filthy lie, Fairy Tail would never associate with the likes of you!" Natsu cried, running at the man.

"No wait!" Aiden shouted, trying to reach for his hand. Hades smirked, placing his fingers together, a purple ball of darkness magic forming at his finger tips. Several crossing seals formed around Natsu, exploding on contact. He howled in pain, slamming into the ground.

"No way, an Amaterasu formula...that's one of the rarest and hardest magics to cast." Iona muttered. Erza looked at her in shock, not seeing the chain headed for her. The chain wrapped around her and Lucy, exploding shortly after. Aiden grit his teeth, racing forward.

"Hellfire Frost Dragon's Breakdown Fist!" he shouted, aiming the attack at Hades. The man easily caught his hand, driving his knee into his stomach. Aiden gasped for breath, unable to avoid the punch to the back of his head.

"Pow!" Hades cried, shooting Aiden right in the back.

"No, Aiden!" Wendy cried, her eyes soaked in tears. Hades fired a blast directly at her, sending her tumbling to the ground, hundreds of purple orbs shot them all, causing massive damage to every part of their body.

"You see, this is the power I hold. I'm going to teach you what it means to mess with me!" Hades shouted angrily. Aiden tried standing up, only to get kicked in the chest. He slammed into the ground, sliding across the broken wood, laying on the ground in pain.

"Tell me, do Fairies possess tails? Do they exist at all? It's a never ending question, and a never ending adventure. I believe those are the words she said on that day." He said, glaring at the falling mages.

"Fuck you!" Aiden growled, forcing himself to sit up. Hades tilted his head, looking right at him.

"Heh, Brandon was right, you are a mouthy brat." he said, shooting Aiden right in the chest. He howled in pain, but remained sitting. He forced himself to his feet, clutching his head in pain.

"How...could you. Mavis trusted you with her guild...she trusted you could lead it into the light...why would you betray her this way? Did your friendship with her mean nothing?"

"Mavis entrusted her mantle onto me, and I in-turn entrusted it to Makarov. My greatest mistake. Makarov changed the guild, he made it different." he said.

"What bullshit are you spouting?" Natsu cried, glaring at the man. Hades smirked, slamming his foot onto his head.

"He brought magic out of the darkness and into the light."

"That's how our Fairy Tail does things! We live every moment with our lives on the line!" Natsu shouted.

"He's right, I would die a hundred times over if it meant I could save the lives of those I care for the most. This guild has changed me and turned me into a different person. You had that power and you tainted it, so stew with the darkness all you want, you don't have the balls to change a goddamn thing!" Aiden said, flipping the man off. Hades shook his head, crossing his arms.

"Such disrespect!"

"Eat me, you piece of shit!" Aiden growled in anger. Hades smirked, pointing his fingers at Natsu, he opened fire on him, blasting him with more dark energy.

"Keep talking boy, and I'll make this more painful with every word." he said.

Aiden grit his teeth shoving his hand in his pocket. He grabbed the half eaten golden beryl and took a bite out of it, a loud crunch filling the room. He took out the Verdant Emerald and tossed it at Wendy, along with the Aqua Crystal which he threw at Iona.

"Natsu, take it!" Aiden shouted, tossing the last of the yellow gem at the fire dragon slayer. The teen grabbed a hold of it, shoving it in his mouth.

"Thanks for the meal buddy." he said. His body glowed brighter, as he was filled with a surge of magic power.

"We won't give up, and we won't give in, not while we have magic power. Eat the gems, it's time to teach this stale queef how Fairy Tail takes care of business." he said, once again entering his dual element mode. Wendy took a bite out of hers, feeling a surge of magic power course through her body. She stood back up, wind swirling around her body.

"Ilgardia...you left me in charge of this gem, but was this really it's purpose? I thought it would lead me to where you are." Iona said, looking at the glowing gem. She looked up at Hades, who seemed to be preparing a new spell. She shook her head.

"No...the adversity I face now is much more important than some silly gem. I'll find you one day, but I won't be able to search for you if I'm dead. It's time for my full power to be unleashed." she said, chomping down on the gem.

She grit her teeth, feeling a massive pain shooting through her body. Towering pillars of water shot out of the ocean, all of them heading toward Iona, who just spread her arms as if accepting them. She took another bite from the Aqua Crystal, her body glowing brilliantly as the water swirled around her. She spread her arms, dismissing the water around her.

Her entire body had changed, the area around her face had grown smooth sea green scales, resembling the ones on a fish. Her fangs had grown, slightly poking out of her mouth, her eyes were glowing a bright sea green. Her arms had also grown scales, two thin fins had grown out of her wrists, ending near the elbow. The fins had small spikes sticking out of them, all of them looking rather sharp. Her clothes had also changed, the area around her breasts has changed into a bikini top of sorts, made entirely out of sea green scales, the cloth keeping her breasts covered. Her lower back had also been covered in thick sea green scales that faded to white around the front, leaving her naval completely free of scales. She was wearing a sea green bikini bottom with black stripes around it. Her legs were covered in matching scales, her boots covering her feet.

"Well, aren't you full of surprises. Basilisk Force right? I never thought I would see one of your kind." Hades said firmly.

"You've oppressed the world for far too long with your darkness. It is now our duty to take you down, and I will use every ounce of power left inside my body. If I die so be it, but as long as you are defeated, it will be a worthy death." she said, pointing at the man.

"I look forward to your challenge, I hope you don't get scared when I slice her head off." Hades said, getting ready for a fight.

xxx

"Those guys are raising hell up there." Phoebe said, gripping onto the wall as another tremor shook the ship.

"This place is absolute hell...why would anyone make a ship that has this much echo?" Lily asked, referring to the lightning and thunder.

"It doesn't matter Lily, we have to find that power source, I can feel it." Carla said.

"Um, I have an idea...we've look through all of these rooms. Why don't we take this vent?" Happy suggested, pointing to the grate near the floor.

"Good idea Happy. The ventilation system is connected to every corner of this ship, so if there's a power source anywhere, we'd be able to find it." Phoebe said. She pressed the small ruby on her bracelet, allowing her to return to her exceed form. Carla did the same, twisting the pearl on her ring. With a firm tug, Happy pried the grate off the wall.

The four exceeds made their way into the ventilation shaft, slowly crawling into it. They took a right turn, heading down another direction.

"Do you see anything yet Happy?" Carla asked, the blue exceed shook his head.

"No, I don't see anything yet." he said, looking into the grates that they passed. He saw a few men walking around, all of them wearing masks with Grimoire Heart's mark on them. Phoebe started humming a song, shaking her head as she crawled.

"Secret Agent Man~ Secret Agent Man~!"

"Phoebe shut your mouth, at this rate those goons will hear you!" Carla snapped, glaring at the orange exceed.

"Oh relax, I doubt they can even hear me. These shafts are made of titanium!"

"Are they really?" Pantherlily asked, a bit calm that he couldn't hear the thunder and lightning anymore.

"Hell if I know. It's just a guess." she said with a shrug. Happy suddenly stopped, making Carla bump into him, which in turn made Lily bump into her.

"Why the hell did you stop?" Carla asked. Happy looked over his shoulder, glaring at Lily.

"Hey Lily, did you feel it?" he asked.

"Feel what?"

"Well when I stopped it made Carla bump into me, which means you got a face full of her cushy tushy." he said.

"Christ can we not focus on that shit right now?" Phoebe snapped.

"What made you stop in the first place Happy?" Carla asked.

"Um...do any of you know what that thing is?" he asked, pointing down into the grate. The other exceeds crawled forward, eyes widening.

"Oh god, what is that?" Carla said, shuddering a bit.

"It's alive." Happy muttered. Phoebe looked closely at it, seeing it was actually pumping, it had a beat, something unmistakable. Her eyes widened in shock.

"Grimoire Heart." she said.

"Huh?" Carla said, glancing at her friend.

"I just realized what makes these fucks tick. Remember when we faced Oracion Seis, that Brain guy had body link magic, Six members, six links, and when they all fell in battle, Master Zero was released. That's the origin of their name. Fairy Tail has the Tenrou Tree, giving us divine protection, if that's the case than what's that down there?" she asked, pointing at it.

"Grimoire Heart, the guilds power source is a giant heart of darkness. It must be making magic for them all, everyone who bears the mark at least. So if we destroy it, we'll be giving everyone else an edge in battle." Pantherlily said.

"Hey, I heard voices coming from inside."

"How the hell would anyone get in there?!"

"Shit, I'll hold them off, Carla you and Happy break shit until that fucking thing stops beating!" Phoebe cried, shifting into her human form.

"I'll go with you Phoebe, let us fight as a unit!" Pantherlily replied, earning a nod from the orange exceed.

"Let's go Happy." Carla cried, also changing into her human form. The blue exceed nodded, looking for something to break. He had to help, if he didn't Natsu would pay the price.

 **A/N: Just as a visual, Iona's Basilisk Force looks like Mirajane's Halphas form, except she has no wings...hope that helps!**


	53. Tenrou Arc: Dawn on Tenrou Island

**A/N: Hello everyone and welcome to a new chapter of The Hellfire Dragon Slayer. This will be chapter 52 of this long and wonderful tale of hours. It will also be the second part of the final battle against Grimoire Heart, so I hope you all like it. Compared to the battle of Aiden vs Brandon, I have to say this one is sub-par, but that previous battle was more of a battle of emotions. Brandon was a fucked up twisted man, so I wanted to convey that in the most fucked up way I could, and trust me that's only half of the ideas I had for that battle. Well, if I had kept it going it would have turned into a three parter and honestly, I didn't want to turn this battle into something straight out of Dragon Ball Z, with their goddamn ten episode battles...ugh..**

 **With this chapter, there only remains one left. I've got to say, the Tenrou Arc is the longest arc to date. The x791 is going to be long as well, but it's going to be split in two, the x791 arc and the x791 Training Arc. Yes, the Key of the Starry Skies arc isn't going to be in this story, I didn't find a reason for it to be here, but I might throw in some of the characters from it in there. I might have Michelle make an appearance as well as Coco, I could care less for everyone else that's in it, or the story itself. Eh, I guess Neo Oracion Seis is kinda important.**

 **The reason why I don't include this arc...well that should be obvious, it's the fucking Jiggle Butt Gang. Christ who in their right fucking mind included these three dumb fucks into Fairy Tail. As if it wasn't bad enough, this sub par story arc had to have the most disgusting fucking villains in the whole history of Fairy Tail. I would have taken something else over those three fuck ups. On the plus side, Wendy and Erza in spandex suits wasn't a bad idea...well at least for Erza it wasn't, Wendy is just...well the authorities need to be called on this arc because of that one segment, and her being made their Goddess? What a joke...she's just to nice for her own damn good.**

 **But...I will instead focus more on the training for the Grand Magic Games, along with throwing in a few other things in there. I might also include the Training Ova as part of the main story. The Celestial Spirit party thing is still going to happen, but it isn't going to be some bullshit, 1=3 months bullshit, I'll figure out the timing for that arc...I'll also explain how Lucy got a contract with Pyxis because I still don't fucking know where that key came from, I don't think anyone does. I guess I'll also have her use Perseus the Hero, seeing as I gave her that key a while ago and she still hasn't used it. I had completely forgotten about it until now.  
**

 **Not sure if Aiden will be using Kanna or Monoceros in the Grand Magic Games, I supposed I can talk about the events in detail when we're nearing that story arc, but I was planning on giving Kanna a new form so that she can better channel her powers, it's one that she gets only when her bond increases with her contractor. Plus she's freaking adorable, the only reason I want to watch Dragon Maid is for Kanna, and Tohru and Locua...god I miss my goddamn internet.**

 **So, with that out of the way, I'll leave you with the new chapter, I hope you all like it!**

 **Song of the Day: Common Ground by Our Last Night.**

 **I remember finding this band on YouTube one day when I was bored. I was listening to their song called Oak Island, and started thinking about the haunting legend behind it, and the undiscovered treasure. Apparently the island holds a giant treasure trove and anyone who tries to find it, either gets cursed or ends up dying, so to this day it hasn't been found.**

 **I decided to listen to the entire album and just fell in love with the music. Dark Storms is my favorite song out of the album, and Sunrise made me realize just how bad people are bullied in the world, through the internet, at school and even at home by family members. It really opened my eyes on just how fucked up the world can truly be. I suggest you give them a listen, because for an Indie Band, their music is fucking amazing...and it isn't full of that garbage that's on the airwaves now a days. Honestly, Post Hardcore and Metal are the only real songs now a days, and that's a fucking shame...when all of the world is filled with songs about drugs, sex and money, you can count on bands like this to reward you with actual fucking music.**

Tenrou Arc

Chapter 52

Dawn on Tenrou Island

Iona glared at the man before her, the Second Master of Fairy Tail, and current Master of Grimoire Heart. The man scared her, his magic power hadn't waned a single iota since the battle started, and yet she knew she had to face him. Her magic was rapidly dwindling, but by eating the Aqua Crystal, it had given her a necessary boost. With the rain falling around them and the water of the ocean, she would be fine but...her friends, the Dragon Slayers weren't doing so well.

Needing the elements of fire and wind, her friends had more hardships than she did. It was the reason why she forced herself into Basilisk Force. She would be the heavy hitter, while her friends practiced coordinated attacks, with their combined strength, they would be an insurmountable wall that would defeat Hades. But that was only positive thinking, she knew the man would be hard to take down, but she wasn't going to give up. She was a Fairy Tail wizard, and she could definitely prove it. She held her hand out, a magic seal forming in front of her. Water started swirling around her, forming a compressed ball of the swirling liquid which was glowing a vibrant green.

"Water Basilisk's Hydro Pulse!" she shouted, shooting the ball forward. Hades braced for impact, taking the attack head on. It exploded bathing him in the water. However he burst forward, running at the stunned girl. Aiden jumped forward, slamming his hands together.

"Fire Make: Explosion!" he shouted, driving the orb forward. The man growled in anger as the attack exploded, sending him flying back. Wendy zoomed past him, jumping into the air, spinning around to face him.

"Sky Dragon's Roar!" she howled, the compressed twister of wind slammed into the man's back, sending him flying into the ground. Natsu jumped forward, hands covered in flames.

"The Flames from my right hand and the flames from my left, put them together and you get this! Fire Dragon's Brilliant Flame!" he shouted, throwing the swirling ball of fire at Hades, causing another fierce explosion. He landed on the ground, panting a bit for breath.

"My my, you've all gotten a significant boost in power, tell me...was searching for those gems hard?" Hades said, walking out of the smoke. Aiden grit his teeth, running forward.

"Fire Make: Burning Ascalon!" he shouted, slamming his hands together. With a shout he swung the massive fire sword, slamming it into Hades's chest. The man didn't even move, he just glared at Aiden. He shot a chain right at him, taking a hold of his face. He wrapped it around his neck, a smirk on his face.

"You know, that fool brother of yours was always speaking of how weak you are. I have to agree with him, you truly are a weak specimen. But being able to defeat him, you truly opened my eyes. It's such a shame that I found him and not you, imagine if you were a part of Grimoire Heart, you would probably be killing these fools as we speak." he said.

"Fuck...you." Aiden hissed through grit teeth. The chain detonated, sending the teen flying into the far wall.

"Aiden!" Wendy cried, she cried in pain as a chain wrapped around her neck. She was lifted over the old man's head, and slammed into the ground. The boards underneath her snapped clean in half as she lay there, eyes widened in pain.

"Useless...and people say kids are going to lead us into the future." he said firmly, delivering a firm kick to the girl's rib cage. She hit the ground hard, her shoulder hitting a broken piece of the ship.

"I'm going to make you pay for that!" Natsu howled, running forward with a flaming fist. He threw a punch at Hades, which he easily dodged. He grabbed the teenager and punched him in the chin, throwing him back toward the others. Iona shot forward, water enveloping her entire body.

"Water Basilisk's Aqua Drill!" she chanted, rotating her body to form a giant drill.

She slammed into Hades, sending him flying back. The water disappeared from her body and she quickly planted her foot on the ground, doing a backflip. She slammed her knee into Hades, slicing across his face with an Acidic water claw. He tried to hit her but she moved away, tripping the man up.

"Basilisk Force truly does make you nimble doesn't it?" he asked.

"It isn't about being in this form. It's about how I use my abilities...that's something you wouldn't understand, scum bag!" she cried. Hades sighed, holding his fingers forward.

"I was toying with you. Giving you the chance to take some hits gave you confidence, making it so much more fun when it's time to stomp you into the dirt." he said. A single glowing circle formed around Iona, her eyes widening in shock.

"Amaterasu...no, I gotta move!" she said, trying to jump out of the circle. Hades shot her in the leg, causing her to trip.

"Amaterasu Formula 21." he chanted. The magic circle exploded, causing the girl to scream in pain.

"Iona!" Aiden cried, running toward the girl.

"Know your place boy! When I say sit down, you sit down!" Hades shouted, once again opening fire at him.

With each hit, he felt his magic power disappearing. Even with the help of the gems, it wouldn't do much good on him. He slammed into the ground, gritting his teeth in pain. Hades grabbed Iona by the neck, squeezing her throat. She grabbed his arm, squeezing as hard as she could.

"How precious...the Princess of the Basilisks is weaker than all of her friends. You've much to learn little girl, too bad you won't be able to get stronger." he said, squeezing harder.

Wendy jumped onto his back, biting down hard on his shoulder. The man howled in pain, letting go of Iona. She quickly reacted, sweeping the man off his feet. Wendy flipped out of the way, landing on the ground with her arms spread out.

"Metsuryu Ogi!" she chanted.

"No Wendy, you'll be wasting all your magic!" Aiden warned, struggling to stand up. The girl didn't listen to him, as she focused her magic onto the attack. The wall of wind rose around Hades, trapping him inside. She pulled her arms behind her back, a bright light bursting from her hands.

"Shoha Tenkusen!" she cried.

The light burst from her hands, taking the shape of a massive drill of wind, that struck Hades hard. The man howled in pain, being sent flying back into the wall. The span above him broke apart from the attack, falling on top of him. Wendy fell to her knees, having spent all of her power.

"Very good, you're skill and power are quite adept." Hades replied, standing back up.

"No way...even my strongest attack didn't do anything." she muttered.

"What kind of monster is this guy...he's too goddamn strong!" Aiden said. Hades took aim at Wendy, firing hundreds of bullets at her. Aiden quickly stood up, but was instantly put down by him.

"I'm sick of dealing with you kids. I think it's about time I stopped playing around!" he said, sending a wave of magic at everyone. They all flew back, groaning in pain. Iona grit her teeth, pulling her hands back, hundreds of small bubbles forming around the man.

"Basilisk Slayer Secret Art: Queen Basilisk's Primordial Seas!" she shouted, slamming her hands together. All of the bubbles burst with thick beams of light and water, all of them shooting toward Hades. Her stood there, just taking the attack head on. Iona grit her teeth as her transformation ended, returning her to normal.

"No..not now." she said. Hades shook his head, slamming his fist into her head, forcing her into the ground.

"Pathetic." he said, grinding his boot onto her back. She tried turning her body into water, but she was completely drained of magic. The man just kept stomping on her over and over, her screams of pain filling the room.

"Iona! Leave her alone!" Natsu shouted.

"Please stop, she's just a kid." Lucy pleaded.

"It's her own fault that she's about to die. Her end was nigh and still she fought valiantly. She wants to be with her mother so much, I'll grant her that wish." he said, raising his hand high, black magic swirling at the finger tip.

"Any last words girlie?" he asked, aiming his fingers at her. Iona smirked, a bit of blood dripping from her mouth.

"Kiss my grits."

"Quite." Hades muttered, about to fire the attack.

Iona closed her eyes, waiting for it all to end, when a massive bolt of lightning struck the ship. The ceiling burst from the attack, slamming into Hades. The man howled in pain, the electricity coursing through him. She looked up, eyes widening when she saw a man standing before her.

"So, this is the fossil that took out Gramps. He isn't just an abuser of old people, but he also beats kids too." he said angrily.

"Laxus." Natsu muttered, a relieved look on his face. Hades glared at the new arrival, a look of confusion on his face. Laxus pulled his head back, lightning racing across his skin. In that moment, he looked just like a younger version of Makarov, something that scared the man quite a bit.

"The boy?" he asked. Laxus growled angrily, slamming his forehead into the man, shocking him to high heaven.

"Iona is it? I think it would be best for you to get out of my way. I wouldn't want to hurt you." he said firmly. The girl nodded and stood up, dropping to her knees, she used her remaining strength to crawl away, giving the man the space he needed to fight.

"So, you're a blood relative of Makarov. Laxus was it?" Hades asked.

"You know something I don't understand, why is it that all old people turn into pitiful bad guys? You think darkness is the answer to everything."

"You don't know what you're talking about boy, but if you want to fight then I'll give you one." he said, throwing a punch at him. Laxus easily dodged it, unleashing a bolt of lightning at the man.

He jumped forward, driving his lightning coated leg into him, sending him flying back. Hades shot a chain at him, only for the man to dodge it with ease.

"Lightning Dragon's Heavenward Halberd!" he shouted, throwing the lightning bolt forward. It took the shape of a trident in mid air. Hades jumped over it, but was still hit by the shock waves. He grit his teeth, aiming his fingers at him.

"What's this, an Amaterasu circle?" Laxus cried, seeing the three circles around him.

"This is the end for you!" Hades said, willing it to explode.

"No Laxus!" Natsu shouted.

"Oh no...he got hit by that attack!" Wendy muttered.

"Amaterasu is a fierce lost magic. It robs those hit with it from the feeling in their limbs, that was part of the reason why I couldn't move." Iona muttered, laying on her side.

Laxus burst from the attack, driving his leg into Hades, sending him into the ground, large gaping holes littered the area now, the lightning from the man's attacks literally turned the floor boards into ash.

"To think that was just my leg. I still have my other leg, and both of my arms, not to mention the rest of me. If I combined it into a single attack it would be more powerful than that one kick." Laxus said, a taunting look on his face.

"You're just like Makarov aren't you? I can see you got his blood running through your veins. To think he has a mage of Gildarts's caliber hidden away from everyone." he said.

"This has nothing to do with my Grandpa. I came here to pay my respects to the First master, and here I am running into the Second master. Don't you know the trials are sacred to the guild?" he asked.

"Like it matters to me, you're through!" he shouted, sending a blast of magic at Laxus.

He dodged it, aiming a lightning coated fist into his face. The two of them fought hard, throwing punch after punch at each other, darkness and lightning shooting all over the place. Laxus jumped back, crossing his arms as he summoned a bolt of lightning through the hole in the roof, striking Hades point blank with it.

"Heh, I got you on the ropes now you old fart." Laxus taunted. He was about to move forward, when a searing pain shot through his leg, causing him to fall.

"Oh no, he really did get hit by that attack." Lucy said.

"Laxus, you can do this! Come on man get up!" Natsu shouted.

"This is the end for you." the old man shouted, aiming his hand forward, a purple magic seal appeared in front of him, a condensed ball of magic appearing before it.

"Looks like this is the end huh?" Laxus muttered.

"What are you talking about? Get up man, you can do this!" Natsu cried.

"Get out of the way Laxus, we believe in you. We may not know each other, but it doesn't matter what happened. Fight for your family!" Aiden shouted, clutching his chest in pain.

"I've traveled almost all over this world of ours. I've seen countless things, faced many wizards...this guy is a real monster. I thought if I took him out, I would be justified. I deserve revenge for what he did to my Grandpa right?" he asked. Natsu nodded, giving him a firm look.

"Yes, you deserve to take revenge, not just for Gramps, but for all of your friends!" he shouted. Laxus chuckled, a smirk on his face.

"Natsu...you're the only one who can do this now." he said.

He threw his head back, unleashing all of his magic power. The area grew so bright that it became pure white in color. A loud explosion rung through the area, as Laxus took the brunt of Hades's attack, sending him flying through the floor down to the floor below. Natsu sat up, lightning coursing through his body.

"What is this? What did you do?" Natsu asked.

"Don't you see? I don't deserve revenge, only a Fairy Tail member can defeat this guy. I gave you my magic Natsu, use it to take down this guy. You can do it!" Laxus said.

"He...gave him his magic...wait that light was a magic transfer, that means he was hit with that attack and he didn't have any magic!" Erza said. Natsu grit his teeth, pulling his scarf down.

"Why would you do something like this? You're a dumb ass!" he shouted. Laxus smirked, shaking his head.

"You've got this...out of everyone in the guild, you got the most heart...no that's not true...all of you do. Fairy Tail deserves this win, I'm just a man without an emblem." he said, passing out from the strain. Natsu stood up, clenching his fist.

"Thanks Laxus...thank you for this meal." he said, absorbing the magic into his body. Flames burst from within, crackling with electricity. Aiden's eyes widened as he saw the flames for the first time.

"Flames cloaked in lightning. He created a new form of magic with Laxus's power, similar to my own. Lightning Flame Dragon Slayer magic." Aiden said, almost above a whisper.

"No way, that's possible? I thought you needed a lacrima for that." Gray said.

"Apparently not. Go Natsu, show them what you got! Pierce the Heavens with your dragon roar, show him what it means to fuck with Fairy Tail!" Lucy shouted.

"You got it." he said, bursting forward with great speed. Hades braced for impact, holding his hand out. Natsu howled angrily, slamming his leg into him, sending fire right at his lower body. He slammed his fist into his face, following it up with a thick bolt of lightning magic that made Hades howl in pain.

"He can use lightning magic now?" Gray asked curiously.

"With practice, he'll be able to get access to unique spells...even now he shows great control of it." Aiden muttered. It wasn't as if he was an expert on this or anything, but he figured that would be the case.

"This is the end for you! Say goodnight!" Natsu shouted, throwing a giant ball of lightning covered flames at the man. The entire area shook with an explosion, lightning crackling through the air. The entire area was buzzing loudly unlike anything they had seen before. Hades jumped out of the smoke, catching Natsu's hands with his chains.

"Try and fight now with your hands tied up!" he screamed. Natsu grit his teeth, pulling his hands apart. Aiden forced himself to stand. He grit his teeth, forcing himself into his dual element mode. He almost fell down but he wasn't going to give up. He stood firm, looking right at Natsu.

"Let's give him hell." he said.

"You got it buddy." the salmon haired boy replied. Both of them took a deep breath, magic flowing right into their bodies. Crackling flames flowed into Natsu, while flaming ice slowed into Aiden. The magic peaked within them, both of them pouring the last of their magic into this attack.

"Lightning Flame Dragon!"

"Hellfire Frost Dragon!"

"ROAR!" the two Dragon Slayers shouted, unleashing their pent up energy.

Both of the attacks melded together creating a massive plume of purple flames and ice that slammed into Hades with the force of a run away train. The attack burst from the side of the ship, tearing through through the beat up island, shooting high into the sky. Their roars rung through the entire area, making them all shiver and shake from the attack. Aiden fell to the ground, completely out of magic. He groaned in pain, barely able to move. Everything was hazy, but he did see Lucy get up for some reason.

The smoke cleared up, revealing the body of Hades, who was lying on the ground, completely still. Wendy knelt beside Aiden, giving him a smile.

"We did it, we finally defeated Hades." she said. Aiden grit his teeth, forcing himself to sit up. Everyone was smiling and cheering, all of them feeling relieved.

"Don't...it's not over yet. Stop laying there you bastard, I know you're still kicking." Aiden said, glaring at the old man. All of his friends remained silent, hearing the man start to chuckle. He quickly stood up, facing all of the mages.

"Very good, it seems your abilities to sense magic have grown. Quite impressive, combining the ice from your brothers magic into that Unison Raid, but I assure you it isn't nearly enough to take me out." he said firmly.

"No way...how is he still alive?" Wendy cried, eyes widened in shock. She started crying, tears running down her face. Aiden wrapped his arm around her, hugging her tightly.

"It's not possible...how...I threw the last of my magic at him." Natsu said.

"I'm scared...is this what fear feels like?" Erza cried, her hand shaking uncontrollably.

"It's been quite awhile since someone has made me reach a corner. I commend you Children of Makarov, but your end is here." Hades taunted, requipping into a fresh change of clothes. He reached up for his eye patch, taking it off his face.

"It's time for this all to end. Trust me, I wished to have ended this long ago, but now you've caused the inevitable flow of magic to raise. Devil's eye, open." he chanted, his eye slowly opening. Everyone shivered in fear of the crimson eye. The man started glowing with black darkness magic, which seemed to be flowing from all directions.

"Do you feel that? How can there be this much magic power?" Gray asked.

"I've never felt so much power in one place before." Erza muttered.

"And it's growing by the second." Lucy added. Iona shook her head, tears running down her face. She was scared, for the first time in her life she felt what true fear felt like. Her heart was racing, and she wanted to run away, but she knew that wouldn't be possible. She just lay back against the wall, her shoulders shaking.

Wendy was in much the same state, hugging Aiden tightly. He hated to admit it, but he was scared too. He was crying, hugging his girlfriend back as tightly as humanly possible without injury. He took a hold of her face, making her look into his eyes.

"Wendy Marvel, if we're going to die, I want you to know how much I love you. You have changed my life in so many ways, you are the greatest thing in the world to me. I can't live a single day without you, you're warmth, you're scent, your voice...it drives me insane. I know I'm young, but I don't care, I love you. It'll be alright, no matter what happens, let's agree to meet up again. I'll never stop searching for you!" he said.

"I love you too Aiden Flame. When I met you all of those months ago, I never knew I would be this in love with someone. It doesn't matter if we're young or old. I'm willing to lay my life down for my friends. If we go, we'll go together...I'll never stop searching for you too. We'll find each other, we'll ride that tail wind until the end of time." she said.

"How sweet, the love birds are tying the knot before their inevitable doom. Do you feel this power? This is the power that will rule the world. Arcane magic, it's so close to the Primordial magic that I can almost touch it. And yet so far that I would never be able to feel it at all." Hades said, holding his right arm above his head. His hair was moving in all directions, glowing an ominous black.

"Please...let the kids go...they don't need to be here." Erza said, giving the man a pleading look.

"Yeah, let them go. Do whatever you want with me, but please don't hurt them!" Lucy begged, bowing her head.

"No! We aren't going to run! I'm sick of it all...if we die, we'll die together!" Aiden shouted, glaring at the two women.

"You're pathetic...here you are at the end of the line, and all you can say is sweet nothings to each other and reassure that everything will be fine. I can assure you it will not be fine. The primordial magic is going to be in my reach soon, Zeref is the key. And when he awakens, we will enter the Grand Magic World...but for all of you, the line ends here! You will be purged from this world posthaste!" he shouted, placing his hands together.

"Book Four, Sub-Paragraph 15. Nemesis: Awaken!" he chanted. From the ground, a black wave of magic shot out, taking on various forms. Black monsters stood next to Hades, all of them growling and snarling at the Fairy Tail mages. Aiden couldn't even breathe, he's grip on Wendy only tightened, earning a scared squeak from the girl.

"Monsters from rubble...all of these things are made from pure magic power." Aiden said.

"Nemesis is the ultimate magic. It allows me to create monsters from any material I can see...this is the end for you!" Hades said.

"I...don't want my adventures to end." Lucy cried, closing her eyes tightly. Natsu took a hold of her hand, taking a deep breath.

"Don't worry Lucy, we'll be having a lot more adventures. It's okay to be afraid, being afraid shows us just how weak we truly are. If you learn to accept fear, you'll become a stronger and gentler person. We've all learned a valuable lesson today, we're all weak." he said.

"You're right...I always saw myself at the top, being a Dragon Slayer felt invincible...but right now I can see just how wrong I was. Guess Erza's sword wasn't enough to make me change my ways after all." Aiden said, a chuckle escaping his lips.

"We learned how weak we are, so how do we change it? We grow stronger! I don't need magic to defeat this bozo...I've got my friends right next to me. We've got what it takes right here, I can stand up because you're all with me." Natsu said, forcing himself to stand.

Aiden followed suit, taking a deep breath. He pulled Wendy to her feet, keeping his arm wrapped around her waist. Iona forced herself to stand as well, taking Gray's hand. All of the Fairy Tail mages glared at Hades, confidence flowing through them.

"Thank you Natsu...I was too hasty to give up...but you showed me that no matter how dark it get's, there's always going to be a path to the light. Mavis paved the road we walk on, so it's our duty to protect that road, so that the future generations can walk along it with us, and go down in history as the greatest mages of all time. So let's go...let's give this bastard what he deserves, for messing with our family." Aiden said firmly. With that, he broke into a sprint. His legs were aching, his muscles were burning, and he felt like he was dying, but he forced himself to run. He wasn't going to give up without a fight.

"How do you all plan to attack? You've got no magic left!" Hades shouted.

That didn't seem to matter as all of the mages kept running forward, not afraid of the adversity they faced. All of the monsters started firing beams of pure magic at them. They took them head on, pushing through the attack. Natsu tripped over a board, making him fall forward, Aiden snapped his arm back, catching his hand, forcing him back up to his feet.

Lucy, Wendy and Iona took a hold of his arms, using all of their strength to throw him forward. The salmon haired teenager, flew past Erza and Gray, both of them using the last of their strength to kick the teen forward. Aiden raised his hand up, forcing a magic seal to appear. Taking ethernano straight from the air hurt like shit, but he wasn't going to give up. The magic seal attached to Natsu's feet, glowing brightly.

"Fire Make: Launching Pad!" he shouted. The pad exploded, sending Natsu rocketing toward Hades.

"This is going to be the end of everything! It's time for your sun to set Fairy Tail!" the man shouted, slamming his hands together, sending several beams of dark energy forward. In a fraction of a second, the entire ship exploded, sending fire and dust in all directions.

xxx

"Oh man...my lungs are burning." Zera muttered, as she held onto the trunk of a tree. Perhaps running for the first time in 98 years had been a bad idea. She had gotten used to being a spirit, and now that she had a real body, she forgot how tiring running was. She grit her teeth and pushed away from the tree, moving up the steep hill. Her foot slid and she slammed into the ground, mud caked her dress, making her groan in anger.

"Alright, once this is over...I am so getting a personal trainer." she muttered, pulling herself up.

She grabbed a tree root, forcing herself to climb up. She walked around the edge of a cliff, and started shimming down the side. She reached for the outcrop above her and pulled herself up. She grit her teeth, feeling her arm muscles burning as she climbed up. Once she was over the edge of the cliff she just lay there, glancing up at the sky as the rain battered her face.

"Oh man...how do people do this for fun?" she said, panting a bit.

"Zera, you never really did like exercising did you?" a soft voice asked. The brunette immediately sat up, glancing up at the trees above her.

A blonde haired girl was sitting there, with a beautiful pink dress. She had fair colored skin and green eyes. The cute look on her face hid the fact that she was one of the greatest tacticians the world had ever seen. She was leaning back against the trunk, kicking her bare feet back and forth. Zera's hands flew to her mouth, as she tried to hold back her cries.

"Mavis...how?"

"Spectral Body magic. The love and friendship of everyone in the guild stirred my heart, I couldn't just sit here while they were getting hurt." she said. She glanced back at the beach, seeing the ship of Grimoire Heart, shake with various explosions.

"Master Precht is on that ship." Zera said, forcing herself to stand.

"Yes I know...I never knew he would take this path...for that I'm sorry. I let you and all of my children down. I created this guild for us to have fun...but apparently he forgot all of those good times." Mavis said, a sad look on her face.

"You know...It wasn't your fault. I was bound to Tenrou Island, but I was still able to feel everything through our marks. Rita's death wasn't your fault and neither was this curse." she said.

"I know...but I couldn't stare Yuri in the eye ever again...I died before I was able to apologize...no that's not right either. Stasis is much different than Limbo." she said.

"Hey, at least you get to snooze in a crystal...I didn't have a body until recently so I got the short end of the stick." Zera snapped, making Mavis laugh.

"There's the spunk that I missed so much. So, you've decided to use Fairy Sphere, is there a reason why?" the blonde girl asked.

"I'm afraid he's summoned it. He was on the island earlier, but I can't sense his presence anymore." She replied, glancing back at the black airship. Lightning slammed into the ship, rocking the entire area. Mavis jumped from the tree, slowly floating to the ground. She placed her hand on Zera's shoulder, giving her a grin.

"There's a boy you like on that ship isn't there?"

"What? No! What makes you say that?" Zera snapped, glaring at her best friend, a blush on her cheeks. Mavis giggled, shaking her head.

"He's a fine young man. He's got as much conviction as the rest of them...let's go. We have to get you to that pedestal, you remember where it is right?" she asked.

"Of course, how would I forget my favorite spot on the island?" Zera snapped.

"Well, come on...we might get a good show too." she said, glancing back at the ship.

Zera nodded, walking into the forest. There was still another level she had to climb to reach the pedestal. Neither of them noticed the roots belonging to the Tenrou Tree slowly start to move. A loud explosion rung through the area and the two girls looked at the ship, seeing the top of it literally explode into a million pieces. It was enough to drive the storm clouds away, finally allowing the sun to shine brightly.

"Daybreak...they did it!" Mavis said, feeling the dark presence vanish from the island. Zera smiled, brushing her wet hair out of her face.

"You kept your promise Aiden, you protected the guild..and now it's my turn to play a part in this tale of ours." she said, quickening her pace. She would put that Gem stone in place, even if it killed her.

xxx

Aiden looked up at the clearing dust, seeing the Fire Dragon Slayer and the Master of the Demon's glaring at each other. The young man had driven his fist into Hades's face, literally sending him flying back. All of the creatures stopped firing their attacks at them, standing there motionless. He glanced over his shoulder, seeing Natsu's scarf flying through the air. He tried to stand up, but just fell to the ground.

"Lucy, the scarf!" he cried out. Her eyes widened and she stood up, running toward it.

"Oh no!" she cried, reaching her hand for it. She managed to catch it, almost falling off the ship, thankfully Wendy and Iona pulled her back in time. Hades stood up, angrily glaring at the Fire Dragon.

"You insolent fool, you've only prolonged your death!" he shouted. Natsu grabbed the man's beard, pulling him forward just for him to be punched in the face.

" _Gah...how is he beating me...no...it can't be!"_ Hades thought, as he watched all of his demons start crumbling, all of them falling apart beside him.

"Look, the demons are breaking." Gray said.

"That magic power vanished." Erza said, looking all over the place, watching as the demons literally disintegrated.

Below them, the exceeds were proudly standing in front of the giant container that held the Grimoire Heart. The glass had been broken, and several swords had been stabbed into it, completely stopping it from working. Carla smirked, high fiving Happy.

"Nice job Happy, without this fine we wouldn't have won." she said.

"Aw, it's alright Carla, you're the one that stabbed it." he said, a blush on his cheeks. Phoebe grinned, driving her fist into a man's face, sending him flying back.

"Hell Yeah! Fairy Tail Wins!" she shouted, pulling her arms back. A bright orange magic seal appeared in front of her, a grin on her face.

"Solar Flare!" she shouted, sending hundreds of glowing orbs of sunlight at the foot soldiers, all of them howled in pain, falling to the ground unconscious.

"Let's get outta here!"

"Run for it!"

"Mission Accomplished." Pantherlily said, resting his new sword over his shoulder. He held his hand out, high fiving Phoebe.

"Yes, time for celebratory cookies!" she said, pulling a baggy from inside her shirt, she stuck her hand inside, shoving a chocolate chip cookie into her mouth. She groaned happily, a purr escaping her lips. Lily rolled his eyes, he was just happy that everything was over.

Hades growled in anger, hand flying to his face, touching his eye. He didn't feel any magic power coming from it. He couldn't even see out of it anymore.

"No...there's no way...the Devil's Heart, if they destroyed it all of my magic power vanishes!" he exclaimed.

The ground started rumbling, as the entire island began shaking. Aiden grit his teeth, forcing himself to his knees. He glanced back at the island, eyes widening a bit at the sight he was witnessing. Iona beside him gasped, entranced by what was happening.

"It's the Tenrou Tree...it's gotten fixed." Wendy said.

"But...who could have done that?" Gray asked, completely shocked.

The tree was finally put back in place, the top of it glowing a brilliant gold. A blinding light exploded from it, showering them all with magic power. Aiden glanced at his guild mark, seeing it glowing intensely, he saw that Iona's was glowing as well. Hades grit his teeth in anger. He stood up, casting another magic circle.

"I'm not going to let it end this way!" he shouted. Natsu gasped in shock, unable to react fast enough. A shadow raced past him, slamming into Hades.

"What are you waiting for Fairy Tail? Take this geezer down!" he shouted, falling to the ground.

"We got our magic power back! Let's show him what we're made of!" Aiden cried. Iona grinned, water swirling around her body.

"I get his beard!" she said cheerfully, racing forward. Aiden burst in front of her, a grin splitting his face.

"Hellfire Dragon's Iron Fist!" he shouted, driving his fist deep into Hades's chest, he grabbed his head and slammed him into the ground, jumping out of the way.

"Ice Make: Arrows!" Gray chanted, hundreds of sharp arrows stabbed into the man's back. He growled, standing back up, taking aim at the man.

"Requip: Heaven's Wheel!" Erza shouted, her armor flashing onto her body. She raced past the man, slashing him several times, a giant star forming on his body.

"Pentagram Slash!" she cried, detonating the attack, making him howl in pain.

"We aren't contracted yet but, I need your help. Open: Gate of the Sea Goat: Capricorn." Lucy cried, summoning the butler-esque goat man. He gave her a warm smile.

"Do you need assistance Miss Lucy?" he asked.

"Yes, take him down." she said, pointing right at Hades. The man's eyes widened in shock.

"What are you doing Caprico? You dare betray me?" he shouted. The goat man shot forward, slamming his leg into Hades.

"I have rid myself of Sir Zoldeo, I am now Lucy's Spirit." he said, driving his fist into the man's face.

"Guys, Breath attack." Aiden said, glancing at Iona, Wendy and Natsu. All of them took a deep breath, their cheeks puffing out with magic power.

"Fire Dragon's Roar!"

"Sky Dragon's Roar!"

"Hellfire Dragon's Roar!"

"Water Basilisk's Breath!"

Hades stood there, shock written on his face as he saw the attack flying at him. The massive beam of magic power melded together into a swirling mass of magic. His entire world turned white as everything around him exploded. He shouted, pain coursing through his entire body as his magic left his body. The smoke started clearing, and he just lay there, groaning in pain. Aiden walked forward, his left hand glowing brilliantly. He placed his hand outward, forming a medium orb of magic power.

"Stand down, or I will use Fairy Law on you." he said firmly. The man didn't even respond. He just lay there, trying to process what just happened to him. He groaned, finally falling unconscious. Aiden panted a bit, letting the attack disappear. Iona knelt over the man, cutting his beard right off, holding it high in the air like a trophy.

"Man, that bastard was tough." he muttered, glancing at his friends. He smiled, seeing the sun slowly start rising into the sky. The whole area started shaking as hundreds of foot soldiers raced up the stairs, all of them holding magic weapons.

"There are the guys who destroyed the ship, quick get them!" the leader shouted.

"Crap, I'm outta magic. We can't deal with these guys!" Gray said. Erza grit her teeth, holding her sword forward.

"Don't you dare attack my children!" a firm voice shouted. The soldiers all stopped, glancing behind them. The rest of Fairy Tail had finally shown up, with Makarov leading the charge. All of them screamed in fear.

"Oh no, isn't that their master?"

"We're so screwed."

"Look, it's Master Hades, he got defeated!"

"And his beard got cut off!"

"Leave this island at once, or I won't show you any mercy!" Makarov shouted, holding his hand outward, a golden magic seal appearing before him. The soldiers screamed, dropping all of their weapons. They all jumped from the sides of the ship, loud splashes echoing through the area.

"Yeah! We totally beat them! Fairy Tail is the best!" Natsu shouted.

"Whoo, fuck yeah! World Star!" Aiden shouted at the top of his lungs.

"Why are you shouting that?" Iona asked.

"I dunno, it sounds cool...and we won so we can shout what we want!" he said. She nodded, taking a deep breath.

"World Star!"

"Yo, this is a bad time to say this, but I gotta take a squirt." Phoebe said, making Aiden turn around. He grinned, hugging his partner tightly.

"Phoebe, you crazy bitch I missed you." he said.

"I missed you too you twat...but seriously I gotta piss. The bathrooms in this ship are all destroyed, I promise it wasn't me." she said, a hint of seriousness in her voice. He chuckled, taking her hand.

"Come on, let's head to base camp. I've been meaning to drop a quart of piss in that toilet all fucking night." he said, rushing past his friends.

"God, is every single time we finish a story arc going to be like this?" Carla snapped in anger, throwing her hands up.

"What are you talking about Carla? It's alright...I kinda have to pee too." Wendy said, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"It's not about the peeing...ugh..let's just go." she said, helping her friend walk off of the ship. Everyone else followed suit, heading down the ice stairs Gray had created. Makarov glared at Hades, before turning around, heading for the exit.

"Makarov...why don't you finish me off?" Hades asked, catching his attention. The man turned back around, looking at him.

"You've learned a valuable lesson here today. I don't have a need to finish you off. If you pick everything up and leave the island, I will forgive your transgressions just this once." he said firmly.

"Heh, they only got the upper hand because my Devil's Heart was destroyed. I can come back any time, and when I do I'll destroy your puny guild." he replied. Makarov sighed, looking up at the sky.

"What happened to you Master Precht? Why did you fall to the darkness?" he asked curiously.

"That's rather simple boy, you should know the answer." he said. Makarov grit his teeth, glaring at him.

"I never liked that nickname, honestly I wanted to deck you every time you called me that." he replied. Hades chuckled, glancing at the sky.

"The answer to your question leads back to the origins of magic. All magic came from the same place, the darkness. But you brought it out into the light, you changed Fairy Tail. The Grand Magic World was almost in my reach, but you're kids ruined it all. So much work, so much sacrifice, all of it was for nothing. We will return, and when we do...there will be hell to pay." he said firmly. Makarov looked at his hand, a glowing golden light forming at his palm.

"I don't know what darkness has to do with this. Dark magic, Light magic, it doesn't matter where magic came from. But what I do know is that all magic is alive. It's alive through the wizards that use them. It doesn't matter if we're in the darkness, or in the light.

Fairy Tail will continue using magic any way we wish, because that's the true purpose of our guild. We will continue leading it with pride, honor, friendship and love. These are all things I've learned from you Master Precht." he said firmly. The man looked at him, a look of shock on his face. Makarov sighed, walking toward the stairs.

"You've got a lot of time, I would advise you to leave while you can, before you truly face the wrath of Fairy Tail." he said simply. Hades grit his teeth, glaring at the man as he walked off. He had a lot to think about.

xxx

Some time had passed, and all of the Fairy Tail wizards had gone back to the base camp. Thanks to the return of the Tenrou Tree, Wendy was back at full power, so she had been able to heal everyone's major injuries, including Aiden's. He had taken a lot of hits, but now he had been fully healed, or as much as she could. Thanks to Phoebe and Carla, almost everyone had gotten healed to some degree.

He sat on a stump, his chest and arms wrapped with gauze. All of his supplies had been destroyed, so he had borrowed one of Gray's shirts, lucky that it actually fit, though he had left it unbuttoned. His eyes were firmly on the blanket in the middle of the clearing. Underneath it was his brother. He heard Elfman had taken the man down from his final resting spot. He sighed, standing up from his seat.

"Something wrong Aiden? You seem a little tense." Yuna said, handing him a glass of water. He smiled, accepting the cold drink.

"I'm fine it's just...after everything that's happened, I don't know what to say or do. The last 24 hours were eye opening for me. I learned just how weak I truly was." he said, taking a sip from the glass. Yuna frowned, glancing at the door.

"Yeah, I didn't stand a chance against that Azuma guy...and I spent all my time fighting foot soldiers, and even then I had a hard time." she said, rubbing her neck.

"But you're learning. If you had faced Azuma way back when, you would have been taken down in a single hit. The fact that you were able to fight him and do some damage says a lot about you. We got a long way to go, but soon enough you'll be just as tough if not tougher than Erza." she said.

"He's right...you can learn a lot from failure, I've sure learned quite a bit from last night's battles." the redhead said, standing next to the two. She had a patch on her cheek, underneath the scar she had gotten from Knightwalker, but otherwise looked a lot better than before. Aiden finished his water, handing the glass to Yuna.

"I have to talk to Master real quick." he said, politely excusing himself. He walked over to where the old man was. He had been sitting near the forest edge, watching all of the Fairy Tail mages get healed by Wendy. Everyone was laughing and smiling, practically forgetting what had happened. Typical Fairy Tail behavior it seemed.

"Hello Aiden, is something wrong?" Makarov asked, giving him a questioning look.

"I uh...I just had something I wanted to do...or rather, I wanted permission for something." he said.

"Sure, what can I do for you my boy?"

"It's about Brandon...I mean, my brother Tomoki...I was wondering...would it be alright if I buried him here on Tenrou Island? I know he was bad, and I know he was trying to kill me but..I don't have anywhere else to take him." he said.

"Do you truly wish for him to rest here? This is a sacred island, do you think Mavis would want an enemy to rest here?" he asked. Aiden sighed, glancing at the sky.

"No, honestly she would probably slap me if I we're to ask her that. You won't believe this but...when she gave me Fairy Law, I swore I heard her voice. It was kind, happy and full of joy and wonder. I never met Master Mavis, but I'm sure if she were here, she would want the deceased to receive a proper burial. In death, it doesn't matter if he's a hero or a villain, all that matters is that he's at peace." he replied. Makarov chuckled, fanning himself with his hand.

"Well, it seems you and Mavis have similar thought processes. She was a wonderful young woman, I only wished I got to meet her myself. Master Precht spoke highly of her, and even now I don't understand his actions. So, in honor of life and happiness, I will allow you to bury your brother here Aiden, may he truly rest in peace." he said. Aiden smiled, wiping away his tears.

"Thank you master...you don't know how much this means to me." he said.

"It isn't an issue...everyone deserves a place to rest. He was still your brother, no matter what atrocities he committed. We can only hope he made peace with God before he passed on."

"Yeah...you know, I passed by a clearing on the way back from the beach, filled with lot's of Petunias. He wouldn't admit it, but when mom was planting them, he would always help her. I think they were his favorite flowers...I think he'd like being buried there." he said.

"Would you like some help?" Makarov asked.

"No, I couldn't trouble you...I'll ask someone else to help me." he said.

"I'll help you."

Aiden swallowed hard, glancing over his shoulder at the Lightning Dragon Slayer. Makarov looked away from him, as he was still mad at him. Aiden felt the tension between the two, quickly agreeing with him.

"Thanks, um...we've never met but, I'm Aiden."

"Laxus, it's good to meet ya kid. Natsu spoke highly of you, and I can sense a great strength from you." he said. Aiden smiled.

"Well, I don't mean to brag but...I was a dual element dragon slayer before him." he said, flexing his arm. Laxus chuckled, following the young man over to where his brother lay.

The two of them remained silent for most of the time they were burying the man. It was a bit awkward, but they had been able to dig a hole rather quickly. Freed and Bixlow also showed up, making the tension a bit less as they helped with everything else. It wasn't long before the rest of the guild had shown up, all of them helping in some way shape or form. Gajeel had even turned his arms into shovels so he could dig out more dirt than Natsu, making Aiden chuckle a bit. They all lowered Tomoki's body into the hole.

"Should we hold a service for him?" Wendy asked curiously, her hands filled with various flowers. Yamato stood beside her, holding a shovel in her hands.

"Personally, I don't think he deserves one." she said. Aiden shook his head, glancing at the grave, the white sheet filling his vision. He dug his hand in his pocket, pulling out the Yo-Yo Kurumi had gotten him as a kid.

"For the longest time, you always wanted this toy. Whenever we were in town and mom walked past the store, you begged her for it. She never got it for you, and when Kurumi bought it for me you were pissed. Hell, you broke all of my toys just because of how pissed off you were. Maybe that's the reason you hated me, maybe you hated me for another reason." He said, grabbing a handful of dirt.

"I'll never forgive you for what you did, killing my parents, my sister...our village. Freezing innocent people and collecting them like statues, almost killing Evergreen, all of it boils my insides. Right now, I would get a lot of enjoyment from cremating your body, leaving only a pile of ash behind...but..I guess that would be the old me." he said, placing the toy in the grave. He tossed the dirt into the hole, right over the Yo-Yo.

"The old me wanted revenge..but the new me...well...I should say I...I want nothing more than for you to rest. I don't know why you did what you did, why you took so many lives...but what I do know is that you are gone, and you can't cause anymore suffering. It's been nice knowing you, and I truly do hope you've found peace where ever you are." He frowned, looking up at the sky.

"I'll keep a weather eye on the horizon, if I see a shooting star, then I'll know you've made it into heaven. Goodbye Tomoki." he said. Grabbing one of the shovels, he started shoveling the dirt back into the hole. After a few minutes, a neat mound had been made. Lucy gathered a small stack of rocks, making a headstone for the grave, while the girls all placed flowers over it. Aiden held his hand up high, his thumb and index finger forming an L. All of his friends followed suit.

xxx

"Hey Mavis...what do you think the hand symbol means?" Zera asked, barely peeking from behind the tree she was hiding behind.

As she had been climbing the hill, she had come across a cliff facing the spot where the others were. She had grown curious and had wondered over. She couldn't hear what Aiden had said, but she did see the symbol. Mavis shrugged, pulling on her hand.

"I'm not sure, but maybe they can tell you. After all you're part of the guild now...he'll want to know how you became human again." She said.

"Do you think we can...find a way to bring you back?" Zera asked, earning a smile from Mavis.

"I'm fine like this...since I'm a projection, that means I'll be able to leave the island whenever I want. I can follow you home, and tease you any time cute boys look in your direction." she said.

"How is that helpful?" Zera asked.

"Hehe, don't worry. I happen to be well read in Arc of Space Magic. I'll make sure you learn the in's and out's of it and use it properly." she said. She glanced over the edge of the cliff, seeing the black ship slowly climbing into the air. She felt a dark presence on it, and took a deep breath.

"Let's go...we're wasting time." she said. Zera nodded and stood up, brushing her dress. She frowned, seeing the dried mud on it, she followed her friend, hoping to find the pedestal before it was too late.


	54. Tenrou Arc Finale: Let's Hold Hands

**A/N: Hey guys, welcome to chapter 53 of the Hellfire Dragon Slayer.**

 **So the time has come, the end of the Tenrou Arc is upon us, and I've got to say, I enjoyed writing this arc. This one was so much more fun than any other arc I've worked on, mostly because of the battles I got to try out. It had it's highs and lows, but everything must come to an end at some point. So, I am here to deliver the finale of the Tenrou Arc, and the official end of Part 2 of the story. After this, Part 3 will begin with the x791 arc of the series.**

 **The first few chapters are going to be about Aiden and coping with everything that happened on Tenrou Island. To him it seems like a week, but to everyone else it's been Seven long years. Things have changed and he doesn't know how to move on and accept things. It's going to be a moment of growth for him, because in the end as long as he's alive and he's got hope in his heart, everything will be alright.**

 **Now as you all know, I'm not going to include the Key of the Starry Skies arc...I just felt like it didn't belong in my story. I will of course have Michelle make an appearance as Lucy's cousin, but she's not going to be Imitatia, I felt that was such an insult to her character and how they pulled it off was really damn stupid. I also don't want to touch the Giggle Butt Gang with a sixty foot Iron Dragon's Pole. The most disgusting part of that arc truly was the episodes with them in it. Although Carla's scream is priceless...so much better in the dub than in the original sub.**

 **Um...there will be some stuff that will be based on the early episodes of the arc, like Lucy finding out about her father, the mission to catch Velveno and maybe even the train episode, without the goddamn fart box cunt bags in spandex suits. Anything after that will most likely be cut out at some point.**

 **A lot of new things will be revealed in this chapter that will play a big role in the next arc, but I will not be speaking in detail about these things.**

 **On another note, this arc will be split in two. The first part will be the x791 Arc, which will be about Aiden's personal growth and a few other things, I don't know how long it will be, most likely five chapters or so. The second half of the arc is going to be the x791 Training Arc, which of course will be Fairy Tail preparing for the Grand Magic Games. There's going to be actual training, none of that Celestial Spirit three month loss Second Origin unlock bullshit we got in the actual series, I still think that was a major ass pull from Machima but it did give Fairy Tail a reason to meet up with Crime Sorciere.**

 **Well...I guess this is it, it's time to say goodbye to the year x784 and move on to the future...so I hope you all like this final chapter for Tenrou and are looking forward to all of the new things I've got in store for the story. Have a nice Day/Night where ever you guys are!**

 **Song of the Day: I Wish by Milky Bunny.**

 **Come on, do you actually think I would end this arc without making mensions to one of the best openings in Fairy Tail. Out of the original Fourteen, I Wish is definitely my favorite. Subtle indications about the time skip, Natsu standing at a cliff side in Lightning Flame Dragon Mode, Fairy Tail fighting through a fierce rain storm in order to stop Grimoire Heart, everything just flowed perfectly. Especially the ending where Zeref and Mavis are both walking forward, one of them filled with Sadness and the other filled with Anger at what took place on the island. Out of all the openings, this one is truly one of the best. Sadly you can never find the full version on YouTube without it being distorted, so if you want to listen to the original version, you'll have to buy it from the Japanese Itunes store or download it from Media Fire, something I don't recommend due to the viruses and other junk that you're at risk for.**

Tenrou Arc Finale

Chapter 53

Let's Hold Hands

Having faced a humiliating defeat, and having lost several members of their own. Grimoire Heart, or what is left of it, decides to retreat. Master Hades sat at his throne, Kain and Rustyrose by his side. From Eight Kin, only those two had survived and returned to him. Ultear and Meredy had taken off, and he wasn't sure they would ever return.

"I can't believe we lost." Kain muttered, a frown on his face.

"The Grand Magic World was in our reach and we let it slip through our fingers. A truly tragic day for us." Rustyrose said, placing a hand on his forehead.

"Zancrow, Zoldeo, Azuma and Brandon are dead, Ultear and Meredy took off, and all of our foot soldiers and lieutenants vanished. My beard is gone...Fairy Tail truly is a frightening guild." Hades muttered.

"What do you think happened to Zeref? He just vanished." Kain said. Footsteps echoed through the room, causing the three men to grow defensive. Rustyrose held his hand out, ready to attack.

"Who goes there?" he asked.

"So...it is you who seek me." the person said. They stepped out of the shadow, standing in front of the three men. They all looked mortified at the man standing before him.

"L-Lord Zeref?" Hades muttered. Kain and Rustyrose fell to their knees, bowing their heads. The man looked at the two, shaking his head.

"Were you responsible for what occurred on this island?" he asked.

"Yes...don't you understand, we did it to return you to us. Quickly, get the keys!" Hades said.

"It's...no use...I can't move." Rustyrose replied.

"Me either." Kain muttered. He looked up at Zeref, his crimson eyes boring into his own. He eeped, looking at the ground.

"You truly are a fool Precht. Do you not understand, those keys were made up by fanatics, they never truly existed. You should know this, as you and I me face to face 98 years ago." he said.

"What...you two have met?" Rustyrose asked, glancing back at his master.

"I didn't know he was the Black Wizard back then. All this time, I've spent it developing my mastery of the dark arts, so we could awaken you. Please, we want to travel to the Grand Magic World!"

"Pitiful...hearing about these keys makes me believe you killed hundreds of people to acquire them. How many men did you kill? How many children did you orphan? How many widows did you leave in your wake? I've been alive for 400 years, watching people suffering and fighting in wars, everyone of them worse than the last."

"400 years? That can't be possible, no human could survive that long!" Hades shouted.

"My curse is one of contradiction. I learned the value of human life, and sacrifice...but the more I let myself love, the more it took away from me. But, if I cast aside the meaning of human life, and let myself fill with thoughts of hatred, then my curse stays at bay. I have watched countless people die, and I have taken the souls of many unwilling humans. Those who have gotten near me, and I always regret it. But I will not forgive what you have done here." Zeref said, a swirling black magic flowing from his body.

"What is this...this darkness?" Hades asked, shivering in fear of the sight before him. Zeref placed his hands together in a hand symbol, one the man recognized.

"The one who was too destroy me wasn't strong enough, and all of your atrocities have attracted Acnologia. I didn't want that fate on them, they don't deserve the death that awaits them." he said.

"Acnologia...the Black Dragon of the Apocalypse?" Rustyrose cried out, shivering a bit.

"Because of your unneeded war, you have attracted his attention, and he is not as forgiving as I am. So for that very reason, I must take your life, so repent for all of your sins while you have time. The current era is going to end, and they have you to thank for it." Zeref said.

"No wait...I have so many more questions! What's the true purpose of Eclipse? Where are the Demons from your books? And why is one of them crimson?" he asked, reaching a hand for the young man.

A swirling ball of black magic formed in front of Zeref as he poured all of his magic power into it. Without as much as a thought, he sent the ball toward Hades, willing it to explode. The man hissed loudly as his life literally left his body. He fell to the ground unmoving. Zeref's eyes ceased to glow, as he glanced at the two shocked men.

"Value your lives and leave the darkness. Or it will only cause your death." he said. His eyes widened a bit when he heard a loud roar in the distance. He swallowed hard, placing a hand on his chest.

"He comes...I must go." he said firmly, walking toward the bow of the ship. There was nothing he could do now. The Black Dragon of the Apocalypse had been summoned, and when it shows up, there's no salvation for anyone, even for the Fairies.

Drifting in a small boat, Ultear sat, glancing at the ocean. Her foster daughter sat in front of her, glaring daggers at her for some reason or another. The young girl had faced many things during her time on Tenrou Island, but she refused to speak. The violet haired woman was littered with scratches from her fights with Aiden and Gray. Her back still hurt from the gash Brandon had given her. She was glad the bastard was dead. She took a deep breath, looking up at Meredy.

"Hey, let's forget about Grimoire Heart alright? It's not like Hades is going to come after us. We can start life anew..sure it will be hard but..I think it will be a great experience." she said. She glanced over the edge of the boat, seeing a dolphin breach the water's surface.

"Whoa look, dolphins...aren't they pretty?"

"Ultear...tell me the truth...did you destroy my village?" Meredy asked. Ultear frowned, turning to face the young woman. She closed her eyes, bowing her head.

"I was being mislead...for several years...I saw nothing but darkness. I had thought my mother abandoned me, and I was being used by Hades. I've committed so many heinous acts in my life, one of them being the destruction of many places. During our search for Zeref's keys, we ran into your village...I did indeed lead that mission."

"Grr...my parents died that night...so did my friends...everyone I knew died!" Meredy snapped angrily.

"Yes I know...in those times...I thought lives didn't matter. I figured, if I could travel to the Grand Magic World, I could erase all of the bad things I did. That's why I learned Arc of Time, so that I could perfect it and erase everything I did, and bring back my mother...I was also hoping to bring your loved ones back...but now I realized that was all just smoke and mirrors." she said.

"You've destroyed so many lives, taken people's homes...how could you do that to me?" Meredy shouted, holding back her tears.

"I meant to tell you...I truly did...but I never knew the right moment. I saw myself in you, cold, alone..weak...that's why I took you that day. I started training you to become another Kin of Purgatory..but along the way, I fell in love with you. You started calling me mommy, and I honestly couldn't have felt more alive...but if you truly want to take action for what I've done..."

The woman paused, summoning a blade into her hand. She handed it to Meredy, pointing the tip of the blade at her chest, right where her heart was. She gripped the blade so tightly it sliced through her palm and fingers, her blood slowly rolling down the edge of the blade.

"Then kill me. I deserve it for robbing you of your childhood, your parents and everyone you knew and loved." she said. Meredy grit her teeth, letting go of the sword. She grabbed Ultear's shoulders, shaking them a bit.

"Why would I do that? Killing you isn't going to bring my family and friends back! I don't want you to die Ul...I don't want to be alone ever again..so please..let's live!" she exclaimed, hugging the woman tightly. Ultear smiled, tears running down the sides of her face.

"What did I ever do to deserve such a kind daughter?" she asked, looking up at the cloudless sky.

"This is a new chapter for us...the past can't be changed, and the future is uncertain...so let's live for today..after all, they call it the present for a reason right?" Meredy asked, earning a smile from Ultear. The boat jerked a bit, making the older woman groan a bit. Her hand flew to her mouth as she struggled to move to the edge of the boat. Loud retching sounds filled the pink haired girl's ears as the older woman threw up into the ocean.

"Ugh...that was weird." Ultear said.

"Are you alright Ul, did you eat some bad yogurt or something?" Meredy asked.

"No, the last thing I ate was a bunch of chocolate covered pickles before we invaded Tenrou Island." she said.

"Ew gross...why the hell would anyone eat that?" She cried.

"I dunno, it just sounded good at the time!" Ultear cried. Her eyes widened in shock as she sat back down in the boat. She just sat there for a few seconds, not uttering a single thing. She looked at the pink haired girl, licking her dry lips.

"Meredy..when was the last time you took your birth control pills?" she asked.

"I dunno, two weeks ago? We ran out and Master didn't want to make port." she said.

"Shit...well...looks like I know why I'm vomiting." she said. Meredy gasped, eyes widening.

"You got a bun in the oven? When did this happen?" she cried.

"Two days before we invaded Tenrou...no that can't be right...jeez, I need to see a doctor." Ultear said.

"Great, Meredy and Ultear wanted by the law, captured because the Magic Council interloper couldn't use a condom!"

"Don't you start giving me shit, I can still...oh god..no.." she grabbed the edge of the boat, vomiting into the water again. Meredy sighed, rubbing the woman's back. It was going to be a long ride back toe civilization.

xxx

"What? What do you mean the trials are being canceled?" Natsu cried, looking shocked as the Master addressed his children.

"That's right, so much has happened that the trials can't continue. All of us are injured, so it would be best to return to the guild." he said.

"But that's unfair. Come on, I can still fight!" Natsu cried out, punching the air.

"Get real man, we're all hurt..it would be best to go back to the guild." Elfman said.

"I agree with the master...face it Natsu it wouldn't be fair to continue under the circumstances we're under."

"Screw you Gray, if you want to tap out then that's all you. That means I win by default. Hahahahaha, I'm an S-class Wizard now!" he cried, whooping for joy.

"Natsu, don't be such an insolent fool. You and I both know I would destroy you in battle, after all I was trained to defeat dragons. I can defeat you easily." Iona said, earning a glare from the salmon haired boy.

"Alright little girl, if you want to go then we can definitely fight it out. But I'm winning the battle and the war!" he said, igniting his fist.

"Stop it this instant you two. The title of S-class doesn't matter right now, what matters is getting back home. Besides, none of you passed Phase two of the exam, so it's not like you can complete the final part." Mira said.

"No that's not true...remember, Aiden was able to cast Fairy Law because he found Mavis's Grave." Lucy said.

"Hey, speaking of Aiden, didn't he say he had the Magenta Diamond on him?" Phoebe asked, standing next to her partner.

"The boy found it? I hid that gem too well this year, there's no way he could have possibly found it's location." Makarov said, quite impressed at what he head heard.

"He gave it to that Sarah girl remember?" Natsu cried, crossing his arms.

"I'm pretty sure her name was Zera." Lucy replied.

"Sarah, Zera it's the same thing." Natsu said, shrugging it off. He looked around the field, realization hitting him like a Fire Dragon's Roar.

"That son of a bitch! He's going after the girl so he can put the gem in the pedestal. He one up'd all of us!" he shouted.

"Uh no...Aiden said he was going to the beach to pick up sea shells." Wendy said.

"No, that's all a ploy...the bastard is plotting, he wants you all to believe that, and then when we least expect it, bam! He wins the trial." Natsu said.

"Hey guys, look at all the shells I got!" Aiden said, walking into the base camp, a bucket filled with discarded sea shells. Wendy glanced at Natsu, brow raised in amusement.

"What's going on here, everyone seems tense." He said.

"I'm watching you, as soon as that Sarah girl comes back, that gem is mine!" he said, pointing at him. Aiden smirked, licking his lips.

"Well, you're going to have to pry it from my cold dead hands, because I'm not going to let it go." he said.

"Does S-class really matter that much to the three of you?" Makarov asked, looking at Natsu, Iona and Aiden.

"Of course, If I make S-class I can finally kick Erza's butt...and I can rub it in Gray's face because of the massive failure he is." he said. Gray grit his teeth, cracking his knuckles.

"Well, if you want to become S-class mages, you have to defeat me in battle." Makarov said. Natsu grinned, racing at the man.

"You're on you old coot...Fire Dragon..."

Natsu was instantly slammed into a nearby tree, Makarov's Titan magic had increased his power and the size of his arm. Natsu twitched as he just lay there motionless. Makarov looked back at the other two mages, a grin on his face.

"Any takers?" he asked.

"How about I just give you my old dirty mags and we call it even?" Aiden said, requipping a garbage bag filled with magazines.

"What kind of magazines?" Makarov asked.

"Master, I am so ashamed that you would even consider that a fair trade!" Mirajane snapped, her face growing dark.

"Playboy Sorcerer edition with models from Desierto and Pregrande." Aiden said.

"Congratulations Aiden Flame, you are now an S-class wizard. Hand over those magazines and I'll make it official." Makarov said, earning gasps from everyone. Aiden grinned, passing the bag to the master.

"Whoa, let's not be hasty here, what if their fake?" Gildarts asked, earning a growl from Aiden.

"As if old man, do you actually think I would waste money on that fake shit? Who do you take me for?" he asked.

"I'm just saying maybe we should check it for authenticity. They are clean right?" the man asked, earning a blush from the teenager.

"I don't do that, I find it icky and gross." he said.

"That's what I said about kissing girls and look where that's lead me." he said, giving him a wink. The scent of smoke filled the area, and the three men turned to see the plastic bag had caught flames, causing all of them to scream loudly. Wendy clenched her flaming fist, glaring at her boyfriend who had dropped on to his knees.

"You had dirty magazines hidden from me this entire time?" she asked.

"Baby, I haven't read those in over a year. I was meaning to get rid of them, but they were a bargaining chip." he said.

"Quickly, we must put them out at once!" Makarov said, only for the bag to be struck by lightning. Gildarts started weeping, turning to face Cana who was holding three smoking cards in her hand.

"I'll be damned if the squirt gets made S-class because of some fucking magazines!" she shouted.

"Aiden...I'm afraid I'll have to retract your title." Makarov said, looking as white as a ghost.

"It's alright master, I understand." he said, defeat in his voice.

"Well, this just proved it. All men are simple minded idiots." Evergreen said, shaking her head.

"Oh shut up Evergreen, you talk like you're a saint but you grabbed my brother's Dende!" Aiden said, pointing an accusing finger at the woman.

"Damn." Gajeel cried, his voice becoming rather deep.

"Well, it looks like everything is back to normal." Phoebe said, crossing her arms as her friends started bickering.

"It seems like the battle with Grimoire Heart happened years ago. Is this truly what it means to be in Fairy Tail?" Pantherlily asked.

"Yup, trouble follows this guild like the stink on a skunk. But even then, it's home...and I'm happy we found it." Carla said, a smile on her face.

"Aye sir!" Happy cried out.

xxx

"Oh man, it's been a long time since I was up here." Zera said, wiping the sweat from her brow.

She glanced out at the ocean, the light breeze ruffling her clothes. She was at the highest point on Tenrou Island, well the highest point on land. She glanced at the trunk of the Tenrou Tree, the massive plant still towering high above them. This had been her favorite spot growing up. She would always come here after Red Lizard had been destroyed. At the base of it was a pedestal, a round stone with a hole in the middle. It had various runes etched into the stone, all of them looking old and worn.

"You always made me worry when you came up here. I remember the first time you did, you scared me, and made me run around the entire island like an idiot." she said.

"I left you a note." Zera said, Mavis looked at her, placing her hands on her hips.

"You my friend can't write worth a damn. How was I supposed to read that chicken scratch you called writing?" she asked.

"I was an illusion brought to life by a soul, what was I supposed to do? It's not like I was able to hold a real pencil for the seven years I was alive." Zera snapped back.

"But you were a straight A student in school." Mavis replied.

"Because my father was guild master...honestly I sometimes hated being his daughter. I loved my father and I know he loved me, but his influence really turned me into a spoiled brat." she said, walking toward the pedestal. Mavis smiled warmly.

"At least you were able to learn from your mistakes. That made you a kinder person." she said.

"And I have you to thank." she said, giving Mavis a wink. She stopped in front of the pedestal, pulling the gem out of her pocket. She looked it over, humming to herself.

"You know, we never did find out the reason this was brought to our island. We just found it in the guildhall that one day." she said.

"Do you think...this is the reason why Blue Skull truly attacked Tenrou Island?" Mavis asked curiously.

"No...if they had then they would have found it. It wasn't exactly hidden after all." Zera said with a shrug. She placed the gem in the center of the pedestal, causing it to light up with a light pink glow. All of the runes lit up, glowing brightly.

"Alright, now we have to go get someone worthy of Fairy Sphere." Zera said.

"It doesn't work that way Zera." Mavis said, causing the girl to look at her friend, brows furrowed.

"What...what do you mean by that?" she said.

"Um...well I never truly perfected Fairy Sphere. I developed this magic spell during the Second Trade war. It was supposed to be the ultimate defense magic, but in my haste, I miss-wrote several runes. The effects of it are also very unstable...this is a spell that only I can bestow on someone." she said.

"Wait...so what is the reason for us being here?" she asked. Mavis looked at the sky, walking toward the edge of the cliff.

"In order for Fairy Sphere to be cast successfully over the entire island, that pedestal needed to be activated. It keeps the tree alive while the spell is in effect." she said.

"Alive...why would the tree even die, there's plenty of magic in the air unless...no, this spell seals the island away doesn't it? And it also makes it so ethernano doesn't enter the barrier." Zera said, realization hitting her hard.

"Like I said, the spell was a work in progress. I had hoped Precht would be able to learn the versitility of magic so he could fix the spell for me, but it seems he was busy with other things. I was going to bestow the knowledge upon my Godson, but he already had Fairy Law...this spell is rather hard to cast, it takes too much time and magic." Mavis said. A loud roar filled her ears, shaking her very soul. She blinked a few times, looking out into the horizon.

"It's too late I'm afraid...if they don't leave the island now...they'll be no way to save them." she said. Zera's eyes widened, her heart racing.

"No..there has to be something...Mavis come on, this isn't the end. You're smart, think of something!" She cried out. Mavis looked back at her friend, a sad smile on her face.

"The amount of magic it would take to gather up would be too long. There isn't nearly enough time for it to take effect...there's..nothing I can do." she said. Zera's legs quivered as she dropped to her knees. Her shoulders shook as she slammed her fists into the ground.

"No...it can't end this way...I have to tell him about his sister...we have to warn them!"

"We wouldn't make it in time." Mavis said. Zera growled, standing back up.

"Watch me." she said, breaking into a sprint. Mavis gasped as the girl jumped off the cliff, plummeting several hundred feet below. She aimed her hand down, a white magic circle appearing under her. She fell through it, appearing on the lower level of the island. She slammed into the ground hard, groaning in pain.

"You idiot! You don't know how to use Arc of Space!" Mavis shouted.

"It's not about that! We need to save them!" she cried, running into the woods. She needed to tell the others to leave, she wasn't about to witness innocent people die.

Back at the base camp, Aiden was helping Mirajane pack up all of the utensils into large crates. It was punishment for trying to buy his way into S-class. She had given him a verbal lashing, going as far as scaring him with her magic. He may have faced Master Hades in battle, but he swore Mirajane was scarier than the man could ever hope to be.

He grabbed all of the pots, which had been washed by Wendy and Carla earlier and placed them neatly in the crate, placing the lid on. With a few taps, the crate had been sealed shut.

"Alright, all of the utensils are put away Mira." he said.

"Good, I'll have Elfman take them back to the ship." she said, writing something down on her clipboard.

"You know something, aside from all of the animals trying to shove me down their throats, the fuck heads trying to kill me, and the psychotic old man obsessed with a place that doesn't exist, this island isn't half bad." he said, fanning himself a bit.

"I have to agree with you there, though I wish it wasn't so hot." Mirajane said, fanning herself. She swept her hair back, a bit of sweat dripping down the side of her face. Aiden swallowed hard, turning around.

" _I better focus on something else before I get a boner. I've already been slapped twice, I don't need a third one."_ he thought to himself.

A sudden roar shook him out of his thoughts, making him look up at the sky. He glanced at one of the puddles nearby, seeing the ripples moving on it. He could sense something, and it wasn't friendly. He closed his eyes, trying to focus all of his senses into one point. He could hear his friends chatting, all of the nearby animals and the breeze. He heard another loud roar, followed by the sound of wings flapping. His throat tightened up, as he recognized the sound.

"No...it can't be." he said, barely above a whisper.

"Is something wrong Aiden? You've been standing there motionless for the last five minutes. You aren't sick are you?" Mira asked, placing her hand on his forehead. He grabbed her shoulders tightly, looking into her eyes.

"We need to get the fuck out of this island right now." he said.

"Huh...why's that? Are you okay?" she asked. He took the clipboard from her hands and set it on the crate, taking her hand in his own.

"Come on, we need to go now!" he said. Another roar tore through the air, forcing him to stop. This time everyone heard it. The island shook from that one sound, it was as if time itself stopped.

"What was that?" Phoebe asked curiously.

"It..sounded almost like...that's impossible." Gajeel muttered.

"We need to go right now...that sound...I've heard it before...there's no doubt about it." Gildarts said, having rushed into the field with Natsu, Lucy, Happy, Cana and the master behind them.

"What's wrong? Is there something we're missing?" Carla asked.

"That roar...it belongs to him." Gildarts replied, pointing to the sky.

A black shadow zoomed from the clouds, quickly heading toward the island. It's sharp claws was the first thing all of them saw, followed by the black scales and bright blue markings. The long black tail was swinging around angrily. The creature's maw was wide open, it's fangs glittering in the sun. It let out an inhumane roar, shaking the entire island. All of the trees behind them seemed to disappear, clearing the entire area of vegetation. Aiden's legs shook a bit and he dropped to his knees.

"No...no...out of all the ones, it had to be him?" he said, glaring at the creature.

"It's a dragon...I thought all of them were gone?" Gajeel asked.

"See, I knew there were dragons around. Hey you, where's Igneel? Metalicana and Grandeeny too, and Atlas Flame!" Natsu cried out. Aiden stood up, grabbing Wendy's hand.

"We need to go, that thing is going to kill us. Remember the legend of Mount Horn? Well the one responsible for that is him!" he said, pointing at the black dragon.

"No...you mean to tell me that's...Acnologia?" she asked, eyes widening in shock.

"I'm afraid so...the black dragon of the apocalypse, thought to have only been a myth, is in fact in front of us. Listen, I want all of you to head to the ship, there's no way we can face this new foe." Makarov said.

"No way, I wanna talk to him. He has to know something!" Natsu cried. Gildarts placed a hand on his shoulder, looking firmly at him.

"Get a grip, this thing isn't going to talk. Igneel and the other dragons may have been nice, but this one sure as hell isn't. Remember what he did to me? He took my arm, and my leg, and then he gutted me. There is no way we can take this thing down. We have to go!" he said firmly.

"It's attacking!" Yuna cried, pointing at the creature. It lifted it's massive claw high into the air, swiping the air in front of them. The shock wave was enough to send all of the mages flying back several hundred feet.

"Is everyone alright?" Erza called out, looking at all of her friends, who were in various degrees of disarray. She glanced back at the dragon who had landed on the ground, letting out another loud roar.

"Alright, there's no time...we have to leave right now." Aiden said firmly.

"I agree with the kid, the ship is at the shoreline, let's just go!" Gildarts said.

They all stared the creature down, turning to run from it. Acnologia flapped its wings, flying over the forest, slamming its tail in front of the mages destroying the path in front of them. It landed on the ground, its jaws opened, rows upon rows of teeth glittering brightly in the light.

"No way, it blocked the escape route!" Levy said.

"Now what do we do?" Carla cried. Aiden grit his teeth, not knowing what to do. He looked down at his hand, seeing the mark of Fairy Law on it. He frowned, knowing that wouldn't work on a dragon like him. His eyes widened a bit, a smirk on his face.

"I'll just fight the damn thing. I'm a dragon slayer, my magic is effective against it." he said.

"No, you aren't going to survive if you fight it. I'm Fairy Tail's strongest wizard and look at how he left me!" Gildarts snapped.

"Well what choice do we have? He's blocking our escape route and if we turn around we would have to walk the perimeter of the island just to get to the ship. He isn't going to let us go!" Aiden shouted.

Acnologia snapped its jaws, standing on its hindlegs, taking a deep breath.  
Makarov growled angrily, his body glowing brightly as he started growing in size. The giant wrapped its arms around Acnologia's neck, forcing it into a headlock.

"Go now, get to the ship!" he shouted, his voice deep and distorted.

"But Master, we can't leave you! We finally got you back!" Natsu cried out.

"I said go you brat! This is a battle you can't win!" Makarov shouted. Natsu growled angrily, about to run at the creature, only to be stopped in his tracks. He glanced back at the one pulling him back.

"Hey, let me go! Laxus!" Natsu shouted.

"Let's go." he replied, no emotion in his voice. Natsu was about to yell at him when he saw the tears running down his eyes. He gasped, gritting his teeth in anger.

"Everyone too the ship! We can't afford to waste time!" Erza said, aiming her sword toward the beach. All of her friends gave her a sad and pleading look but she held firm, trying to contain her emotions. One by one, the Fairy Tail mages started running, turning their backs on the master. Erza sighed, glancing away from the man.

"Good luck master...thank you for everything." she said.

"We can't just...leave him." Aiden said, panting a bit as he ran. He glanced over his shoulder, seeing Makarov holding his own against the dragon. The old man roared loudly, breaking into a loud laugh as the dragon pinned him to the ground. He turned back, tears running down his face.

" _ **Don't you dare tell me you're going to let the man die. Are you really taking the cowards way out Aiden?"**_

" _Atlas Flame?"_ the boy called out, earning a growl in return.

" _ **Please don't tell me I raised a sissy boy. Where's the strength you showed facing Hades, you're telling me that he was scarier than Acnologia? Stand up for yourself, show that bastard who's boss. The Hellfire Dragon Runs from No One!"**_

" _You're right...You taught me to face things head on, and that's what I'm going to do right here, right now!"_

Aiden slid to a stop, stopping a few feet before the beach. He wiped the tears from his eyes, taking a deep breath. He spun on his heel and turned around, racing in the opposite direction.

"Aiden, what the hell are you doing?" Wendy cried out.

"I'm not letting Gramps die! If he dies, then I die with him. Fairy Tail didn't lose against Grimoire Heart and they aren't losing to a pussy ass lizard either!" he cried out, quickening his pace.

Blood was pumping through his veins, filling him with adrenaline. His heart was racing and his mind was full of emotion. There was no way he could turn his back on the old man, not when he did so much for him in the past.

" _I may be weak, and I may be scared...but those two things didn't stop me before and they sure as hell aren't stopping me now. My roar is going to pierce the heavens...because I'm a Fairy Tail Wizard!"_ he said to himself.

"Fire Make: Launching Pad!" he chanted, shooting high into the air. He spun around, placing his legs together, flames swirling around them, forming the shape of a dragon's tail.

"Hellfire Dragon's Tail Strike!" he shouted, slamming the attack into Acnologia's shoulder. The dragon hissed in pain, glaring at the teenager. Aiden landed on the ground, flames covering his entire body.

"What are you doing you brat?" Makarov howled in anger.

"Tch...leaving the old man doesn't sit well with me." Laxus added, stopping next to Aiden. Makarov glanced over his shoulder, seeing all of his children standing before Acnologia.

"You fools, you damn fools!" he shouted.

"I'm going to pour all of my magic into a single attack, I want all of you to hit him with everything you've got!" Laxus said firmly.

"Aim for his shoulder, it's a major weak spot." Aiden advised earning a nod from the Lightning Dragon. Acnologia roared loudly, tossing Makarov back like a rag doll, the man slammed into the cliff side, shrinking back to normal.

"Now, Raging Bolt!" Laxus shouted, launching the massive lightning attack at the black dragon.

"Requip: Morning Star: Photon Slicer!" Erza shouted, following his attack with a massive blast of energy from her current strongest armor. She grit her teeth, focusing her magic into a single point.

"Amplification Magic: C Sharp!" Yuna shouted, strumming the string of her guitar. The sound wave merged with the two other attacks, increasing it in size.

"Ice Make: Arrows!"

"Solid Script: Fire!"

Aiden watched as attack after attack was thrown at the massive beast, all of it culminating into a giant beam of destruction. The creature was literally thrown back into the cliff side, slamming hard into the rock. Laxus grit his teeth, keeping his magic flowing straight at it. Acnologia beat his wings, breaking the spell apart, sending the mages flying in all directions.

"No way, it shook off those attacks like it was nothing!" Gray said, unable to process what he was seeing. Acnologia stood on its hind legs, letting out another high pitched guttural roar.

"Dragon Slayers, use you're strongest attacks now!" Yamato shouted, sending hundreds of poisonous needles at the dragon, only for them to bounce off his scales. Aiden nodded, glancing at Wendy.

"We're gonna need all of the magic we can get, that includes you two." he said, looking at their exceeds.

"Right...even though we're at risk, we can't let him win!" Phoebe said, shooting into the air, followed by Carla. Wendy cast Dark Excriture on herself and Aiden, the two of them flying high into the sky, along side Gajeel and Natsu. All of them took deep breaths, preparing for the biggest roar they had ever mustered in their lives.

"Hellfire Dragon's!"

"Sky Dragon's!"

"Iron Dragon's!"

"Fire Dragon's!"

"Lunar Dragon's!"

"Solar Dragon's!"

"ROAR!"

Elements of fire, iron, wind, sun and moon shot forward, swirling into a massive black dragon roar that glowed an ominous purple in color. Acnologia roared loudly as the attack struck it in the chest, sending it flying back into the water, a loud splash filling the area. All of the dragon slayers panted for breath, smirks on their faces.

"Ha! We got ya now!" Natsu cried happily.

"No...you just pissed it off." Gildarts said, on cue, Acnologia burst from the water, climbing high into the sky. All of the mages just stared at it in shock, unable to comprehend the sight before them.

"There's no beating him...we're totally fucked." Phoebe said, gritting her teeth as waves of pain shot through her body. Aiden landed on the ground, facing the giant creature, that was blocking out the sunlight, casting a huge shadow on them. It took a deep breath, the entire place shaking.

"Breath Attack!" Gajeel shouted, earning cries of shock from his fellow mages.

"Aiden!"

His head snapped to the forest, where he saw Zera, running toward the group. All of them seemed confused but that didn't seem to matter. She slid to a stop before them, panting for breath.

"We need to cast Fairy Glitter right now, it's the only hope of defeating him!" she cried out.

"There's no way, that would take too long!" Cana said, getting a frown from the younger brunette.

"No...is this really it? It didn't want our adventures to end." Lucy cried, bursting into tears, her cries drifting through the empty field. Natsu watched her helplessly, unable to do anything.

"Mister Freed, let's cast a defensive enchantment, we can defend the island." Wendy suggest.

"There's no time. To cast a barrier like that, it would take too much time to write." he said.

"Script magic has various defensive enchantments, come on Freed, think of something." Levy said. The man shivered a bit, tightly gripping the hilt of his sword.

"I...I think I have something, but it's going to take a massive amount of magic to cast." he said.

"Alright then, everybody hold hands." Levy said, taking a firm hold of Gajeel's hand. Everyone quickly linked up, gripping each others hands as tightly as humanly possible. They all looked up at the sky, smiles on their faces.

"There's no need to fear guys...we'll go home together." Natsu said firmly.

"Right, back to Fairy Tail!" Lucy added.

Aiden clutched Wendy's hand tightly, closing his eyes. It was as if time stopped for him. The black dragon of the apocalypse kept sucking in ethernano, channeling into his mouth to create the spell that would bring about their death. It didn't make him feel any better. There was so much he wanted to do, so many things left unsaid between him and Wendy..so many things he had dreamed off.

" _I don't want it to end. Please...someone...help...I don't care who, just get us out of here!"_

" _Do you truly want to save your friends?"_

Aiden's eyes widened a bit, a bright golden glow bursting from his hand, enveloping his entire body. He had heard a girl's voice in his mind, the same voice as before. The voice of Mavis Vermillion, the First Master of Fairy Tail.

" _Please, Master Mavis give me the strength to save my friends...I don't want to break our promise!"_

" _Alright, but just this once...you are a wonderful person Aiden, you truly do belong in this guild. Repeat these words outloud, everything else will be taken care of."_

"Gather, o light that's guided by Fairies!" he chanted, a magic seal burst from underneath his feet, glowing a brilliant gold as bright glittering light sailed high into the air. All of the Fairy Tail members guild marks started glowing, the golden light seeping into their bodies.

"Shine! So that it may protect us from the fangs of evil!" he continued, this time the magic circle grew in size, the light enveloping everyone and everything on the island. Aiden opened his eyes, a bright smile on his face. It was full of warmth and love, the same emotions Mavis had conveyed through him when she gave him Fairy Law. Tears ran down the sides of his face, as Acnologia finished his attack.

"Fairy Sphere!"

Acnologia released his dragon roar, the massive blue attack slammed into the island, destroyed it completely. Water flew in all directions, leaving nothing but a crater in the earth where Tenrou Island once sat. The Council members that were still nearby could only watch in complete utter shock as the entire island disappeared in a fraction of a second. Ultear and Meredy were much in the same state, unable to understand the power they had just witnessed. Having completed his task, Acnologia roared loudly, sailing into the sky, disappearing into the vast blue.

"It is done...this current era has ended...all thanks to the conflict caused on this day. I hoped you would be spared from this but...it seems even you weren't strong enough to face this adversity." Zeref said, glancing at the spot where Tenrou Island once sat. He sighed, glancing up at the sky.

"Goodbye Natsu. I wasn't expecting to see you here either, but goodbye to you too Aiden."

xxx

It had been six months, and Fairy Tail had never been the same. The members were all still shaking from the news they had received. Everyone had been called back from the missions they had taken, unable to continue anything. The entire guild had been present when Alana addressed them. The Magic Council and many other search crews surveyed the area, but they hadn't found a single survivor...the entire island had just vanished, nothing was left behind, not a single trace of human life.

In those six months, they had gone from one hundred and forty six members, to just fifty six, and now several more people had left. Alana slammed her hands onto the desk, stacks of papers on top of it.

"Damn it...why did this have to happen!" she shouted angrily. She had seen so many people leaving she didn't know what to do anymore. A soft knock filled the room and she sat up, wiping the tears from her face.

"C-Come in." she said. The door opened, revealing Macao and Wakaba. Both of them were senior members of the guild and close friends with Makarov. They stopped in front of the desk.

"Ten more just handed in their resignation...we're down to 46, if we loose more members, we won't be able to stay in operation." Wakaba said.

"Yes we will, we'll be fine." Alana said.

"No we won't...this place needs at least 30 million Jewels a month to stay running, that's why ten percent of the rewards are taken from each job. Without able mages to take requests, we won't make enough. We have a stack of bills piling up as it is." Macao said.

"Not to mention the property tax just got increased." Wakaba added.

"So, what do you recommend I do? Shut down the guild, I can't do that only the master can." she said.

"That's why we're here. The members have voted and...well, congratulations, you're Fairy Tail's Fourth Master." Macao said.

"Huh...no...I don't want to be the master...it's too much to handle. I can't...loosing so many members...so many friends..it's too much!" she cried, standing up from her seat.

"Makarov appointed you to take care of things until he got back...there's no one else who can do his job." Wakaba said.

"Bullshit, you two are senior members, you hung around him the longest, you have to know something."

"We may be senior members but we don't know the inner workings of handling a guild. You worked for Master Roubaul and were his second in command, you know how to handle this stuff." Macao replied. Alana grit her teeth, the man had a point. She sighed, rubbing her eyes.

"Fine, I'll take the mantle of guild master for now...but when Master Makarov comes back, he's getting his office back." she said firmly.

"Sweetheart..I don't think they're coming back...there's no trace of them." Wakaba said, puffing on his cigar.

"Well that's bullshit, Aiden is too stubborn to die...there's no way in hell he would keel over. Not even Acnologia has the balls to kill him!" she growled. Another knock filled the room, causing her to stand angrily.

"Come in!" she shouted. The door slowly opened, revealing Chelia's tear soaked face. She practically ran into the office, grabbing onto Macao's hand.

"Don't let her take me!" she said.

"Huh? Don't let who take you?" he asked.

"Chelia, there you are."

Sherry walked into the office, holding a small backpack in her hands. It was one that belonged to Chelia, Alana remembered the day Aiden had gotten it for her. The little girl raced around the desk, grasping onto Alana's hand.

"No...I don't want to leave, please I want to stay here." she said, bursting into tears.

"What's the matter Sherry, why are you telling Chelia she has to leave?" Alana asked curiously.

"Because she does...let's face it, Fairy Tail isn't the same without Makarov. I could handle her living with Aiden and her friends, but he's gone and I don't want her to be living all alone...so I've come to take her to Lamia Scale with me." she said firmly.

"What gives you the right to do that?" Wakaba snapped.

"Clearly she wants to stay with us. She's been staying with me and Romeo this entire time, I can take care of her." Macao said firmly.

"Thanks but I would rather she be with family, let's go Chelia." Sherry said firmly.

"No, you aren't my only family. Cait Shelter was my family, and so is Fairy Tail, I want to stay with them. And if you don't let me, I'll use all of my magic on you!" she said, in a rather threatening tone of voice.

"See, she doesn't want to leave. Under the Magic Council's Guild Charter, any mage that's currently in an active guild cannot be taken to another one without their consent. Only the active master can decide that, and since I was made Guild Master, I don't approve of it. Chelia is staying with us, if you have an issue with it, appeal it to the Council." Alana said firmly.

Sherry sighed, shaking her head. She handed the pack to Macao, turning to face her cousin.

"Fine, you win this round...but as soon as Fairy Tail closes down, you're coming with me, whether you like it or not." she said firmly. With that, the pink haired woman left, walking out of the office.

"What a fucking bitch." Macao snapped angrily.

"Don't swear in front of the kid." Wakaba said.

"Oh please, she was the one shouting stuff about fucking people months ago." the blue haired man countered.

"Guys please...try to keep it PG oriented." Alana said. She sighed, sitting down in her new office chair, Chelia jumping onto her lap, hugging her tightly. She frowned, looking at the little girl.

"Will big brother come back? I know he's not dead." she asked, her lip quivering.

"He's going to come back...trust me, that kid isn't going to die from something like that...not in a million years."

xxx

The first thing he heard was the ocean. It sounded loud, and it sounded close. He felt the cool water underneath his body every five seconds. Under him was nothing but gritty sand. He groaned in pain, all of his muscles ached, begging him to stay still, but he knew if he didn't move, he would most likely drift into the water and drown, and that wouldn't be good.

He slowly opened his eyes, seeing nothing but blue skies above him, filled with twinkling stars. All of them were shining brightly, illuminating the sky. He took a deep breath, his lungs taking in the salty sea air. He slowly sat up, shaking the sand out of his sapphire blue locks. Looking around, he saw giant crystals growing from the ground, several palm trees were glowing brightly with small strands of glowing crystals, which mimicked Christmas lights. He groaned, clutching his head. He brushed some sand from his face, seeing the red mark on his hand. It was a Fairy...his eyes widened as everything rushed back into his head.

"Ugh...what...where's...Acnologia?" he muttered, looking around the place. His vision had cleared, allowing him to get a clear view of his surroundings. He was on a beach, a rather familiar one. The scent was the same as a place he had visited before.

"Is this...Crystal Cove...no...I was on Tenrou Island, and it was day time." he muttered.

He heard a groan beside him and looked down, eyes widening in shock. Laying next to him was Zera, the girl he had met on during the S-class trials. She was littered in scratches, but other wise seemed fine. He shook her shoulder, earning a pained groan from her. He placed his hand on her chest, feeling her heart beat. He sighed with relief, glad that it was normal. She opened her bright olive eyes, looking directly at him.

"Did we...win?" she asked, her voice sounding hoarse.

"I...don't know." he muttered. He forced himself to stand, almost falling back down. He looked around, seeing the beach was empty. There was no one around. Zera sat up, shaking the sand out of her hair and dress. She noticed her black tights had gotten ripped, making her frown a bit.

"Where...are we?" she asked curiously.

"I don't know...we were on Tenrou Island a few minutes ago, but now it's night time...and this is Crystal Cove." he said.

"Crystal Cove, that pretty place with all of the glowing Crystals? When did we get here?" she asked.

"I'm not sure, everything is a blur...all I remember is hearing Mavis speak to me and then I blacked out. Come on, I know someone here who will help us." he said, taking her hand.

He pulled the girl up to her feet, resting her weight on his body. Both of them turned to leave the beach, neither of them paying attention to the newspaper that flew past them. It stuck to one of the crystals, the date clearly visible. December 16th x790. Seven years had passed since that fateful day, but neither of the mages knew it. It would be hard for them to accept, but they would have to move on, in the absence of Fairy Tail.

 _ **End of Part Two**_


	55. x791 Arc: Prelude: Seven Years

**A/N: Here we go again, prepare to meet your end, I just looked you up on Facebook, you got zero friends!**

 **Yup, those are indeed song lyrics from a Disney movie, guess the one correctly and you get a virtual cookie.**

 **Alas, the time comes, for the beginning of a new arc...Just yesterday I felt like I was writing the beginning to Tenrou and now here we are, at the beginning of x791...I feel like I'm going through these arcs faster than The Road Runner runes from Wile Coyote.**

 **But, since this is only a prelude, I guess it's alright. Various pieces of information shall be delivered in this pre-written chapter, information that you shall have to let marinate in your brains...It will serve to give the arc it's sense of direction. As I said, this arc is going to be split in half, with the final part of the x791 arc being the return of Team Tenrou. This first part is mostly going to be Aiden getting information from various friends about what happened in Fiore during their absence, as well as figuring out how to fix Fairy Sphere.**

 **It will also give Zera more character and purpose as she is now a full member of Fairy Tail and is going to be pretty important to the story. She's going to be Aiden's student as he will be teaching her Fire magic. And before you ask, no she's not going to be one of his girls. Wendy is already his main squeeze, he has no need for a bottom bitch as of now...as of this first chapter anyway.**

 **Um...It won't be long until the Grand Magic Games arc starts, and I will reveal the guilds that will be participating during the GMG prelude chapter, which will also include the Preliminary Event, which I'm also revealing in that chapter. The events will be different from the canon because why not?**

 **Also, each team is going to have Six members instead of Five and there are going to be Ten Guilds instead of Eight. More details as they develop. Honestly it won't be long until this arc is over, I'm already writing Chapter 56...**

 **So, without further ado, here is chapter 54 of the Hellfire Dragon Slayer...Hope you all enjoy it!**

 **Song of the Day: Nippon Manju by LADYBABY**

 **I'm not sure if I already said this song or not, but yeah if I said it before sorry. This song is just too goddamn addicting. Two cute Idols singing about what's awesome in Japan, along with a bearded man dressed like a girl, screaming Japan's popular locales? It's just too great to pass up!**

X791 Arc Prelude

Chapter 54

Seven Years

The city of Crystal Cove was rather quiet on this night. It was a bit cold, mostly due to the season. It was a dramatic change from the blazing heat he had felt on Tenrou Island. He found it welcoming and refreshing, but he was still very confused. Zera had remained quiet, sticking rather close to Aiden, but not so close as to cause any awkwardness between them. She was entranced by all of the beautiful crystals growing out of various areas in the city. All of the buildings seemed to be decorated with them now, and several houses and stores had been built in several places. There were also large round crystals in various areas, all of them glowing a light golden color. He wondered what they did, but knowing they had the ability to store ethernano, it made him believe they were some sort of power source.

Finally arriving at the top of the hill, Aiden and Zera stood in front of a large laboratory. Aiden had been expecting some lights to be on within the building, but was rather disappointed at what he saw. The house looked unkempt, like it hadn't been lived in a long time. He reached for the gate, seeing the thick chains wrapped around it.

"Um...Aiden are you sure someone lives here?" Zera asked quietly, keeping a look out in case someone came along.

"I'm sure...It's only been a few months since I last saw William. He must be here." he said, trying to pry the gate open. Zera hummed to herself, looking around the area. She tugged on his shirt, pointing to the large sign outside of the brick wall.

"For Lease...what?" he cried, confusion written on his face.

"No one lives here, I think it would be best for us to find another place to go. We wouldn't want to get in trouble." she said. He sighed, giving her a nod. All of the stores were closed and he didn't feel comfortable walking into a bar that late at night.

"Zera, I have a question for you...it's about Fairy Sphere, what kind of spell is it?" he asked.

"It's a defensive barrier spell. It's supposed to protect Tenrou Island on an emergency." she said.

"Does it have a scattering effect? Maybe Acnologia's blast interrupted the spell and we were all scattered all over the place." he said.

"I'm not sure...Mavis wasn't...exactly done writing that spell. She said it had a few kinks that needed ironing out." she said. He sighed, leading the girl back into town.

"In that case, there's only one place to head to. Hey, this is the first time you're seeing the new guildhall. I promise, you'll totally love it, we have a sauna and a pool!" he said excitedly.

"How will we get there? Do you have money for a train ticket or something?" she asked curiously. He dug his hand in his pocket, pulling out a stack of bills.

"Of course! I'm always prepared for something like this." he said, a grin on his face. Zera smiled warmly, looking away from him and back to the ocean. She took a deep breath, the salty sea air making her scrounge her nose a bit.

"Something on your mind? Girls don't sigh like that unless something is bothering them." He said, catching her attention.

"Um well...I've got something to tell you...it's about my body." she said, looking down at herself.

"You're body...say that is something I was wondering about. I thought you said you couldn't manifest a physical form because you were tied to Tenrou Island?" he said.

"Yeah, that was true but...during the fight with Grimoire Heart, something happened. This girl appeared before me, she said she was your sister...she ended up using her magic to make a vessel for my soul. She also gave me her magic." she said, showing him the black marks on her left arm. He looked at her, a firm look on his face.

"Did...did she have a red and green eye? And long black hair?" he asked.

"Mhmm...her name was Kurumi...she looked a bit younger than me. She said that she broke a taboo with her magic. She separated her soul from her physical body so that she could survive the attack from your brother. When her body died on the island, her soul was brought back, and with the last of her power, she granted me the use of Arc of Space." she said firmly.

"Heh, that does sound like her. She was always such a kind girl...I'm happy you met her. I suppose that makes us siblings or something along those lines. She gave you her physical body, just so you could make friends." he said.

"I'm sure it was for another reason but...I think she had that in mind as well." Zera said. The two of them entered the train station, noticing it was empty, with only a few people walking around.

"I guess we'll figure all of that out later. Let's just focus on getting back to the guild, I could use a break. My body still hurts like hell." he said, giving her a grin.

"Maybe your girlfriend is already there and will be able to heal you up!" Zera said happily.

"Yeah, but you do know there's a lot of people there right? Your shyness isn't going to be a good thing."

"I'll...I'll get used to it. I hope." she said, gulping a bit.

The thought of social interaction really scared the girl, but if everyone in Fairy Tail was just like Aiden, then she wouldn't have an issue bonding with them. Aiden purchased their tickets, earning a curious look from the vendor as they left, thankfully the train had been in the station. He stopped in front of the train, taking a deep breath.

"Shit, I forgot about my motion sickness." he said.

"You get sick on trains?" Zera asked curiously, earning a nod from him.

"Yes, any type of vehicle really. I left my pills in my bag, which is somewhere on Tenrou Island." he replied. She put a hand on his shoulder.

"It'll be alright...it's just a two hour ride." she said. He took a deep breath, entering the train. He hadn't even been on it for fire seconds and he already felt like vomiting.

Those two hours were absolute hell, and when they got off at the Magnolia Station, he immediately went to a trash can, puking his brains out. Not exactly knowing what to do, Zera just rubbed his back, trying to ease his pain. He wiped his mouth with his shirt, the sickly green disappearing from his face.

"Thanks Zera, I feel a lot better now."

"No problem." she said.

He took a sip from his water and started walking out of the station, laying eyes on Magnolia Town. Most of the town was dark, since it was night time but the lights shining from the Cathedral could be seen from every single spot in the city. The Fairy Tail guildhall still sat proudly at the other side of the town, the torches being completely extinguished. Zera just stood there in awe.

"Wow, Magnolia Town has changed so much." she said.

"Well, it has been 98 years since you were last here right? What was it like then?" Aiden asked curiously, as they walked through the town.

"It was really bad. All of the buildings were in disarray, the streets were made with dirt, the river was dirty and Kardia Cathedral was in a horrible state of disrepair. There was also this giant dragon skeleton wrapped around the cathedral. No one wanted to come here." she said.

"A dragon skeleton, like a real one?" he asked curiously.

"Yeah, it was blue in color. Mavis said it most likely belonged to some type of Water dragon. It must have been dead for hundreds of years, because we didn't feel any magic power from it. Mavis told me someone made some armor from the bone plates." she said.

"Dragon armor is among the strongest out there. It gives the user the abilities of a dragon without becoming a dragon slayer themselves. And they can enter dragon force at will. There were 48 legendary armors in the past, all belonging to powerful warriors." he said.

"I remember that. There was a book in Tenrou's library that talked about those armors. Apparently the strongest one of them was called Incursio, it was known as the legendary evolution armor. It evolved to match the fighting style of the wielder. If they were a lancer, a swordsman or even a sword and shield specialist, it would match each style. Legend says that armor disappeared the day the Dragon King was dethroned by Acnologia." she said.

"That's right...I wasn't expecting you to be well read on this sort of thing." Aiden said, quite surprised with the brunette. She grinned, placing her hands at her hips.

"Why of course, when you live alone with a bookworm for seven years, you tend to learn a thing or two. While Mavis is more in love with Fairies, I find solace in reading stories about legendary heroes. You could say I...wanted to be one." she said.

"Why's that?" he asked curiously.

"Mavis saved my life...and I wasn't able to save hers. I was just an illusion, so I couldn't exactly do anything about it. After she realized I was an illusion, my soul returned to Tenrou Island. I didn't know what to do, I knew Zeref was a bad person, but I didn't know what to do about it."

"Whoa...you know who Zeref is?" Aiden asked, eyes wide with shock. She held her hand out, a fireball forming in the palm of her hand.

"He taught us how to use magic. My daddy was a fire mage and guild master of Red Lizard, I'm also a user of fire magic. So I was able to learn this easily. But he taught Mavis some other types of magic, a spell named Law, one that she used as the basis of Fairy Law. Because of that, Mavis is stuck in an eternal state of living, alive and dead at the same time." she replied.

"I'm confused...isn't Mavis you know...dead? I visited her grave." he said.

"That grave is nothing more than a place for her to keep Fairy Law and Fairy Glitter. Depending on the person, if they receive her blessing, they'll be able to get one of the three Great Fairy Magics. Normally they are a single use spell, but Mavis decided to let you keep yours, I'm not sure why." she said. Aiden glanced at his hand, seeing the red Fairy mark.

"I don't really get any of this but...I'm sure it will make sense soon. We're almost to the guild...I'm so excited to see everyone again. Hopefully they made it back safely." he said, resisting the urge to run toward the guild.

Aiden had been expecting many things when he reached the guildhall. He didn't know what time it was, but it wasn't that late. Many of the members left after midnight, so the master didn't lock up until then. But the building itself looked different, like it hadn't been used in awhile. All of the tables in the front courtyard were gone, the sign was twisted and rusted, some of the letters having fallen down, and the flags had been torn. The golden Fairies at the tops of the posts were also gone, as if someone had looted them from the building. The metal gates were closed, a thick chain wrapped around it, with a heavy bolt lock. A giant wooden sign hung from it.

"Closed Indefinitely...what?" he asked, shock written on his face.

"Something is wrong here...Fairy Tail wouldn't just close down...would they?"

"What reason would they have?" he asked.

He walked toward the gates, trying to push them open. Sadly they held firm. He grabbed the bars, and activated his magic, super heating the metal bars until he was able to spread them apart. He used his ice to cool them down so that Zera could get through. They quietly made their way toward the front doors, slowly pushing them open.

"Aiden, should we really be doing this?" Zera whispered.

"We're members of this guild, we have the right to be here." he said simply.

The first thing he noticed when he stepped inside was the scent of dust. There was a thick layer of it on the tables and the bar, along with several large cobwebs. He took a whiff of the air, only smelling a stale scent of dust and bugs. He let out a sneeze, rubbing his nose right after.

"Well...no ones been here for awhile...that's for sure." Zera said, looking around the building.

She was surprised the guildhall was so big. She remembered seeing the design plans for the original building Mavis had designed. This place was nothing like that. Aiden walked toward the request board, seeing all of the worn requests still pinned to it. He grabbed one from the board, noticing the slightly yellowed edges.

"This Request dates back to the year x785...wait a minute..how the hell is that possible? New Years hasn't passed yet." he said, glancing back at Zera.

"Maybe this is one of the after effects of Fairy Sphere?" she asked. He shrugged, pocketing the request paper. Walking over to the bar, he ran his finger over the bar, looking at the dust gathered at his finger tip.

"Um...I found a newspaper on this table...I don't think we're in the year x784 anymore Aiden." Zera said, holding the folded newspaper in her hands. Aiden took it from her, slowly opening so it didn't fall apart. His eyes widened in shock.

"Magic Council calls of search for survivors. Six months have passed since the core members of Fairy Tail were attacked by Acnologia. Reports state that they were holding their annual S-class trials when they were attacked by the leader of the Balam Alliance, Grimoire Heart. After defeating the dark guild, the Black Dragon was spotted approaching the island. It destroyed it mere minutes after arriving and left just as fast. No survivors have been recovered." he read aloud, eyes widened in shock.

"This isn't real...it can't be real! We're right here, we're alive!" Zera cried. He skimmed over the paper, opening it to the middle section.

"Reports state that the leader of Grimoire Heart, Precht Gaebolg, former Master of Fairy Tail was found deceased within a magic airship belonging to the aforementioned dark guild. No cause of death was determined, and there is also no sight of the Kin of Purgatory being present."

The two mages were numb at that revelation. Hearing that Hades had been killed was a massive shock to them. They already knew who had done it, but neither of them wanted to confirm each others suspicions. He kept skimming through the paper, hoping to find anything else, but he couldn't find anything. He saw the date printed at the top of the page. July 16th x785, six months after the attack.

"So...six months have passed, that means we were stuck in time..most likely an after effect of Fairy Sphere." Aiden said, placing the newspaper on the nearby table.

"No...I don't think six months have passed. If that was the case, then wouldn't there be people here? This place hasn't been used in years, it's clearly been abandoned." Zera said.

"You think more time has passed? But what about everyone else? Have they also been released from Fairy Sphere?" He asked.

"I don't know...Mavis didn't know what would happen by casting that spell. For all we know, since you're the one that cast it, you were released before everyone else. We don't know if their alive, dead or still stuck on Tenrou Island." she replied firmly.

"We...we have to go back." Aiden said, clutching her shoulders.

"Didn't you read that paper? Tenrou Island is gone, there is nothing left. Without knowing what Fairy Sphere truly does, we can't risk going back there! Face it, all of our guildmates are most likely gone." she said.

He grit his teeth, refusing to accept that. He bowed his head, tears running down his cheeks. Images of all of his friends flashed in his mind, all of them had been fighting hard, trying to get away with their lives. Wendy's bright smile had been ingrained in his mind, he just couldn't believe she was gone. He refused to accept it.

"I can't...she isn't dead...none of them are dead. Please Zera, we have to go back." he said. She wrapped her arms around him, holding him tightly.

"It hurts...I know, but right now we can't afford to go back. We don't know how much time has passed, we have no food, clothes, money or a place to stay. If Fairy Tail disbanded, then we have no place to go." she replied.

"They couldn't have just disappeared...they couldn't have just disbanded either! We have to find them." he said.

"And if we do find them, how would we face them? They don't even know me...imagine if they saw you walk back in the guild, after so much time has passed. Do you want to tell them that everyone else is dead but you and I we're magically spared from their fate?" she asked.

"I..I don't know what to do...we can't not find them." he said.

"We'll search for them, we'll go back and find Tenrou Island too...but right now we have to focus on the things that matter. Finding a place to stay and getting some money. Once we're settled in, we'll be able to move about more freely." she said firmly. He sighed, wiping his tears away.

"I...have a house in town. Me and my friends own it so we should be able to get inside." he said.

"Then let's go...we need our rest and you need to stay put while those injuries heal." she said. He nodded, walking out of the guildhall. He made sure the doors were firmly closed before they walked through the bent bars in the gate.

The two mages remained quiet, letting the information they had found out sink into their minds. They didn't know what year it was, but what they did know was that all of their friends were gone. Aiden refused to believe that, but without any information, he couldn't make an accurate judgment. All he could do was search for answers and hope that everyone was alright. He wasn't going to give up just because Acnologia decided to attack, they all promised to come back together, and he would bring them back, even if it took him a life time to do it.

Arriving at the mansion, he saw that the place also looked in a state of disrepair. He frowned inwardly, reaching his hand into his pocket, pulling out his key ring, where his two gate keys and his house key were kept. When he tried to unlock the gate, a wall of red runes appeared, preventing the key from entering the lock. He growled under his breath, his eyes scanning the runes.

"Repossessed by Magnolia Bank...until the property tax is paid, no one is able to step on the premises...well isn't this just lovely." He said dejectedly.

"How much do you think it is?" Zera asked. Aiden tapped the barrier, his eyes widening at the amount.

"140 million jewels? Jesus Christ I don't even have ten percent of that amount." he exclaimed, falling to his knees.

"This is a nightmare...we don't have a guild, our friends are gone and I don't have a home." he said.

"It'll be alright...we'll be fine. There has to be some place for us to go..don't you have some savings or something?" she asked.

His eyes brightened up a bit as he hastily stood up. He walked over to some trees that had been planted outside of the wall. He tapped the middle one a few times until he found a hollow spot. He pulled his fist back, punching the straight through the trunk. He pulled out a small pouch from inside.

"I hid this money from Phoebe before going to Tenrou Island, I wanted to save it for a special occasion, I guess this counts as one." he said, opening the bag. Several stacks of jewels were inside, all in one thousand jewel bills. He took out the stacks, counting each one.

"200 thousand jewels. Not enough for anything long term, but we can at least go to an inn and get some clothes...we're going to need them." he said, looking himself over. His clothes were practically in tatters, and his arms and chest were still bandaged. Zera was in much the same state, her dress being covered in dry mud, and she had some cuts on her shoulders and arms.

"We passed by an inn while coming into town, we can get some clothes in the morning...and maybe find out what's going on." she said. He nodded, allowing her to take the lead. At this point, he just wanted to get some rest.

xxx

Morning couldn't have come any faster for the two Fairy Tail mages. Both of them had gotten some brand new clothes and returned to the inn to take a shower. Aiden was just happy to be out of his tattered clothes. He wore a different outfit than before.

He was wearing a black over coat, with a white lapel, and blue flames printed on it. He had of course taken one of the sleeves off and completely mended it, leaving his right arm completely exposed. Underneath he wore a blue tank top, which hugged his body nicely.

He had traded his shorts for a pair of long black jeans, with a white leather belt. He was wearing a brand new pair of boots, as his old ones had been too worn out from everything that had happened on Tenrou Island. He wrapped his scarf around his neck, tucking his Paopu charm inside it. He stared at it for a few seconds, a frown on his face. He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath.

"You aren't dead..I'm not giving up hope...I'll see you again my sweet Sky Dragon." he said, a warm smile on his face. He grabbed his new knapsack and slung it over his shoulder, securing his keys onto his belt loop. He left the room, almost bumping into Zera who was about to knock on the door.

"Hey, you clean up nice." she said, looking him over. He grinned, giving her a wink.

"So do you...orange really does suit you." he said.

Zera's outfit hadn't changed much. She was wearing a sleeveless collared shirt, with a ribbon tie around her neck, which was red in color. Around her torso she wore a light orange corset, with black markings printed on it. She wore a matching white skirt with an orange stripe on it. She had also gotten a brand new pair of black tights, preferring to keep her old boots. She had decided on leaving her arms bare, though she did wear a few bracelets around her wrists. Aiden was finally able to see the black markings on her left arm in full.

They looked almost like lightning bolts, wrapping around her arm, ending in a swirl on her bicep. He supposed that was the mark of Arc of Space. He hadn't ever seen someone transfer their magic power into another person, than again Laxus had done it with Natsu, but he hadn't gotten any markings. It was the same for him when he got his lacrima implant, he was expecting to wake up with a scar, but was surprised to see he hadn't. Besides, between his back, arm and face he had gotten enough scars to last a life time. Zera pulled her hair into two neat ponytails, tying them up with two crimson colored ribbons.

"So, have you decided on what we're going to do?" she asked.

"Yeah, that's easy. I'm going to look for Acnologia." he said simply. She looked at him firmly, breaking into a laugh.

"That's funny, but seriously what are we going to do?" she asked again. The boy turned around, heading toward the stairs.

"I'm being serious Zera. He holds the answers I seek, so I'm going to look for him."

"Are you insane? Did you not see what he did to our island? That was most likely a quarter of his power, actually not even a quarter of that. It's been seven years and no one has seen hide or hair of them. Do you want to be turned into a pile of ash too?" she asked.

"Well what choice do I have? My friends are gone, the guild is dead, and there is absolutely nowhere for me to go. I'm going to train myself and get a hold of my new ice magic, and when I grow in strength, I'll challenge Acnologia to a battle, and he will die." he said firmly, looking back at the girl. She shivered a bit from the intense look he had given him. He turned around, about to leave when she took a step forward, catching his arm.

"Well, you know if you go after Acnologia you'll be breaking your promise to Mavis." she snapped back.

"Don't use that against me, this isn't about my promise to her."

"No, it's about you being a dumb ass. Do you think your friends would want you to risk your life to search for that thing? You fought him back sure, but the entire guild plus the master wasn't enough to put a scratch on him. Do you actually believe you have what it takes to take him down?" she asked. Aiden grit his teeth, grabbing her hand, pulling it off his own..he gripped it tightly, bowing his head.

"I don't know what to do Zera...I know they're not dead...but I just can't accept what's happened. I'm scared I'll never see them again, I'm scared she'll come back and I'll be gone, and she won't know how much I truly love her." he said, tears falling down his face. Zera placed her hand over his own, giving him a bright smile.

"Hey...you'll see her again. 98 years ago, I didn't think I would see my best friend again, but ever since you and Fairy Tail came to Tenrou Island, I was able to see her, speak with her...I thought it was all a dream. The only information I ever had about her were things the mages would say during the exams, along with what I could gather through the guild marks. I've felt so many things over the years, including crippling sadness and regret...but we'll move on. Fairy Tail defeated Grimoire Heart, we can get over this hump as well." she said confidently.

"Yeah, you're right. I'm glad you're here with me Zera, it would suck to be alone." he said, giving her a grin. She blushed, looking away from him.

"Uh...yeah...we should go...before that janitor over there starts asking questions." she said, pointing to the man who was mopping the floors, a Sound Pod over his ears. Aiden dried his tears with his sleeve, breaking into giggles.

"You and your shyness. He's not gonna do anything, I doubt he even heard us."

"Yeah well, you can never be too sure...he might be scheming something." she said.

"Oh right, the big scary janitor is using Mop Magic to defeat all of us...I'm so scared." he said sarcastically, walking down the stairs.

"Hey, there's no such thing as Mop magic!"

It hurt, leaving Magnolia Town. This place had been his home since he had joined Fairy Tail, but now that the guild was gone there was no reason for him to stick around. He glanced down at his guild mark, the brief thought of erasing it crossing his mind. He shook it off, somehow he knew that would be a great insult to Mavis and everyone else that belonged to the guild. With a heavy sigh, the two young mages walked down the beaten path, hoping everything would turn out well for them. He promised Master Roubaul he would ride the tail wind where ever it took him, so that's exactly what he was going to do.

Days passed, as the two of them traveled through countless towns. Aiden had managed to convince Zera to walk everywhere, not only would it save money, but it would prevent him from becoming a puking mess. As he lacked his Motion Sickness pills, which Carla and Wendy made for him, he couldn't really face any type of transportation, this also gave them enough time to train their magic.

They had found out quite a lot during their travels. For one, it was December of x790, Seven Years past the date of Team Tenrou's disappearing. It was also an abnormally hot year, since there wasn't any snow present near the northern areas of Fiore. There was also another thing that had been created in their absence called the Grand Magic Games, a competition where the guilds went head to head against each other. He also found out that Sabertooth held the award for the past three years in a row, knocking down Lamia Scale who held the award for two years. He was sure if Fairy Tail was still around, they would have definitely taken the award home.

It was still all so crazy. Being trapped in Fairy Sphere for so long and not aging a single bit. Everything was surreal, one minute their fighting a giant death dragon and the next he's walking down a beaten path with a formerly deceased girl. It was definitely an eye opening experience for him, but the thing that hurt the most was the absence of Fairy Tail.

The vibe in Magnolia just felt off. Fairy Tail was the guardian guild of Magnolia Town, but since it had closed, the people just didn't feel happy anymore. The Fantasia Parade hadn't happened and neither had the Spring Parade. It seemed as if the guild was dearly missed by everyone in the city.

"So, where are we going to today?" Zera asked, looking up at the sky, hands behind her head. He shrugged, not really settling on a spot.

"Well...I just had an idea. You heard that stuff about the Games right, what if we enter them this year and announce Fairy Tail's revival?" he asked. The girl looked at him, her olive eyes filled with shock.

"What happened to finding Acnologia?" she asked. He sighed, glancing away from her.

"I thought about it...and you're right...until we figure out what Fairy Sphere truly does, we can't do anything about it. We'll just have to wait it out, until Mavis comes up with a solution, or I get my hands on the written spell. I know a bit of script magic thanks to Wendy, so I might be able to fix the spell and find a counter spell to erase the effects."

"That is true...I should have asked her where those files were...but anyway what's this about the games again?"

"Well, I was thinking that...maybe I can get the attention of all my other friends in Fairy Tail, get them all to come back. The Grand Magic Games are different every year, maybe we can win them and bring attention to the Number 1 Guild in Fiore." he said, a grin on his face.

"Except you need a team of five to enter the games as a registered guild, not to mention the Master has to be present." She deadpanned.

"Ah, but here's the kicker. As long as the master and or a founding member is present, any guild is allowed to enter the games. I believe you said you were a Fairy of Creation, isn't that right my lady?" he asked, making her giggle.

"I did say that yes, but I didn't exactly join the guild until Mavis's return, and I wasn't there for the inauguration either."

"But Mavis trusts you, so she would make you her second in command, at least above Precht...I still can't believe he turned out that way." he said, a frown on his face.

"The dark side does that to people. I witnessed my father die in front of me as a child, all of the members were killed by a rival guild, all for a stupid jewel. The world is drowned in it, but I'm glad that there are good guilds out there to help take out the rotten ones." she said.

"Yeah...a lot has happened to us, but we made it and that's what matters. We just have to get the guild back together and show Fiore we're here to stay. So what do you say Zera? You wanna enter the games with me?" he asked, holding his hand out. She smiled, slapping his hand with her own.

"Hell yeah, let's bring back our guild and make Mavis proud!" she said joyously.

"Alright, first off we have to find a training ground, a place where we can be alone and close to water and food." he said, holding his hand out, three fingers sticking out.

"Where will we find a place like that?" she asked curiously.

"Well it just so happens that I've already found a place. It's a place that's very dear to me, a place that was my home seven years ago...we're going back to Cait Shelter." he said. Her brows furrowed.

"Cait Shelter?" she asked.

"Mhmm...this was the guild where I met the woman that changed my life. We can take a train to Clover Town from the next city, we can be there by tomorrow." he said.

"Are you sure? You'll get sick."

"Nah, it's alright...I'll be fine. We should stop for lunch, it's kinda hot so I could use a break."

"Sure, I'll get the fire started." she said, a fireball bursting to light in the palm of her hand. Aiden grinned brightly, while everything looked grim, Fairy Tail had taught him never to give up. Fear made you kinder and gentler, so he would use that lesson to grow stronger.

xxx

She had lost count of how many times she had come into this bar. In the last three years, or since she had come into town. There was always a sense of enjoyment from being in it. Whether that be a bar fight, or some rumor, she was always entertained by it all. Her dark raven locks fell down to her lower back, her face always firm with a show of disinterest, even though her eyes showed something else. This young woman had seen countless things in the world, but nothing beat a good bar fight on a hot Saturday afternoon.

She was wearing a blue sport's shirt, which was smooth on her skin and did little to hide her developed chest. It left her naval completely bare. She was wearing a long blue skirt that reached down to her calves and was open on the side, revealing most of her left leg. She was also wearing a pair of knee high leather boots with a thin heel on them.

Around her neck was a white feather boa, one of her favorite accessories when it came to her outfit. She also wore a pair of long gloves, to add a bit of regality to her outfit. The scent of rose blooms wafted from her. She didn't wear much make up, but she never went anywhere without a little eye shadow or lipstick, it just went well with her lightly tanned complexion. She grabbed the glass in front of her, taking a dainty sip from it.

"Hey, you hear the rumor? Some kid was walking around town flashing the Fairy Tail emblem, looked real young too." a man said, leaning back in his seat.

"For real? Must be that old coot's kid, the one that thinks he's hot shit because he knows fire magic? What was his name again?"

"Who gives a shit...and I don't think it was him, that one has a red mark on his left shoulder, this kid had a blue mark on his right shoulder."

The woman's ear perked up as she set her glass down. This was an interesting revelation. She didn't know anyone who bared the mark and color combination he had just said. Her eyes narrowed, but she remained sitting, a disinterested look on her face.

"He kinda reminded me of that kid from seven years ago...the one that had blue fire?" the man continued, taking a sip from his mug.

"Pfft, that one is as dead as a door nail. He was blasted to high heaven with all of those other Fairy fuck ups. That's the reason Twilight Ogre was able to set up shop here in the first place." his friend said. This comment made the black haired woman hiss angrily, her grip on her glass tightening.

"That shack they pass off as a guild is starting to fall apart. I think the master is going to send Teebo up there to collect again. Of course we have to wait until that raven haired bitch is gone."

"Yeah, I wouldn't want to mess with her, she's apparently their only S-class wizard, as if those losers could even get an S-class quest. The era of Fairy Tail being at the top of the list is over...hell, at least they got that cute girl running around, what's her name again? Melanie?"

"You're a total idiot if you think that's her name...besides, she's the only thing keeping that guild alive, seeing as she takes all of the A-class quests their weak ass members can't take. They should just call it quits, before our master tears that shack outta the ground."

"I'd rather he didn't...having them around for the games is always a laugh, watching them get humiliated by mages leagues better than them is always a good way to waste time."

The sound of glass breaking filled the entire room, throwing it into silence. The raven haired woman just sat there, a violet aura appearing around her body. She spun around her seat, standing up tall, glaring at the mages who had spoken. She had an emotionless look on her face.

"So, which of you gentlemen would like to die first?" she asked, glaring at them. One of them laughed, standing up from his seat.

"You think I would let you take me on you dumb broad? Come on, get real."

"Uh Chris, I wouldn't taunt her if I we're you." his friend said.

"Why not? She's just some woman." he said.

"Actually, I'm more than just some woman." she said, moving aside her jacket, revealing the blue guild on her waist. The crest of Fairy Tail sat proudly on her skin, making the man gasp in shock.

"Oh...oh shit this is her isn't she? The Spacial Wizard who demolished that Dark Guild on her own."

"Yeah, and we just pissed her off."

"So what? She isn't nearly as strong as you all think, she doesn't have the gull to mess with Twilight Ogre!" Chris said, grabbing his magic club. The woman rose a brow, holding a single hand in front of her.

"Il Ragdo." she chanted, sending a massive wave of spacial magic at the man. He howled in pain, being blasted right through the wall. She turned to face the other two, who were literally shaking in their boots. She leaned forward, a grin on her face.

"Boo."

"Let's get out of here!" they cried in unison, racing out of the bar. The woman sighed, looking back at the owner.

"Sorry, this should cover the damages." she said, tossing a bag of money at the man. He chuckled, shaking his head.

"It's alright Minerva, Cana used to come here plenty of times and she did way more damage then that when she was drunk." he said.

"I would hope so, seeing as her tab with the guild is still sky high. Anyway, I must be off. I have to do some research on a few things." she said, giving him a polite bow.

"Take care of yourself, and let the guys at the guild know I said hey." he said, giving her a wave.

The woman left the bar, the man she had blasted through the wall having run off. The bar she had been at was near the center of town, and was a local favorite among the townspeople, along with another woman, famous for out drinking anyone who challenged her. She had been going there since she had joined the guild back in x787.

The people had been kind to her, ever since she had been exiled from her own guild. She had gotten sick of how her father had mistreated her. She didn't even realize it, at least until she met that young man during one of her forced solo training missions. She had been ready to kill him, but the conviction in his voice and the love in his eyes made her see reason. That mark on his shoulder would forever be ingrained in her mind, because of that mark, she had been able to spread her wings and soar.

Fairy Tail had become her home, the one she longed to have while being a member of Sabertooth. When she had been forced out of the guild by the guild master, her own father, it had been hell. Especially because she had been forced to take her clothes off in front of the other members.

No...they weren't members, they were soldiers, machines programmed with his mentality, unable to love and feel emotion like him. She was sure that was the reason he even acknowledged her as a daughter. But once she had been excommunicated, forced to erase her mark by her own hand, she understood. She understood crystal clear that she meant nothing to him.

It had been hard, and thankfully some of the townspeople had been able to clothe her. When she asked if there was a fairy themed guild anywhere, she had been pointed to Magnolia, only to see the guildhall in a state of disrepair. She thought they had disbanded, but had been guided by a junior member to the new guildhall.

It was small, and it was crummy, but it was home. She could tell they all hated it, but they were all swallowing their hate, and keeping smiles on their faces for her. She had been so young at the time, and held no emotion in her voice. It was like she was a zombie most of the time, at least until she made friends with the rest of the guild. She honestly felt loved and it was a wonderful feeling.

"Hey Mina, where are you going?" a familiar voice cried out, causing her to stop.

It belonged to one of her closest friends, and fellow member of Fairy Tail. She was a young woman, with long waist length hair, tied into twin tails with golden hair ribbons. She was wearing a sleeveless red hooded vest, over a sleeveless white top. She was wearing a blue pleated skirt which reached down to her mid thigh, along with matching thigh high stockings and black heeled boots. On her thigh was a vibrant green Fairy Tail emblem, marking her as a member of the guild. She stopped in front of Minerva panting a bit. The woman growled under her breath, her eyes on the young girl's chest.

" _Did those things grow even more? What's her cup size now? F?"_ she thought inwardly. The thought of a girl two years her junior having bigger jugs than her really annoyed her.

"What's up Lia?" the woman greeted, using her nickname for the girl. She smiled, her blue eyes glittering.

"I just got us approved for an S-class quest. It took a little elbow grease, but the old woman finally caved in." she said.

"Jeez, stop calling the Master an old woman, she's only thirty." Minerva said, shaking her head.

"Oh, you know I mean nothing by that. She's been a mother to me all this time, way more than my cousin at least. It's a mission to take out a dark guild that's situated around Clover Town. I figured it would be good for us, we kinda need the money." she said.

"Yeah, we're gonna collect a big pay just to fork it over to Twilight Ogre...why Alana even agreed to hold business with those fools is beyond my comprehension." Minerva said, glancing away from the girl.

Chelia sighed, following her gaze. She had been looking directly at the old guildhall. To this day, the woman had never stepped inside it. Chelia had fond memories of the building, and longed to see it up close again.

"Master Makarov wouldn't have bowed down to them either...but we're in dire straights. Ever since my brother and sisters disappeared, it's been different." she said.

"I miss him too...I've been wanting to thank him for what he did. God if only I had come to Magnolia sooner, I doubt my father would have done anything to stop me." Minerva said.

"That old coot will get his soon enough...I just want to see Aiden one more time, so I can thank him for rescuing me all those years ago. I just want to give him a hug." she replied.

"Is that the only thing you want to do? You might suffocate him with those moon sized breasts of yours."

"You're just jealous because I'm a grower. It isn't my fault they became this big, besides it's all the magic training and junk food I eat." she said.

"Right...so I heard a very interesting rumor at the bar, I was going to follow up on it at the old guildhall." she said.

"Huh...what kind of rumor?" Chelia asked, brows furrowed.

"Apparently there were some sightings of a teenage boy walking around with a blue Fairy Tail guild mark on his shoulder. There's only one person I could think of that has one like that." she said. Chelia's eyes widened.

"You don't think...it was Aiden right? But he's been dead for seven years, how could it possibly be him?" she asked.

"I'm not sure, but it was never fully confirmed that Tenrou Island disappeared. There was too much ethernano in the area to get a confirmation. If by some miracle he survived and came to Magnolia, he might not know where the new guildhall is." she said.

"Oh no...that means he's most likely wondering Fiore, thinking we disbanded! We have to find him!" she said, brushing past the older woman, only for her to catch her arm.

"Hold it zippy, we can't just run off. We need to gather more information, let's start by talking to the Inn keeper, then we'll visit the guild hall to see if anyone's been there recently."

"Alright, you know you're pretty smart for your age Minerva." Chelia said happily.

"Which is why I'm the leader of Team Black Skies. If I let you lead the team we'd probably end up in Cleveland." she said, rolling her eyes.

"As if, I'm great with maps. Besides I was the one who found Fogbound Lake." she said proudly.

"Seven years ago, with Aiden leading your team. You were just lucky to find that gem stone you were speaking about. If not the fog would have never been lifted. I can't believe I spent a year training in that area and didn't find that lake. I feel so dumb."

"Aw, it's alright Minerva...a lot of people felt pretty dumb when it was found." she said, walking in the direction of the inn.

Sometimes, Minerva liked having Chelia around, other times she wanted nothing more than to teleport her into a spike trap. Thankfully, the idea that their mutual friend could be walking around had pulled her mind away from such horrid thoughts. If the rumors were true, then she had to find the boy soon, before he lost hope of reuniting with his family forever.


	56. x791 Arc: Neo Cait Shelter

**A/N: Hello People of Earth!**

 **Welcome to a brand new chapter of The Hellfire Dragon Slayer. This is going to be chapter 55 of the story, and the second chapter in the x791 story arc. It's going to be a rather interesting chapter, as Zera and Aiden start to gradually adjust to this time period and slowly learn of everything that's been going on in their absence. Some familiar faces will also make an appearance as well, so I hope you all like it.**

 **I'm going to be slowing down my posts for awhile, since I'll be taking a short break. I'm not sure when exactly I'll be back, but I just have to take one. You can only write something for so long. I know I said that after Edolas and ended up writing Tenrou, but this time I'm serious. I've come to a stand still in this arc so I need to rework the plot and see how everything will fit together nicely, so I hope you all understand.**

 **Most of this is because Persona 5 recently came out and this is a game I've been waiting for since it was announced back in 2013, at least I think it was 2013, I don't remember. It was pushed back countless times but I finally got the game in my hand and I'm currently 6 hours into it and I have got to say, this game is fucking amazing, and I can't wait to delve deeper into the story. It's nice to be able to relax, enjoy the nice sunny weather and play a game you've been waiting for for awhile. So I'll let you all know when I'll get back to regular posting.**

 **I'm not sure exactly when I'll continue, but I am currently stuck on Chapter 57 and that will most likely get rewritten since the plot of that chapter is completely messed up, not in a fucked up sense, but messed up in a sense that it doesn't fit with my story. So it will need a major overhaul. So until then, I hope you all like this chapter...I'll most likely post Chapter 56 and be done with this for awhile. Please excuse the minor grammar mistakes. I read this chapter a couple times and didn't see anything so I hope it's fun.**

 **Song of the Day: Love in This Club Remix, by Usher.**

 **I'm not sure why, but this one just came to the forefront of my mind. It's such a good song, well any Usher song is good, especially since the man knows how to dance. I remember watching the music video for OMG so many times as a kid that I memorized the Choreography for it. It was crazy. Definitely worth a listen too.**

X791 Arc

Chapter 55

Neo Cait Shelter

Getting to Clover Town had been hell. The trains had been delayed so they had to take a new rail that lead them through Alcalypha Town. They hadn't reached the town until night time and he had been extremely sick afterward. Thankfully, Zera had been able to find an inn for them to stay in. The town had flourished in his absence. Several new buildings had been added to the city, along with several large stores. He was rather disappointed that Frank had left town, but he was sure the man was still robbing people of their money in some other place in Fiore.

Walking through the town had been a breath of fresh air. It filled him with memories of the times he and his team went on missions. He had told the girl many stories about his time in Cait Shelter, the guild that had made him realize how important family was. He told her about the good times, and the sad times, including the departure of Master Roubaul and the true nature of the guild. Zera had almost broke into tears when he told her about the fate of the Nirvit, and how the remaining members all separated, going to different guilds, eventually leading him to Magnolia Town and Fairy Tail.

While the town had changed, the people hadn't. He greeted a few familiar faces, most of them shocked to see him alive. He had explained what happened on Tenrou Island and the fate of his friends. He did tell them that he wouldn't stop searching for a way to bring them back. When he asked about the state of the old guild hall however, none of them said anything, saying they hadn't exactly kept the place up after their departure. Aiden shrugged it off, deciding to just go to the guild himself.

Now, the two Fairy Tail mages were walking down the old beaten path, that lead to Cait Village, the site of the once active Cait Shelter guild. Zera seemed to be entranced by the calmness of the area, while Aiden was just lost in all of the familiar scents entering his nose. He was frowning of course. He truly wanted Wendy to be there with him, so that she and the rest of their team could visit the old guildhall together, but sadly that wouldn't be possible for a while.

"You okay Aiden?" Zera asked, catching his attention. He nodded, giving her a smile.

"I'm fine...just a little anxious to get to the guildhall. We've been gone for seven years, so I'm just curious to see how it's holding up." he said.

"You know, I find something odd. The townspeople seemed almost afraid of coming to this place. As if something was going on." she said.

"There's no need to worry. Wendy put an enchantment around the guildhall before we left for Tenrou. We actually came here to train away from our friends so that we could strengthen our magic. Anyone who attempts to even go through it is going to suffer dearly." he said reassuringly.

"I sure hope so." Zera replied, sounding unsure.

As they started getting closer, Aiden started to get a bad vibe coming from the forest. It was as if the whole area just seemed tense for some reason. Some of the trees had started to die, something he found rather unusual. He stopped in the middle of the path, just looking around. There weren't any birds flying around, nor any Boar or Deer, animals he was used to seeing. He got an apprehensive look, his heart beat quickening.

"Is everything alright Aiden?" Zera asked curiously. He narrowed his eyes, taking in the scents around him.

"Something isn't right here...it's like...something is filling the area with darkness. This is the vibe that hangs around a place when a dark guild sets up shop...but I doubt there would be one around here. It can't be Nirvana either." he said, adopting a pensive look.

He shrugged, and resumed his walk, walking closer to the village. He stopped, hearing a rustle from a nearby bush. He held his hands out, flames bursting from his fingers. Zera looked at them entranced, surprised to see the blue flames up close. Aiden took a whiff of the air, eyes widening a bit.

"I smell blood...stay on your guard." he said, dismissing his flames.

Zera held her hands out, forming a magic seal in front of her. She hadn't gotten a full hold of her Arc of Space magic, but she was able to send out blasts of space magic. It was the easiest spell for her to use. As Aiden walked toward the tree line, he saw a figure approaching, practically falling onto the ground.

It was a young girl, one that looked really familiar to Aiden. He knelt before her, checking her over for injuries. He saw several cuts on her legs, along with various magic wounds. He could smell lightning in the air and hissed a bit. When he looked closely at her face, his eyes widened in shock.

"Coco...this must be the Earthland one." he said.

"Wait...you know this girl?" Zera asked, dismissing her attack.

"I know her Edolas counterpart. She was attacked, it seems like it was lightning magic..see how her clothes are all singed?" he asked, pointing to the girl's charred tights and torn shirt. The girl hissed in pain, her brown eyes fluttering open.

"Please...help me." she said, her voice hoarse and strained.

He sensed little magic power left in her body, whatever she had left, she used to get away from her attackers. He didn't see a guild mark on her, so he figured she was just a traveler. He growled angrily.

"Clover Town is too far, she won't make it. Damn it, if only Wendy were here...what would she do?" he said, looking at the sky.

"Well she would want to heal her wounds, let's do that, we have to find a good spot to set up camp." Zera said. He nodded, lifting the girl up into his arms.

It took them a few minutes to find a good clearing, hidden away from any dangers in the woods. It was actually one of the cave systems in the nearby mountainous region. Aiden remembered exploring this cave a lot when he was on his down time. He lay the girl down, using his coat as a makeshift pillow. He pulled out some medical supplies from his pack, and started cleaning the girl's wounds. Zera had returned with a bundle of wood, quickly making a fire pit.

"What do you think did this to her?" she asked curiously, as she started forming the small pit.

"I'm willing to bet it was another wizard. I was considering the nearby creatures, but the only ones that use Lightning magic are the White Wyverns that live on North Mountain. They normally avoid the lower region, so it had to be a wizard." he said.

"Do you think it was a dark guild?" she asked curiously.

Aiden looked away from her, grabbing a role of enchanted gauze. He started wrapping the girl's leg with it, earning small moans of pain from her. He closed his eyes, staying silent for a few minutes.

"It would seem so. I haven't been around in a long time, so I don't know what guilds are active. It could be the Electric Scorpions, they specialized in Lightning magic, or it could be Mystic Compass...I dunno."

"It was neither the Electric Scorpions or Mystic Compass, both those guilds were destroyed seven years ago. The ones who attacked this girl were a brand new guild." a firm voice said, startling the two mages.

Aiden rapidly stood up, Requipping his Crystal Sword into his hand. He couldn't afford to waste magic, especially knowing there was a dark guild around the area. Zera let out a yelp when he small embers turned into a blazing bonfire in a fraction of a second. Aiden looked toward the cavern opening, a firm look on his face.

"Show yourselves and I might consider not killing you." he said.

"Hmm...I didn't think you were a killer Aiden Flame, have these seven years been unkind to you?" another voice said, one that he found familiar.

Three figures suddenly appeared at the entrance of the cave, all of them wearing hooded cloaks. Aiden could sense great magic power from them. It was frightening...Seven years ago, his own power wasn't even a fraction of the ones standing before him. He dismissed his sword, knowing he didn't stand a chance against them. The figure in the middle walked forward, lowering his hood. Aiden's eyes widened in shock.

Spiky blue hair, firm masculine features, red markings on his right eye..he knew this man. He took a step back, shaking his head.

"No way, Wendy saw you get arrested...what the hell are you doing here?" he asked.

"I hold the answer to that question."

The two other figures lowered their hoods as well. Two familiar looking women, though they were seven years older than he remembered. The girl on the right had long pink hair, tied in a ponytail, she was still wearing her brown ear muffs. The woman on the left hadn't changed much, aside from growing taller. He grit his teeth, glaring at them.

"Grimoire Heart, of course you would join them."

"You misunderstand Aiden, we have no ties to guilds of the past. We are an independent guild, Crime Sorciere. During your seven year disappearance, we have traveled far and wide, ridding the world of dark guilds." Jellal said firmly.

"We've also been keeping tabs on Fairy Tail, and finding out ways to find the missing members. Do you actually think we would let you all die?" Meredy asked, a frown on her face.

"Well, I'm not exactly sure. I barely know two of you, there's only one person I actually spent time with, and she almost fucking killed me. Why should I trust anything that comes out of your mouths?" he asked firmly, glaring at Ultear, who had a sad look on her face.

"I understand why you wouldn't trust me. I've done many horrible things in this country, killed many. But one of the reasons we formed this guild, was so that we could atone for our sins. We've dedicated our lives and magical prowess on tearing down dark guilds, our plan is the death of Zeref. That is our one true goal." the woman said. She undid the lace holding her cloak to her body, turning around.

"This is the mark of our new guild." she said. Aiden gasped a bit when he saw the black cross shaped scar on her back. In the center of it was the mark of their guild. He reached his hand for it, his fingers running across the scar.

"He did this didn't he? When he slashed you with that attack?" he asked.

"Yes, in a way this scar opened my eyes. After meeting Gray and finding out the true fate of my mother, I lost all of my ties to the darkness. I know I don't deserve your trust or forgiveness, but we aren't here for that. We're here to check on the girl...she was heavily wounded by the Lieutenants of the dark guild we've been tracking down." she said, looking into his eyes. Meredy had knelt next to the girl, hovering her glowing hand over her body.

"What's she doing?" Zera asked.

"Her magic specialty deals with the human senses. Maguilty Sense, she can connect her heart and emotions with others and sense the same things they do. They can also share memories through the link, we need information on the top mages of this guild." Jellal said.

"Wait...she wasn't a member was she?" Aiden asked, concern in his voice.

"No, I believe she was just someone who was in the wrong place at the wrong time. There's no need to worry, while it isn't as powerful as Sky magic, Meredy's healing magic is very powerful." Ultear reassured.

"Meredy...that's your name?" Aiden asked, glancing at the pink haired girl.

"Yeah...oh right we never fought or even ran into each other. Here I am acting all friendly with you and I didn't even introduce myself." the girl said, rubbing her neck in embarrassment.

"You always were a forgetful girl." Ultear said, hands at her hips.

"Says you. Aren't you forgetting someone right now?" the pink haired girl asked, causing the woman to go wide eyed. She took off out of the guild, running at a rather face pace.

"Uh...she's okay right?" Aiden asked, brows furrowed.

"Indeed, let's just say we have another member in our guild, though we always keep her away when we're working. She's rather young." Jellal replied, earning a nod from him.

"Um...well since we're all friends, I guess I should introduce myself. My name is Zera, I'm uh...one of the founding members of the Fairy Tail guild."

"Seriously? How's that possible?" Meredy asked curiously.

"Through a series of events that we'll explain in detail at some other time. How's she doing?" Aiden asked. The glow on the pink haired girl's hand died down and she stood up, brushing her dress off.

"She'll be fine. I got some information from her memories but not a lot...that guild is something fierce. Their master didn't even break a sweat when he attacked her."

"No way, it was the master that did this?" Zera asked. Aiden grit his teeth in anger.

"Who the hell attacks a defenseless girl like that? What's the bastard's name, I'm going to make him pay for hurting her." he said, hand bursting into flames.

"I don't think you are ready to face these mages in battle. You were gone for seven years, so your magic hasn't grown at all. Fighting a dark guild on your own would be suicide." Jellal warned.

"I know but...I can't just let her lay there. I have to do something."

"Don't worry, Crime Sorciere has been tracking this guild for two months now. We'll take care of it." Meredy said cheerfully.

"Well, you guys are going to get help whether you want it or not. I'm getting revenge on the fucks who hurt this girl. I'm gonna go hunt us some food, there should be some boars around here." Aiden said, heading toward the cavern entrance. Jellal placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Wait...there's someone we want you to meet, it's our final team mate...she's really important to Ultear." he said. The teen's brows knit together.

"Alright I guess." he said, crossing his arms.

It wasn't long, before the Time mage returned, holding a little girl in her arms. She was wearing a cloak similar to their own, but it was white in color. She had lightly tanned skin, and vibrant green eyes. She had long blackish purple hair, tied into two neat ponytails at the sides of her head. She had a curious look on her face as she hugged the older woman.

"You two have a kid?" Aiden asked, looking between Ultear and Jellal.

"Oh no, she's not my daughter...I've been helping these two raise her yes, but I'm not the father..besides I have someone else in mind." he replied, his mind on a certain red haired knight.

"Okay, who does she belong too?" he asked curiously.

"Well...this might be a surprise to you but...me and your brother were in a relationship while in Grimoire Heart...we kept it secret from the others, and we had a lot of alone time together. It just so happened that I ended up pregnant before our invasion of Tenrou Island. She's your niece." Ultear said, kissing the girl's cheek. She giggled a bit, hugging her mother tightly.

"Jesus Christ, my brother knocked you up?"

"Aiden, don't talk like that in front of a little kid!" Zera scolded, causing the boy to growl under his breath.

"Oh it's quite alright, she's heard plenty of bad things before. Her name is Violetear."

"Hi." the little girl greeted.

"You...named her after a hummingbird?" Aiden asked curiously.

"Brandon liked hummingbirds, so we thought it was a good name...I wanted to name her Meredy Jr, but since I'm not the mother I had no say in the matter." Meredy said, clearly miffed about it.

"Why would I consider naming your sister that? We already have one Meredy, and honestly one is enough." Ultear replied.

"Well, I think it's an adorable name. And her nickname can be Violet, since she has dark violet hair like her mother." Zera said, giving the girl a grin.

"I'm sorry, I would be more excited but...this is so hard to take in. You do know me and Brandon weren't blood related right?" he asked.

"We are well aware of that, but we were able to get all of her papers signed and notarized. I hope you don't mind, but she's legally named after you." Jellal said.

"In order for her to be safe, we needed to give her the name of a relative that could take care of her in the event that we got captured. You understand right?" Ultear asked, earning a nod from Aiden.

"Yeah, that's fine...so long as she's well cared for, I don't care of she has my name. But let's just focus on all of this at a later time. I need to get some food, I wouldn't want Coco to starve." he said, walking out of the guild.

"Oh, I'll go with you. I can explain everything you've missed." Meredy said.

"Fine, but we move quietly and we move quickly. We can't afford to attract attention to ourselves, especially with that dark guild being around." he said. She nodded, following him into the woods. Jellal remained silent for several minutes, waiting until he was out of ear shot before speaking.

"I didn't want to say this...but that dark guild is much more dangerous than we first thought." he said.

"Why didn't you let him know?" Zera asked curiously.

"Because, if we spoke about it, he would take off after them before we could even stop him. The name of that guild holds significance to him, so he wouldn't stop until they were taken out of the picture." Ultear replied, setting Violetear down. The little girl quickly sat by the fire, entranced by the burning flames.

"The name of the guild terrorizing this area...it's the name of the guild he used to be in seven years ago. Neo Cait Shelter." Jellal said, making the brunette gasp in shock. Ultear held out a flier, with a man's portrait on it. There was a mark of a Cat with a cross shaped tail, only it had three slash marks across it, distorting the mark entirely.

"This is the leader. He's a dark wizard who previously worked under some of Grimoire Heart's sub guilds. This is one of the many reasons we personally took on this job, we've shut down most of the dark guilds tied to the Balam Alliance. But more guilds keep springing up. The eternal conflict of Light and Dark never truly rests." Ultear replied.

"So...are we going to tell Aiden about it?" she asked.

"I'm not sure...we want him to be calm when we do...one of the reasons Meredy left with him. She can easily cast a Sensory Link on him so we can keep track of him. Perhaps we can all work on a real plan of action, sadly the guildhall and the entire village is protected by a strong enchantment, one we can't break." Jellal said.

"Shoot...he said something about his girlfriend writing it seven years ago...maybe he knows how to break it." she said.

"Hopefully...this guild needs to be shut down, their too close to Clover Town for our liking. People like that girl there keep getting hurt, or worse. We can't have them continue operating in this area." Ultear replied.

"Momma, can I have some candy?" Violetear asked, catching her attention. Ultear sighed.

"Now, what did I say about candy?"

"That sugar is bad and I shouldn't eat so much...but how come big sis gets to eat candy all the time?" she huffed.

"That's because your sister is an idiot who doesn't listen to her mother."

"Well she's a big boobed poopy head!" Violetear cried, crossing her arms angrily.

"Ouch...the sibling rivalry is real." Zera replied.

"Wait until she's a teenager...it's not going to be fun." Jellal huffed, leaning against the cavern walls.

xxx

"So...what do you do for fun?" Meredy asked, trying to make some conversation. Aiden narrowed his eyes, his spear at the ready. He had been tracking a buck for a few minutes now, hoping to find a good spot to hunt.

"Depends on the mood..now shush." he said, his focus firmly on the wooded area ahead of them.

He heard a twig snap and stopped, closing his eyes. He heard the soft pattering of hooves near by, and got his spear ready. However, the sound had drifted off, heading in the opposite direction. He took a whiff of the air, his nostrils getting assaulted by the scent of cinnamon. He sighed, eyes slowly opening.

"Did you have to drench yourself in that god awful perfume?" he asked.

"Huh? I didn't even use that much...and what are you talking about, cinnamon is the greatest scent in the world."

"You're fully of shit...vanilla is the greatest scent in the world!" he said.

"No it's not, cinnamon is!" Meredy snapped, butting heads with the younger teen. Both of them growled in anger.

"Vanilla!"

"Cinnamon!"

"Well look what we got here, trespassers on our land!" a voice snapped, catching their attention. Several hooded figures stood a few feet away from them, all of them holding magic weapons.

"Trespassers? Get real, this land belongs to the Cait Shelter guild, of which I was a member of. So if you could do me a favor and get lost, I would really appreciate it." Aiden said.

"Is this bastard serious? He's passing off as a member of our guild?" another man asked, earning laughs from his friends. Aiden looked at them in confusion. He was about to say something when he felt Meredy's hand on his shoulder.

"Don't...these guys are bad news, how you are now you won't be able to defeat them." She warned.

"Meredy, please tell me what's going on?" he asked. She narrowed her eyes, facing the dark mages.

"If you do not leave right now, I will use my full force against you. I will show no mercy to those who attack defenseless mages." she said firmly.

"Oh, are you talking about that little girl who was poking around? It's a shame we weren't able to find her. She had a nice rack." the leader said. Aiden burst forward, slamming his flaming fist into the man's face, sending him flying into a tree.

"How fucking dare you?!" he shouted, flames bursting from his arms.

"Blue Flames, no way...could this kid actually be him?" one man cried in fear. Another man gasped, pointing to his shoulder.

"It is look, Fairy Tail's Blue Flare!"

"Settle down, this kid ain't shit. He's probably using transformation magic to fool us!" the leader asked, standing back up.

"Transformation magic? Get real, I'm the real deal, and I'll show you what it means to fuck with Fairy Tail!" he shouted, slamming his hands together.

"Aiden you idiot, Maguilty Sodom!" Meredy cried, forming several magic blades above her head. With a flick of her wrist the swords shot forward, slamming into a few of the mages, while the others dodged some of the attack.

"Switch Style: Fire Make: Sparrows!" he shouted, throwing the flames forward. They morphed into medium sized birds, all of them raining on the dark wizards.

"You're going to regret crossing us!" the leader shouted, racing at Aiden with his bat on his shoulder. He swung it at Aiden, forcing him to dodge the attack. His eyes widened when he saw two other mages going in for a pincer attack. Several magic swords slammed into them, exploding on contact.

"Aiden focus! We can't let these guys win." Meredy snapped. He nodded, looking at the mages before him. There were still a good amount left. His brows furrowed, an idea forming in his mind.

"Hey, form a sensory link with me, we'll be able to combine our magic together."

"Good idea, I can't believe I didn't think of that myself." she said, holding her hand out, a light pink beam of light swirled around his left wrist, forming a sort of bracelet around it. Aiden felt his magic power increase significantly, most likely merging with Meredy's. He smirked, holding his hands out.

"Now, let's cast this together." Aiden said, magic swirling from his hand.

"Maguilty Fire!" they cried, sending an array of flaming swords at the dark mages. They cried in pain as the swords exploded on contact, sending them flying in all directions. Aiden took a deep breath, channeling it into his mouth.

"Hellfire Dragon's Roar!" he shouted, unleashing a massive plume of blue flame.

The men all howled in pain as the attack hit, the heat of the flames making them scream in agony. All of them fell to the ground, singe marks on their skin. Aiden walked over to the leader of the group, kicking him in the ribs. He grabbed a handful of his shirt, pulling him to a sitting position.

"Where's your guild? Who the hell are you?" he asked. The man smirked, spitting in his face.

"We're Neo Cait Shelter asshole...and you just messed with the wrong man."

Aiden's eyes went wide at the name. He just refused to believe what he had heard. His hands ignited as he pulled his arm back, knocking the man out. He wiped his face away and turned back to Meredy, who stood there with a look of shock on her face, most likely due to the Sensory Link still binding them.

"Why didn't you tell me?" he asked.

"I was afraid you would react this way. We've been tracking this guild down for months, making sure all of our information was accurate. We weren't expecting to run into you. I'm sorry Aiden, I should have told you sooner." she said, sadness in her voice. Aiden sighed, also feeling her sadness.

"It's alright...I suppose you didn't tell me because I would have taken off in anger. But I'm not taking this lying down, we're going to the guildhall to take them out." he said firmly.

"There's an enchantment on the village, we can't walk past it." she said. He smirked, digging his hand into his pocket, a light blue pen in his hands.

"Well, it just so happens I know a bit of Script magic. I have all of Wendy's notes on the matter, so I can easily rewrite her enchantment. It's most likely been changed to allow their members in, it shouldn't take me long to break it." he said.

"Okay, let's go back to the cave. Jellal and Ul need to know about this." she said, walking in the direction of the small cavern.

"Hey Meredy...can you undo the link now? I can taste the gum your chewing."

"Oh, sorry about that. I tend to forget that sometimes." she said with a giggle.

xxx

Zera sat quietly by the fire. Jellal and Ultear weren't much to talk, as they had been focusing on taking down Neo Cait Shelter. Violetear had been taking a nap, her light snores barely heard over the crackling fire. Coco hadn't woken up yet, and she wasn't sure when she would wake up. She felt bad for the girl, since she had gotten attacked for no reason, most likely robbed and who knows what else.

Her focus however was on her magic. She had been practicing her control of fire, using the fire pit as a training tool. She had been able to grow and shrink the flames, along with various other things. She had also taught herself how to cool down the flames, or how to super heat them, making them rather diverse and deadly. She sighed, deciding to take a break.

"You show great control over your element. Has Aiden been teaching you?" Ultear asked, surprised to hear her speak. She shook her head, looking right into her eyes.

"I was taught fire magic by Zeref." she said. Her eyes widened in shock.

"You met the dark wizard?"

"98 years ago...well, 105 years now...this was all before Precht fell to the dark side. I picked up this type of magic rather easily, mostly because my father also specialized in it. I want to grow strong and become a powerful fire mage." she said.

"I've been watching you practice your control, and I believe Rainbow Fire would be a good type of magic to practice. It's a magic that changes the color of the flames, as well as the effects. You can definitely learn it with ease." Jellal added.

"Perhaps Aiden will be able to teach you Fire Make Magic, it would do you well to be versed in fire control as well as different types of Fire magic." Ultear added.

"You've got a good point, I'll ask him when he gets back." she said, returning her gaze to the fire. Ultear jabbed her elbow into Jellal's ribs, making him glare at her.

"What?" he asked quietly.

"Flames of Rebuke." she replied quietly.

"That would take too long for her to learn." he replied.

"No it won't...you learned it in three days, she can probably learn it in much less time." the time mage replied. Jellal sighed, standing up from his seat.

"Zera, how would you like to learn a new type of fire magic?" he asked. Her eyes lit up and she was instantly on her feet.

"Really? You know fire magic?" she asked. He held his hand out, brilliant golden flames sparked to life on the palm of his hand.

"It's called the Flames of Rebuke...these flames can only be made by focusing on the sins of our past. If I we're to compare it to another type of fire, it would say they would match Aiden's hellfire. I remember feeding these to Natsu in the past, and they were enough to make him enter Dragon Force." he said.

"Wow...I can feel the power coming off of them. But how exactly would I learn it?" she asked curiously.

"It's rather simple. While this flame does form out of our past sins and negative emotions, once you learn it you can call them at will. Do you have any regrets?"

"I've got plenty...I used to be a big bully as a kid...I used to bully Mavis all the time. Even after our guild was destroyed I was a sour person, until I started growing attached to her. I was never able to save her, that's my biggest regret." she said.

"Focus on that regret and on your fire. The flames will start taking a golden appearance to them the more you focus on those regrets. I also want you to focus on what you would use these flames for. Channel your hopes into it as well." he said, earning a grunt from the girl.

It was rather difficult for her to visualize. Combine her regrets and her hopes into a single flame? It wounded absurd. She just closed her eyes, ensuring that her focus was on nothing other than the flames. A bright golden glow filled the cave and when she opened her eyes, she gasped, seeing the same flames in her hand.

"No way, I actually pulled it off!" she said excitedly.

"Well, I'm rather surprised that you did. Good job." Jellal said, Ultear scoffed, shaking her head.

"And you said she wasn't capable of learning it." she said teasingly.

"This is great, I'll be able to cast stronger fire spells now." Zera said excitedly.

"It will come much easier the more you practice it. It is a very powerful flame, and if need be, you can give it to Aiden for a boost in power." He said.

"Speaking of that, I actually have a spell I want to try. You see, while you guys were gone, many magical discoveries have been made, including something called Second Origin."

"Second Origin?" Zera asked curiously, earning a nod from the Time mage.

"As you know, all humans in Earthland are born with magic containers that fill with ethernano. When a mage casts a spell, the container gradually empties until you can't cast anymore magic. But scientists have discovered that wizards actually have a reserve container in their bodies. By using my Arc of Time, I can develop that container and eventually unlock it, giving the user a significant boost in magic power." She said.

"So you mean, by unlocking this Second Origin, we'll be on par with the mages of this time?" Zera asked.

"That's one way to look at it. Of course you'll have to train hard to absorb even more magic into your bodies. But this will definitely help you guys fit into this world. I feel really horrible for what I did to you all seven years ago, so I want to do this as an apology." She said, earning a nod from Jellal.

"We've been developing her Arc of Time to help the other mages of Fairy Tail that disappeared. Now that we know they are alive, we can figure out how to bring them back." the blue haired man added.

"Yeah...Fairy Sphere is a spell I'm not well versed in. But if me and Aiden were released early, then maybe the spell is wearing off." She said.

"Hopefully, there are many things left unsaid between me and Gray. I want to be a better sister to him, seeing as I was pretty rotten during the times we actually met." Ultear replied.

"Ultear, Jellal, we got a major problem!"

The two mages were instantly on edge, watching as the third member of their group returned, with Aiden hot on her heels. The two of them looked a bit tired, but were otherwise fine.

"What's the matter?" Ultear asked.

"Neo Cait Shelter attacked me and Aiden while we were hunting. Don't worry, I've caught him up to everything." She replied.

"Yes, and while I am mad you didn't tell me, if we can take them down, I'll forget about it. I know how to rewrite enchantments, especially the one written around the guildhall. Wendy was the one that wrote it, so I know which characters she uses." he said.

"Are you certain? We've been examining it for awhile and haven't broken through." Jellal said.

"I'm sure...she uses Archaic characters, and I managed to memorize all of the ones she normally used in order to write them. I can rewrite it and get us in." he replied. Jellal looked to Ultear, giving him a nod.

"Alright, here's the plan. Aiden if you can get us in, we'll need you to rewrite the enchantment so that they can't escape while we're in it. I want you to also make it so only we can use magic, can you do that?" he asked.

"Easy, enchantments like those are cake walk for me." he said, a grin on his face.

"Okay, Ultear I want you to take out the lieutenants, destroy the guild if you have to, but they don't leave the area. Meredy, you'll handle the foot soldiers and anyone else who tries to escape. You leave the guild master to me." Jellal replied.

"I'll stay here with Coco and Violet, I wouldn't want them to get hurt while you guys are gone." Zera said.

"Cool, we have a plan of action. Let's go, the faster we move, the better."

"We move in the cover of night. We don't want them to see us getting close to the guildhall." Jellal said. Aiden frowned, but nodded in agreement. The last thing he wanted was to be seen by the dark mages.

Since they couldn't get any fresh meat, Aiden had resorted to using his canned food. He didn't mind much, but everyone had to eat something. Ultear and Zera decided to heat everything up while Jellal kept a look out. Violetear had woken up from her nap and had quickly taken to Aiden, sitting rather close to him. He honestly didn't know how to react.

"She isn't bothering you is she?" Ultear asked, looking up at them.

"No, she's fine. It's just...I can't believe I have a niece now...it's all so surreal." he said.

"Wish you were there when she was born. She didn't even cry, as soon as she was given to Ultear, she just stopped crying." Meredy said.

"Love at first sight, at least that's what the doctor said. Thankfully she wasn't born with an excess of magic like I was, so she was able to grow healthy and strong." Ultear added.

"Momma is teaching me her magic. Look I even have my own lacrima." the girl said, handing Aiden a baseball sized communication lacrima. Seeing the magic orb reminded him of his fight with the woman seven years prior. He rubbed his ribs, not wanting to remember the pain.

"That's good kiddo, I'm sure Arc of Time is a very useful magic to have." he said, giving her a grin.

"It's really hard and learning it is boring...I like Ice Make way better. I can make animals with it." she said, placing her hands together. From the small magic seal flew out a hummingbird, flying around the cave before bursting into snowflakes.

"Dynamic Ice Make...that's interesting." Aiden noted.

"I wasn't able to learn that type of Ice Make, so teaching her has been rather difficult, but her imagination is as endless as her energy." Ultear said.

"You've done a great job raising her Ultear...she looks a lot like you." he said, giving her a smile.

"It's been hard you know...the life of a fugitive isn't one I want her to live. She's innocent of everything we've done...but I've got nowhere to take her...she's the love of my life." she said, seriousness in her voice.

"Hey, we can take care of her...take her back to Fairy Tail with us. We plan to enter the Grand Magic Games this year to attract the attention of our missing friends." Zera said.

"Missing friends? You're friends were never missing, they had a new building on the outskirts of Magnolia. Alana Toujou is the Guild Master now." Jellal replied, catching Aiden by surprise.

"She took over? Wait...damn it...I can't believe we left without looking through the city for a new building." Aiden said, grabbing a handful of his hair.

"Hey, in our defense we thought they were all gone. The main guildhall was empty, so we figured the guild disbanded." Zera replied.

"I'm not sure if I should just let her go. We've talked about it before but...I don't know." Ultear said, glancing at the ground.

"What kind of uncle would I be if I didn't take care of my adorable niece? We can keep in contact and she'll be loved and cared for until the Council drops their manhunt on you guys. Besides, they don't have any information on Meredy, I'm sure." he said.

"Actually, since we broke Jellal out of prison, they managed to get some information about me. No one knew about us while we were in Grimoire Heart, but now I have my own file...that's why I've been laying low with Ul and Jellal." the pink haired girl replied, a frown on her face.

"We'll think of something. Fairy Tail always helps friends in need, especially if their family." Aiden said with a grin.

"We'll think about it." Ultear replied, giving her daughter a bright smile. The girl giggled, hugging Aiden's arm rather tightly.

"Hey, the girl is waking up." Meredy suddenly cried, grabbing their attention. Aiden was already by her side, concern written on his face.

"Where am I?"

"You're in a cave not far from Clover Town, don't worry you're safe." Aiden said, giving her a smile. She looked at his arm, recognizing the mark instantly.

"Fairy Tail...you guys saved me?" she asked.

"We came across you on the road, you asked us to help you. What kind of people would we be if we didn't help?" Zera asked.

"Can you tell us about the guild master of that dark guild? We plan to take him out." Aiden said.

"Yes...he uses...Maker Magic...Lightning Make, if I remember correctly...I believe his name is Surge." she replied.

"What about that Hannibal guy?" Meredy asked, the girl shook her head.

"He's a proxy...Surge is the true master...I was trying to get my friend back from them, but they caught me." she replied.

"You're friend, what's their name?" Jellal asked.

"Rosa...she's an exceed. She's a special one, able to manifest a battle form, so they were interested in her."

"Hmm...alright, we have all the information we need. Zera make sure she's taken care of. We'll leave after we all eat." Aiden said, earning nods from everyone. He would do everything in his power to destroy this dark guild. The last thing he wanted was for Wendy to come back and see just what these horrible people had done, all while using the name of their previous home. This was a secret he would take to his grave.


	57. x791 Arc: Elbow Grease

**A/N: Hello everyone. My, it has been awhile, a week actually.**

 **Welcome one and all to Chapter 56 of The Hellfire Dragon Slayer, and the fourth in the x791 arc.**

 **I have to say, after taking a week off from writing anything, I have thought of many ways to improve this story, one of them being reworking the plot a bit. So, this is the last chapter I will be posting for awhile. I'm starting to grow fatigued from writing this, and I honestly don't want to have a burn out and just abandon it like last time. All good things in moderation as they say. So, I hope you all enjoy this chapter and tell me what you think. I didn't really have the time to edit it, nor did I feel like it, in all honesty. I'll get to it at some point.**

 **In other news, I finished Persona 5 yesterday, and I have to say is...what a game. When I picked it up a week ago, I thought I wasn't going to like it much. I loved Persona 4 and got really invested in the characters and the story itself, but I have to say, Persona 5 blows 4 out of the water. Just by how it starts, you feel like you really are a Phantom Thief, running out of your target's place with their valuable treasure. Everything was great, the art, the story, the characters and the anime scenes. There were so many plot twists that my head was spinning, and it gave me real insight on how society works. There were times I just got really pissed off at what was happening, and times where I sympathized with the characters and what they were going through. I have to say without a doubt, that it's a good game, 10/10 would play again. I clocked in at 102:34 hours, but I'm going into New Game Plus so I can get some other stuff I missed. And if you guys are wondering who the best waifu is, definitely Futaba, she's my waifu for the game, but I had some other nice choices. Any game that makes my homeroom teacher my personal maid is awesome in my book.**

 **So, enough ranting about video games, it's time for Chapter 56, enjoy it!**

 **Song of the Day: Uptown Puffs**

 **Seriously, check this song out on YouTube if you want to have a laugh. It's so goddamn catchy, I've been listening to it for a whole day now. Honestly, the shit you find online at 3 am are the best. Happy 4/20. #YOLO SWAG BLAZE IT, SMOKE WEED EVERYDAY!**

X791 Arc

Chapter 56

Elbow Grease

"Lia, are you sure this is the place?" Minerva asked, hiding behind a thick tree. Chelia nodded, a frown on her face.

"When I took this mission, I didn't think it would bring me here. I didn't think some one would take the name of such a special guild and turn it into this." she replied, crumpling the paper in her hands. Minerva frowned, glancing over her shoulder. It was pretty dark, so she figured no one would see them. But she couldn't take any chances.

She started walking toward the village, seeing just how unkempt it had been. The guild hall was a shadow of it's former self, the white paint had been replaced with a dark black, the two paw like towers had been taken down, replaced with clawed ones instead, and the tribal markings were taken down entirely. The flag of the guild had also been changed, while the mark stayed the same, they had added three slash marks over it.

Neo Cait Shelter. Chelia was sure if Aiden and Wendy were around, they would have already torn the place apart. But since they weren't, she was going to do it for them. She walked behind Minerva, keeping her steps quiet. As they approached the village grounds however, Minerva stopped, holding her arm back.

"There's an enchantment here." she said quietly. Chelia hissed, her teeth firmly grit.

"I forgot, Wendy put this up before she left for Tenrou Island. We were all supposed to come back to train afterwards." she replied.

"Do you know how to take it down?" Minerva asked, earning a no from the girl.

"I wasn't one to pay attention while she was studying her scripts. Aiden on the other hand was always looking over her shoulder. If he was here, he would know." she replied.

"Well I hate to break it to you, but he's not here. Ugh...without a Script specialist, we won't be able to get past this barrier. We might as well turn back." the woman said.

"Hey wait...can't you use your space magic to teleport us into the courtyard?" Chelia asked. Minerva tapped the barrier, causing a wall of runes to appear.

"Those who use teleportation, space and or any other type of traveling magics are forbidden from passing through this barrier. Only members who bear the mark of Neo Cait Shelter can enter. Fuck you Fairy Tail, we win." she said.

"Okay, but was that last part necessary?" Chelia asked, hands at her hips.

"Of course not, but they're a dark guild, so it makes sense to taunt the ones who put this barrier up. We'll need to talk with someone else, perhaps Lamia Scale has someone that knows how to deal with this."

"No, absolutely not." Chelia said.

"When are you going to stop acting like a child and go talk to Sherry?"

"When she apologizes for forcing me to quit Fairy Tail. This guild was my lively hood and she tried taking it away from me. Why do you think I appealed my case with the Council? There's no way in hell I'm asking her for help ever again. She abandoned me for years, leaving me in that god forsaken hell house, and then out of nowhere she tries to be a part of my life? Get real." Chelia snapped, looking away from the older woman.

"She was only looking out for you Lia, you can't treat her that way." Minerva said.

"Let's not have this conversation right now Mina, I don't want to get pissed off." the pinkette replied, crossing her arms. Minerva sighed, sometimes her friend was really bullheaded.

They heard the sound of movement from across the path, and instantly hid behind some bushes. From it came out four figures, all of them wearing blue and black cloaks. They looked around, most likely scanning the area for people. The tallest one stood guard, while the other three approached the barrier.

"Do you know what you're doing?"

"I assure you, I'm sure. Wendy taught me some letters I could use in case I came here alone...let's see...well, here's a glaring rune, the idiot who wrote this mixed two types of runes, if I just erase this, the entire barrier comes down."

"We don't want that remember, rewrite it so they can't leave."

"Yeah yeah...give me a second." the youngest of the four said, pulling out a Light Pen. Chelia's eyes widened when she recognized it.

"That's...my sister's pen...and he said Wendy...no it can't be." she said, about to jump from the bushes. Minerva grabbed a handful of her shirt, pulling her back down.

"You idiot, we can't be seen. They might be enemies." she hissed.

"But he mentioned my sister's name, it's him!" she cried back.

The woman placed her hand over her mouth, trying to keep her quiet, thankfully the other mages didn't seem to hear them. The barrier glowed a bright purple, seemingly accepting the new lines the boy had written. The four mages passed through without a hitch.

"Come on." Minerva said, pulling the girl through the barrier.

"Alright Aiden, no heroic bullshit...we go in, and we do work." Jellal replied.

"No need to warn me Jellal, I've taken out dark guilds all by myself." he said, slowly walking toward the doors.

The two of them quickened their pace, breaking into a sprint. With a shout, they kicked the doors in, sending them flying into the building. All of the mages were caught off guard, giving them the advantage.

"Heavenly Body Magic: Meteor!" Jellal cried, literally shooting into the guild, striking all of the mages he could. They were all sent flying instantly. Aiden ignited his arms, a grin on his face.

"Fire Make: Lances!" he chanted, from the magic seal burst hundreds of flaming lances, all of them exploding on contact. Several members ran out of the building, but he was sure Meredy and Ultear were handling it.

"Well, if it isn't the kid from before, I owe you for last time asshole!" the tall man from before said, grabbing his magic club. Aiden smirked, cracking his neck.

"Bring it you Dill hole." Aiden cried back. The young man shot forward, avoiding the club as he literally ducked under it. He slammed his fists into the man's chest, spinning around to deliver a kick to his chest. He was pushed back a few feet, earning a scoff from the man.

"You actually think you can defeat me with that weak magic? Earth Breaker!" the man chanted, slamming his club into the ground. Hundreds of stone spikes shot from the ground, forcing Aiden back. He jumped onto a table, glaring at the man.

" _Jellal was right...my magic is nothing compared to these guys. They've got seven years over me...I'm pretty much at the same strength I was at when I was traveling Fiore."_

"What's wrong? Scared?" the man asked.

"Never, I'll never back down from a challenge, especially those who disrespect Cait Shelter's good name! Switch Style: Fire Make Hummingbird!" he chanted, sending out a medium sized bird at the man. He swung his club at it, causing it to explode. He didn't even take damage from it.

"Pfft...how weak. I didn't think Fairy Tail's Blue Flare was this puny. Where was the Bravado you had taking down Master Hades?" he shouted. Aiden grit his teeth, slamming his hands together.

"I'll show you! Fire Make: Gungnir!" he shouted, launching a massive flaming spear at the man. He punched it, causing it to explode. He howled in pain from the heat, not expecting it to be that hot. Aiden took his chance, jumping into the air.

"Hellfire Dragon's Wing Attack!" he shouted, slamming his arms into the man, brilliant wings of fire exploding on contact.

"Aiden, I've rid ourselves of the small fry, I'll be taking out the master." Jellal cried out, walking toward the second floor of the guild. Aiden hadn't even noticed the new addition to the building. It was actually a lot bigger than he remembered. The man burst from the smoke, taking advantage of his distraction to punch the teen across the room, slamming him into some tables.

"I'll say, you're fire burns like shit, but it's not enough to take me down." he said with a grin. Aiden stood up, tossing his charred cloak aside.

"What's your name? I like to have the name of those who's asses I kicked." Aiden said, getting into a low stance. The man chuckled.

"The name is Hannibal Roy Bean, you'll be sure to remember that when you meet your maker." he said, running at him. Aiden ducked to the side, avoiding the massive club. He grabbed a piece of the broken table and slammed it into the mans back, summoning his crystal sword. He pulled it back, water swirling around it.

"Take this, Water Slicer!" he shouted.

"Earth Shaker!" the man cried, stone spikes sprouted from the club. Both weapons clashed, sending mud and dirt in all directions. Aiden growled, pushing the man back. His crystal sword broke apart, returning to his space pocket.

"Pfft, you can't even manifest a strong sword to save your life. What the hell have you been doing these past seven years?"

"None of your damn business!" he shouted.

" _Damn, not even my strongest spells are getting him...I'll have to use that...but it takes so much magic."_

"Screw it, you're about to get me at full power. Hellfire Frost Dragon Mode!" he chanted, tapping into his new ice powers. The area around them grew twice as cold as before. Aiden's flames became a bit lighter, and looked a bit more solid. His arms turned white, as sapphire scales grew over his skin, his fingers morphing into dragon claws. The area around his face was an icy white color and his eyes were glowing a brilliant blue, something that unnerved Hannibal quite a bit. Hannibal rested his club on his shoulder.

"What the hell is this?" he asked. Aiden burst forward, slamming his flame coated fist into his face. He was sent flying back a good amount. He placed his hand on his cheek, feeling it numb.

"This is my strongest magic...by combining it with Ice Dragon Slayer magic, I created this new type of fire. Fire so cold it burns. Hellfire Frost Dragon's Breakdown Fist!" he shouted, slamming his fist into the ground, fire flowed deep into the ground, causing hundreds of sharp spikes to come out of the ground.

Hannibal swung his club back and forth, destroying each new spike that came at him. He grinned, running forward, slamming his club into Aiden who was sent flying through the wall. Running outside, he saw the teen struggling to stand.

"You're using too much magic power boy, you won't be able to last any longer than this."

"In you're dreams, I got enough juice to take you out." he said, running forward. Hannibal smirked, aiming his club at him. Aiden turned his fist, swinging it upward rather than forward, catching the man off guard. Flames burst from his elbow, increasing the strength of the hit.

"Hellfire Frost Dragon's Firing Hammer!" he shouted, sending the man sky rocketing into the air.

"What is this? Why does it burn so much?!" Hannibal shouted. Aiden took a deep breath, focusing the last of his magic into this one attack. He smirked, an icy sapphire seal appearing in front of him.

"Hellfire Frost Dragon's Roar!" he shouted.

The ice blue attack burst from his mouth taking the shape of a flaming pillar of ice, with spikes sprouting from it. Hannibal let out a small whimper as it slammed into him, the ice cold flames over took his body, making him howl in pain from the attack. The flames swirled out of existence, and the club wielding man slammed into the ground, his clothes frozen solid, and skin clearly frost bitten. Aiden fell to his knees, his skin and arms returning to normal.

"Shit...that still takes too much out of me." he muttered dryly. He heard the sound of a window shattering and looked toward the guild, seeing Jellal had brought Surge outside. The man had hastily stood up, only for a lacrima to whiz by them all, slamming into the back of his head, knocking him out cold.

"Mission accomplished." Aiden said, looking over at Meredy and Ultear, the woman just looked at him, a pissed off look on her face.

"You took on a man seven years stronger than you and you thought it was a wise idea to go into that form? Are you insane? If you ran out of magic he could have killed you." she snapped.

"Hey, I said I could handle myself and I did. Besides you of all people should know how bullheaded I am." he said.

"It's not about being bullheaded, it's about being a dumb ass. God, you're just like Brandon, always jumping the gun." she said, rolling her eyes.

"But...you did a good job, and for that I'm thankful. Meredy round them up would you?"

"Yes Ul, jeez why am I always the one that handles this bullshit?" she asked, earning a glare from the time mage. She chuckled, quickly shuffling away.

"Aiden, I know you wanted to take care of this yourself, but now you see what the mages of this time are capable of. Which is why I'm going to give you a gift, consider it my apology for what happened on Tenrou Island." she said.

"Okay...what kind of gift is it?" she asked. She held her lacrima out, red markings appearing over it.

"It's a spell to develop ones Second Origin, this is a reserve magic container inside the human body. Some mages live their entire lives without using it, others unlock it naturally by training. I can unlock yours in a few hours to give you a boost in power. However it is an extremely painful procedure, I understand if you..."

"I'll do it." he said, cutting her off.

"Really? I thought pain would be a deterrent." she said.

"My eyes were just opened...we're not in x784 anymore, everything is ass backwards and confusing. If I want to find my missing friends, I have to grow stronger, and if I can skip all of the hard training, or at least lessen it a bit, then it would wonderful. For her, I'll endure any type of pain...as long as I get to see her smile again." he said.

"You truly do love her." Ultear said, a smile on her face.

"I do...what do I have to do?" he asked.

"Well, you'll need to recover some magic power...we'll do this tomorrow. The procedure is much longer than you think, a few hours at most, but I'll be there to monitor your progress. I've already proposed this to Zera and she has also agreed."

"Okay...wait...you have done this before right? I'm not going to be a Guinea pig for this spell am I?" he asked.

"No, Meredy already went through it, Jellal however decided to train himself until he was ready. Between you and me, I think he's too much of a puss for the pain." she said, whispering the last part. Aiden almost broke into laughter, holding them back with his hand. Neither of them noticed Hannibal starting to move. His hand reached for his club a smirk on his face. He rapidly stood up, racing toward the two mages.

"Ultear, look out!" Aiden cried, pushing the woman out of the way. He braced for impact, closing his eyes firmly.

"Sky God's Bellow!"

Aiden opened his eyes just in time to see a swirling gale of black wind and feathers slam into Hannibal, sending him flying into the guild hall. Jellal was instantly on top of him, restraining the man with magic seal cuffs. Aiden just sat there shaking, unable do anything. The power of that attack was just insane. Ultear sat up, her eyes moving to the source of the attack, a pink haired young woman, with a very familiar mark on her thigh.

"Chelia Blendy." she said. Aiden bowed his head, glancing away from the girl. She didn't say anything, rather she walked over to the two mages. Ultear moved away, not wanting to interfere with the two. The girl knelt down next to Aiden, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Aiden...is that really you?" she asked softly. He looked up, seeing her face for the first time.

She had definitely aged, the little girl he had met was all grown up. She had the features of a young woman, but her eyes were still as bright as he remembered them. Her skin was a bit darker than he remembered, and her hair had definitely grown in length. But that wasn't the only thing that had grown. He looked at her chest, eyes widening a bit.

"Wendy is gonna be so jealous when she sees you." he said said firmly.

"Is that seriously the first thing you say to me? Jeez, you still are a huge jerk!" she cried. Aiden wrapped her arms around her, giving her a tight hug. She just sat there, not really knowing what to do. She bit her lip, trying to hold the tears in, but she knew she couldn't. She started sobbing, wrapping her arms around him.

"I thought you were dead, when they said Acnologia destroyed Tenrou Island, and that no one was saved..I just lost it. Sherry forced me to leave, and it was horrible. Please don't let this be a dream!" she cried.

"It isn't a dream Chelia, I'm here. This is me, I truly am back." he said softly, earning more sobs from her.

"Chelia, you need to stop running into things without surveying the area first." another voice snapped. Aiden looked up, looking at the second woman that had arrived. He spotted the blue mark of Fairy Tail on her waist, so he knew she was friendly. He looked at her face, a pensive expression on his own.

"Minerva?" he asked, finally saying her name. She smiled, giving him a nod.

"It's nice to see you again Aiden...it's been a long time." she said. Chelia let go of the blue haired teen, wiping her tears away.

"Mina and I formed a new team after everything happened. Sherry forced me to leave for a couple years, but when I appealed my case to the council, I was declared a free mage and I came back. She had just joined the guild." Chelia said.

"My father excommunicated me from Sabertooth, and I had nowhere to go. But I remembered the mark, the one that the boy who saved me had long ago. So I followed its origins back to Magnolia and joined the guild." Minerva said. Aiden stood up, brushing the dirt from his pants.

"That's good, I'm happy you're free from that abusive asshole. You were definitely too good for that guild. Clearly they don't even need you, as they continued rising through the ranks like nothing." he said.

"Yes, it's a shame but those mages aren't human, their machines, following my father's lead. They think and act how he dictates, I honestly feel sorry for them." she said, glancing at the ground.

"Aiden, all of the mages have been rounded up and the master apprehended, what do you want to do here?" Ultear asked, grabbing his attention.

"I'm going to rewrite the enchantment. I don't want anyone who doesn't bear our mark to pass through it. It should hold up until I find a way to bring Wendy back." he said.

"Alright, we'll gather them up and call the council, but we need to leave before they show up." Jellal said firmly. Chelia took a hold of Aiden's arm, tugging on it a bit.

"Aiden, why are you hanging out with them? They're wanted felons!" she exclaimed.

"I know...but they're good people, and their atoning for their sins. They took out this guild, and many others. Besides, Ultear has a daughter now and I don't want anything to happen to them." he said, giving the woman a nod.

"Well...if you say they are good people, then we trust you. But we came here to claim the reward for this mission. Fairy Tail has fallen on dark times." Minerva said.

"We don't care for the reward, so you're welcome to take it. Hopefully it helps you get the guild out of the rut it's been in. Do you think you can meet up with the council members?" Jellal asked.

"We can do that, are you staying nearby?" Chelia asked.

"We're staying in that cavern we used to play in. Remember, the one we named Fort Cait?" Aiden asked. The pink haired girl gave him a nod.

"Alright, we'll meet you there when the Council comes to pick these guys up. Minerva can you put them in an alternate space until they return?"

"Yes, but that takes a lot of magic you know." the woman replied. She opened a portal to said space with ease, all of the mages disappeared instantly.

"We'll be going, we'll meet up soon okay?" Aiden said, earning a nod from the two women.

"Don't you dare leave before we get there Aiden, or I'll kick your ass!" Chelia cried out, a firm look on her face. He chuckled, waving at the two as he left.

"Man, I can't believe just how much Chelia has changed...I bet she's older than me now." Aiden said, looking at the grass below him.

"Don't think to hard about it. Think about this time being a new beginning...there's so much you can do now." Ultear asked.

"Yes, but doing it by myself...I dunno. It's just all so surreal...seven years gone like nothing." he said, glancing at the sky, a smile on his face.

"At least the stars still look the same." he said.

"Actually, a few of them exploded a few years back. We don't know why, but we figured something happened in the Spirit World." Meredy replied. He glared at her, a scowl on his face.

"It's a figure of speech dummy. Jeez, now I see why your sister calls you a big boobed poopy head." he said.

"I'm gonna kick your ass for that Aiden Flame." she cried out reaching out for him. He jumped back, sticking his tongue out at her.

"Catch me if you can, make sure not to trip now." he said, running toward the cave. The pinkette growled and chased after him, disappearing through the woods.

"Children these days." Jellal said.

"Yes, they are so ill-mannered." the time mage replied.

"Did you find the exceed?" the woman asked, earning a nod from Jellal. He opened his cloak, where a crimson furred exceed with a round pair of glasses was resting. She was also wearing a furred silver hat with a cross marking on it. Ultear smiled warmly.

"She reminds me of the exceeds on Tenrou Island...that orange one sure puts down the cookies." she said.

"I believe she's Aiden's partner. He must miss her a lot...we need to find them, we need to atone for our sins, including those that occurred on that island."

"Indeed, but I don't know where to start."

"Perhaps I can show you." a soft voice said, causing the two mages to stop. Ultear glanced over her shoulder, seeing a young blonde girl standing before them, she had a warm smile on her face.

"Hello, my name is Mavis Vermillion, Fairy Tail's first master." she said, giving them a wink.

Xxx

"That's how I met Rosa...she was just wondering around, with an injured leg. I just had to rescue her you know?" Coco said, earning a nod from Zera.

The girl had recounted her story to the brunette, feeling comfortable enough to speak. Zera had been listening intently, though her shyness was sky rocketing. She was still really nervous, but didn't make it apparent. She didn't know how she didn't just run away when Jellal and the others had shown up.

"I would have done the same thing. I didn't like animals much growing up, but my friend Mavis taught me the value of life. If it means saving someone I care about, or even a stranger on the road, I'll do anything to protect them. That's our creed." she said, glancing at the orange mark on her arm.

"I heard so many things about Fairy Tail...how they fought against Phantom Lord, and how they toppled over the Balam Alliance, leaving Tartaros on their own. All of the stories and legends...it was all so alluring. But when they were all reported dead...I guess the whole country just stopped. The King held a memorial service a year after, and has been holding one ever since. Even the Magic Council shows up, though they hated the guild all together." she said, glancing at the fire.

"It just goes to show how much a guild can change the world. Hell, we're not a guild anymore, we're family. Maybe you can join us Coco, we need new members, and you could definitely use a home."

"Oh, I couldn't impose." she said, shaking her head. She frowned, sighing a bit.

"Besides, I'm just a broken girl with no knowledge of magic. The only magic I practiced was Athletic Magic, and my sandals were broken. They were hard enough to find...now I can't even fight." she said, tears brimming her eyes.

"Hey, no need for tears! We can find you a new type of magic...sure Athletic magic is hard to find seeing it's been made illegal in this time, but I'm sure there's other types of magic. Maybe some Speed Magic will do the trick."

"I guess." Coco replied, shrugging her shoulders. Violetear growled angrily, as her small penguins broke apart for the fourth time. She crossed her arms, glancing away from the ice filled ground.

"This magic is stupid!" she cried out. Zera giggled, shaking her head. She knelt down beside the girl, giving her a smile.

"Violet, what's the matter sweetie?"

"My Ice make won't work!" she said.

"Well, Ice Make is a really hard magic to work with. I hear you need to practice in cold environments to get used to it. You have good control, but you just need to increase your magic power." she said.

"If you say so." she said, standing up from the ground. She brushed her skirt off, walking toward the cave entrance.

"Maybe mommy can teach me more when she comes back!" she said excitedly.

"She's a lively one." Zera said, earning a giggle from Coco.

"She reminds me of myself when I was her age. I was a pretty fast runner growing up, so much so that my mom tied me to the couch once." she said.

"I can imagine. I didn't know my mother...all I remember is my father telling me she just took off. It's kinda late to look for her now." Zera said, a frown on her face.

"We're the same then...my mother left me when I was nine. I still don't know why...I just wish I could have run fast enough to catch up to her." she replied.

"Maybe we should stop talking about sad stuff, eh?" Zera said, earning a nod from the girl.

"Um...so is Aiden you're boyfriend?" Coco asked curiously, a smirk on her face.

"No, he's more like a brother to me. Although he is cute...sadly he's taken." she said, fighting back the blush on her face.

"Oh...that's a shame." the girl replied, a frown on her face. Her eyes lit up a bit when the others walked into the cave. Aiden was littered with scratches, and had a red hand print on his face.

"Well, we accomplished the mission, and we also brought back your friend." Jellal said, pulling Rose from within his cloak. The exceed was still fast asleep. Coco rapidly stood up, taking her partner into her hands.

"Thank you! I was so worried about her!" she said, hugging her tightly.

"It's all part of the job miss, no trouble at all." Ultear replied, a motherly look on her face.

"What happened to you?" Zera asked, glancing at Aiden.

"I was playing tag with Meredy and I ended up grabbing her tit on accident." he said, rubbing his face.

"How does that happen accidentally?" the brunette snapped.

"I dunno, she slipped on some wet grass and I tried to catch her and when we fell it just happened. I prefer them small anyway." he said, crossing his arms.

"Oh you really are looking for a beating aren't you?" the pink haired girl snapped.

"Save it, Zera I ran into some friends from Fairy Tail. They're dealing with the council now, but I was thinking of heading back to Magnolia with them. I want to speak with Alana." he said.

"Are you sure about that? I thought you didn't want to go there without everyone else." She said.

"Yeah but...I dunno...should we go back?" he asked.

"It might sound a bit messed up, but I think you should take this time to train your magic. Seven years have passed, so you need to get used to this time. Second Origin alone won't be enough for you to brave the dangers of this world." Ultear said, a firm tone in her voice.

"That's true...our world has changed in your absence. More dark guilds like Neo Cait Shelter have been popping up a lot recently. Not to mention the darkness surrounding the Grand Magic Games." Jellal said.

"What's up with the games? If you don't mind my asking." Coco asked, gaining his attention.

"We don't discuss those matters with free lance mages." the man said, earning an elbow to the ribs from Ultear.

"Jeez, we need all the help we can get and here you are acting like a douche." she said.

"Alright, I suppose we can tell her as well. But you have to keep it to yourselves, there's a dark force hanging around the games each year and we believe it's the Dark Wizard." he said.

"Zeref." Aiden muttered. He remembered the black haired man that had appeared on Tenrou Island. He looked sad that one time, his crimson eyes filled with nothing but sadness. He also remembered the dark wave that had almost killed him.

"Yes, the magic power felt there is definitely of his origin. It hasn't been confirmed if he's there or not, but if he was, his Death magic would have killed someone. He was the one who slayed Master Hades." Ultear said.

"Figures, the newspaper we read didn't list a cause of death. What happened to the other two members of your guild?" Zera asked.

"Rustyrose disappeared after Hades died, we haven't found out his whereabouts. Kain however decided to travel the world looking for adorable girls. He's actually slimmed down quite a bit." Meredy said, showing Aiden a picture of Kain Hikaru. He had seen the man briefly during his fights on the Island and remembered him being really large.

The man in the picture was actually a very slim and handsome man, with a charming face and long black hair. He was no longer shirtless, and was actually wearing formal clothing. His jaw dropped.

"That's Kain, no fucking way!" he said.

"Trust me, we didn't think he was him when we ran into him. But he's actually become a very powerful wizard. He doesn't use Mr. Cursey anymore either. Last I heard, he was heading to Pregrande to learn about Ancient Magic." Ultear replied.

"It's wonderful what time does to a person. As long as he learned from his past and changed for the better, he deserves to be free." Zera said, a smile on her face.

"Back to the previous topic. We believe something is going on in the capital city, and we also have reason to believe the Royal Family is involved. Every year during the games, the mages experience some magic drain, but it's always passed off as part of the games. Even during contests like Gun shooting and races, mages will feel fatigued." Jellal said.

"We are hoping Fairy Tail investigates further for us, seeing as we cannot be seen in the capital city. We've gotten very close to getting caught, so we can't afford to be seen." Ultear replied.

"Hmm...infiltrating the castle would be the quickest way to get answers, but that would be really hard. The Royal Guard doesn't practice in magic, but they do have a magical defense unit. Maybe if I can transform long enough I can get to Hisui." Aiden said.

"Whoa, are you actually thinking of breaking into Mercurious? Are you insane?" Coco asked, earning a toothy grin from the boy.

"Me and Hisui go way back, whenever I wasn't on a mission, me and Wendy would go see her. She'd love to spend time with me, besides I'm sure she has a crush on me, it sounds messed up but I think I can use that to gather information."

"Don't you dare, a girl's love is sacred!" Meredy cried out, anger in her voice.

"I agree with her!" a new voice called out. Zera hid behind Aiden, clutching his arm tightly. Minerva and Chelia finally arrived, holding a large burlap sack filled with Jewels.

"Aiden Flame, you should know that the pure love of a maiden shouldn't be taken lightly!" she said, glaring at the boy. He sighed, looking at the cavern walls.

"Jeez, you sound just like Sherry with that bullshit." he said.

"Well that's because she drilled it in my mind. It's love this, and love that...ugh...doesn't she know Lyon will never love her?" she asked.

"Uh...Lia stop bringing your personal problems into this." Minerva said, causing the girl to sigh.

"Yeah yeah...anyway...we just came here to see you before we left. We figured you would want to wait until you returned to the guild." Chelia said.

"Besides, we need to get this money back home...maybe it will get us out of our debt." Minerva added.

"Alright, I hope it truly does help you. I promise, I'll go back when I find the solution to Fairy Sphere...and I'll go back with everyone. Do you think you could keep our meeting a secret?" he asked.

"Normally I wouldn't...but since it's you, I will..just don't keep us waiting too long...or I swear I'll find you and beat your face in." Chelia said, cracking her knuckles.

"Jeez, seven years turned you into a freaking monster!" he cried, backing away from her. She grinned, pulling him into a tight hug. He squeaked, trying to breathe.

"I've missed you so much, I guess I'm your big sister now...so you can refer to me as such!"

"I will do no such thing. Now get going, before you miss your train." he said. She let go of him, grabbing the sack from the floor. She looked back at the Independent mages.

"Even though I don't trust you, I'm happy you were able to help us and Aiden. So thank you, what you guys are doing is noble." she said simply. Minerva slapped the back of her head, earning a glare from her.

"Is that the only thing you're gonna say? Be a little more considerate." she said.

"Alright fine, you guys are welcome to come to the guild any time you want. Because of you we'll be outta debt and stuff." she said.

"I guess that's better...at least for you." the raven haired woman replied.

"We'll be off, don't be a stranger." Chelia said, giving the boy one last hug before departing. Aiden frowned as he watched them go.

"Well...that happened...so about this Second Origin thing?" he said, gaining Ultear's attention.

"Ah yes, if you'd like we can get started...but like I said, it's going to be excruciatingly painful." she said, summoning her lacrima.

"Trust me, I had my magic drained by a psychotic elderly man hell bent on killing our friends for magic. Nothing will be as painful as that." he said, reassurance in his voice. They all shared a look, not exactly knowing how to respond.

"Um...do you think we could wait until morning? It's already late." Zera said, glancing at Violet, who was barely awake.

"I agree with Zera, it would be for the best." Jellal said.

"I would rather get it over with tonight. That way I don't have to scream in agony tomorrow." Aiden replied.

"Can't argue with that logic." Meredy replied.

"Alright then, I guess we can do it now, Jellal can keep watch." Ultear said, holding onto her lacrima rather tightly.

"Have fun!" Meredy said, earning glares from the two mages.

"Um...do you think I could get mine unlocked too? Zera explained the process." Coco asked, earning a curious look from Ultear.

"Well...I suppose so but..why would you want yours unlocked? Do you plan to join a guild?" she asked.

"I want to protect my friends. Samuel got captured because I got careless...I just want the strength to protect what's worth protecting." she said. Ultear nodded, glancing at the other two mages.

"We should get a move on...I'll be supervising your progress, the spell should be done by dawn. Are you truly sure you want to do this?" the woman asked.

"Yes." the three replied. She nodded, leading them out of the cave.

"Maybe I should go too, just in case." Meredy said.

"Ultear can handle it. Stay here and help keep watch, you know Violetear doesn't sleep well when you or her mother aren't around." the man said, earning a from from the pink haired woman. It was going to be a long night for all of them.

xxx

He didn't know what time it was when he woke up, but all he knew was that his body was in pain. He tried to move but every single muscle in his body screamed in agony. He did however feel more magic power in his body, it was as if the amount he previously had inside him had tripled in strength. He held his hand over his face, his trembling fingers still looking the same.

"This is what Second Origin feels like?" he whispered, voice a bit hoarse. The pain had been more unbearable than he thought it would be. All he remembered were the red markings appearing on his body. After that it had been nothing but pain. He struggled to sit up, seeing Zera and Coco peacefully sleeping by some trees.

"You're awake...that's good."

He glanced toward the trees, seeing Ultear along with Rosa, Coco's exceed partner. He gave her a frown.

"I take it it's time for you to go?" he asked.

"Indeed, the council is searching for stragglers so we must be off. I explained everything to Rosa here, so she's all caught up. We will meet again soon, don't worry...it won't be long until she returns to your side." she said, giving him a bow. She walked off, disappearing into the forest. Aiden clutched his head in pain, some shocks coursing through his body.

"I never calculated such trouble would befall us. I must thank you for your daring rescue, and for taking care of my friend." Rosa said, catching Aiden's attention. He chuckled, waving it off.

"No worries, we couldn't let her get hurt, and I had a reason to fight." he said firmly.

"Still...it was beyond my expectations, I also wasn't aware that Fairy Tail had more than three active mages." she said.

"Yeah, we've suffered heavy blows in the past, but all that's about to change. We're going to bring our friends back, and after that we're entering the Grand Magic Games." he said.

"The Magic Games huh? Fairy Tail has failed to win Seven years in a row, do you truly believe you have what it takes?" the exceed asked curiously.

"Of course, and if we don't then...well...we'll just claw our way to the top. I won't stop fighting until we have our rightful spot at the top. We earned it through hard work, and if we have to fight the other guilds in Fiore, so be it!" he said firmly.

"I shall have to run some calculations on this. I doubt anything will come from it however." the crimson exceed said, opening her notebook. Aiden just watched her mutter things to herself, as she floated above the ground. Coco was the next one to wake up, her hand flew to her head.

"Ow...what time is it?" she asked. Aiden looked at the sky, humming to himself.

"Quarter to three. If I had my pocket watch it would be more accurate..how are you feeling Coco?" he asked.

"Like I was hit by a train, but my magic power has significantly increased. Hello Rosie, how are you doing?"

"Can't talk, calculating." she replied, making her sigh.

"Does she do that often?"

"Yes, she loves mathematics so she'll often times calculate things. I let her do as she wishes...but now that we're all alone...I don't know what we're going to do. We're barely out of money, my sandals were broken and I don't know any caster magic." she said, a frown on her face.

"Hmm...that is an issue, but nothing we can't fix without a little elbow grease." Aiden said cheerfully. She looked at him, confusion written on her face.

"What do you mean by that?" she asked.

"It means we'll work hard to move forward. I lost my home, all of my money, my friends and my guild...so how do I fix that? I'll train hard and start making a name for myself. I'll earn money, help everyone back home out of their rut and I'll figure out how Fairy Sphere works. We'll bring our friends back and dominate the Grand Magic Games." he said firmly.

"You know...I like your attitude. Even when you're down, you just power through it...do you mind if I tag along? I want to get stronger too." the girl said, blushing a bit. Aiden grinned, giving her a nod.

"The more the merrier!" he said.

"Ugh...could you two talk quieter, my brain hurts." Zera muttered, her teeth grit in pain.

"It's about damn time lazy ass. We're about to leave...so you better get up!" he said.

"Are you serious, how do you expect us to move with so much pain in our bodies?" the brunette asked.

"We just move. One leg at a time, we'll get sticks if we have too...Clover Town isn't that far, we'll rent a room there and then we'll rest. Focus on getting to Clover Town, and then you can rest." he said, forcing himself to his feet. He held his hand out, helping Coco to her feet.

"Maybe they'll have some Athletic Magic for sale...even though it's been banned, I might get lucky!" she said.

"Sorry my dear, but by my calculations we will not be able to find any type of Athletic magic in this region." Rosa said matter of factly.

"Jeez, no need to be a sourpuss." Zera said, placing her hands at her hips. She glanced at Coco, a frown on her face.

"You look awful, the first thing we need to do is get you some new clothes, and get those bandages off of you." she said.

"Some new clothes would cheer me up. The small stuff I had was destroyed by those dark mages...I don't have any money left."

"That's alright, I can spare some money for clothes...it's a shame old man Frank moved out of Clover Town, he would have gotten us some cheap stuff. Oh well, let's go...the more time we waste here the less sunlight we'll have for getting to town." he said, grabbing his pack. He groaned in pain, but quickly powered through it. Zera grabbed her messenger bag, slinging it across her shoulder.

"Would you like me to carry you Coco?" Rosa asked.

"No that's fine. I don't mind walking...I've run around barefoot most of my life." she said.

"If you say so...I don't mind helping my friend out if she needs it." he replied.

"Well, let's march! It might be hard now, but we'll be strong mages soon enough! The world is our oyster...so let's move, and ride that tail wind!" Aiden said, holding his hand to the sky.


End file.
